IllustrationRIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING NEEDS REPLACING AT 51,000. THESE SHOULD LAST MUCH LONGER AS THEY DO IN MY OTHER VEHICLES.*AK
2000 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2000 Subaru Forester do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 131.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forester years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
50–25K
825–50K
650–75K
1175–100K
8100–150K
1150K+
39 reports with mileage · 36 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports
Suspension complaints
19 reportsCOMPLAINED TO SERVICING DEALER ABOUT EXCESSIVE NOISE. REPORT WAS AT 49,622 MILES, BOTH REAR WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE FAILED. THIS COMPONENT IS NOT NORMALLY INSPECTED OR REPLACED IN THE ORDINARY SCHEDULE OF MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED CARE. MY WEB RESEARCH SHOWS QUITE A FEW REPORTS OF THIS SAME FAILURE, INDICATING INADEQUATE DESIGN …
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COMPLAINED TO SERVICING DEALER ABOUT EXCESSIVE NOISE. REPORT WAS AT 49,622 MILES, BOTH REAR WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE FAILED. THIS COMPONENT IS NOT NORMALLY INSPECTED OR REPLACED IN THE ORDINARY SCHEDULE OF MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED CARE. MY WEB RESEARCH SHOWS QUITE A FEW REPORTS OF THIS SAME FAILURE, INDICATING INADEQUATE DESIGN OR FAULTY COMPONENTS. AVERAGE MILES TO FAILURE SEEM TO BE AROUND 50,000. INCREASINGLY, THESE CASES WILL BE SHOWING UP GIVEN THE AGE AND TYPICAL MILEAGE OF THESE CARS. ANYONE WHO IGNORES THE SOUND LEVEL INCREASE IS LIABLE TO EXPERIENCE A COMPLETE FAILURE ON THE ROAD WITH DEFINITE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS. NO ONE SEEMS TO BE COMPILING STATISTICS ON THIS DEFECT, EXCEPT PERHAPS SUBARU. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT SUBARU AMERICA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM'S FREQUENCY (A TSB ON IMPROVED REPLACEMENT METHOD), BUT THEY HAVE NOT REGULARLY AGREED TO COVER REPAIR COSTS OR ALERTED OWNERS OF THE PROBLEM'S EXISTENCE. IN MY CASE, REPAIR IS SCHEDULED SIX DAYS FROM NOW. MY COMPLAINT CALL TO SUBARU AMERICA RESULTED IN A PROMISE TO LOOK INTO THE MATTER AND CALL ME BACK WITH A RESPONSE ON WHAT ACTION THE COMPANY WOULD TAKE. IT IS NOW 2+ DAYS AWAITING RESPONSE. FORESTER (AND PERHAPS IMPRESA) OWNERS SHOULD BE ALERTED TO WHAT IS A VERY STEALTHY FLAW. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE SUPPLYING GOOD INFORMATION AND ADVICE, AS WELL AS SUPPORTING THEIR PRODUCT. *JB
HAD TO HAVE WHEEL BEARINGS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE REAR REPLACED AT ONLY 44,000 MILES ON MY 2000 SUBARU FORESTER. UPON RESEARCH HAVE FOUND WHEEL BEARINGS TO BE A DEFECTIVE COMPLAINT AMONG SUBARU FORESTER AND IMPREZA OWNERS. SOME OWNERS CLAIMING THAT WHEEL BEARINGS MUST BE REPLACED EVERY 30,000 MILES.*JB
WHILE TRAVELING, CONSUMER NOTICED A GRINDING SOUND EMITTING FROM THE REAR WHEEL. VEHICLE WAS SERVICED BY DEALER TECHNICIAN WHO NOTICE THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THEY CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE HUB ASSEMBLY. TS *JG
BOTH REAR TIRES ARE WEARING ONLY ON OUTER EDGE. DEALER HAS DONE ALIGNMENT, BUT IT HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM.*AK
CONSUMER STATED THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED. *JG
THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BURNED DUE TO THE WRONG LUBRICANT FOR THE SEAL. THE NOISE IN THE REAR ALERTED THE CONSUMER TO HAVE IT INSPECTED. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND ADVISED CONSUMER THAT THE WHEEL BEARINGS WERE DEFECTIVE. NLM *TT
FROM 14,000 MILES TO PRESENT 34,000 MILES FRONT WHEEL BEARING IS BEING REPLACED FOR FOURTH TIME BY DEALER. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
REAPEADED WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.