IllustrationI WAS DRIVING I WAS MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN FROM ONE ROAD TO ANOTHER AND I HIT A SLIGHT BUMP AND THEN THE WHOLE THING STARTS SWAYING ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT MY REAR SUBFRAME COMPLETELY ROTTED OUT AND DETACHED ITSELF FROM THE CAR DUE TO THE RUST AND THE BREAKING OF THE SUBFRAME IN THE REAR
2002 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 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
90–25K
825–50K
750–75K
575–100K
8100–150K
13150K+
50 reports with mileage · 38 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 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
21 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports
Unknown Or Other complaints
5 reportsTHE SUBFRAME COMPLETELY FELL OFF MY CAR. THIS IS MY SECOND SUBARU IS HAS HAPPENED TO I HAD TO SCRAP THE FIRST ONE. I DIDN'T NOTICE IT TILL I CAME HOME, I CHECKED IT BECAUSE IT WAS DRIVING FUNNY.
I WAS BACKING MY 2002 SUBARU FORESTER OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY WHEN IT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING IT TO CROSS THE ROAD HEADING FOR MY NEIGHBORS' HOUSE. FLOORING THE BRAKE DID NOT HELP BUT I MANAGED TO TURN THE CAR SLIGHTLY, HITTING A TREE, WHERE IT CAME TO A STOP. THIS HAD HAPPENED TO ME TWICE BEFORE IN THIS CAR,…
Read full complaint
I WAS BACKING MY 2002 SUBARU FORESTER OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY WHEN IT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING IT TO CROSS THE ROAD HEADING FOR MY NEIGHBORS' HOUSE. FLOORING THE BRAKE DID NOT HELP BUT I MANAGED TO TURN THE CAR SLIGHTLY, HITTING A TREE, WHERE IT CAME TO A STOP. THIS HAD HAPPENED TO ME TWICE BEFORE IN THIS CAR, AND ONCE TO ANOTHER REGULAR DRIVER OF THIS CAR. ALL INCIDENTS WERE WHEN MANEUVERING SLOWLY, BUT SOME WERE WHILE IN REVERSE AND OTHERS WHILE MOVING FORWARD. IN ALL THE EARLIER INCIDENTS, WE WERE SOMEHOW ABLE TO BRING THE CAR UNDER CONTROL AND TO A STOP BEFORE HITTING ANYTHING. THIS HAS ALSO HAPPENED TO A FRIEND WHO OWNS A 2002 FORESTER. NONE OF US HAVE EVER HAD IT HAPPEN IN ANY OTHER CAR, AND WE HAVE ALL BEEN DRIVING REGULARLY FOR 35 YEARS.
SUBARU FORESTER HAS "SURGED" SEVERAL TIMES, DURING PARKING MANEOUVRES.
SUBARU HAS NOT CONTACTED US OR LET CONSUMERS KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH 2002 FORESTERS. DT
Official recalls
102V282000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Oct 30, 2002
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS WERE PRODUCED WITH AN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR LEVER IS PLACED IN THE "P" (PARK) POSITION, THE TRANSMISSION PARK MECHANISM, THAT IS INTENDED TO HOLD YOUR VEHICLE, MAY NOT ENGAGE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE VEHICLE COULD THEN MOVE/ROLL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION JANUARY 8, 2003. AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE SENT DURING NOVEMBER 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
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.