WHILE DRIVING IN BUMPER HIGH SNOW FOR 5 MILES VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM 3 RD TO 4 TH GEAR. CONSUMER HAD TO FORCE IT INTO 4 TH GEAR. DEALER DETERMINED SNOW HAD ACCUMULATED AROUND TRANSMISSION AND CAUSED THE PROBLEM.*AK
2001 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2001 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
73 reports with mileage · 66 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.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
23 reportsWAS ATTEMPTING TO BACK INTO DRIVEWAY WHEN SUDDENLY THE CAR MOVED FORWARD. ENGAGING THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP CAR AND IT WENT OVER AN EMBANKMENT. IN PREVIOUS YEARS SUBARUS WERE RECALLED FOR BRAKE PROBLEMS.ALSO FOR PROBLEMS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *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.
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