Subaru Forester transmission problems

HAVE A 1999 FORESTER L W/AUTO TRAMSMISSION. I CAN DRIVE IN REVERSE ALL DAY WITH NO PROBLEM. GOING FORWARD IS HIT AND MISS. SOMETIMES I CAN SIT FOR 15 TO 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE FORWARD GEARS ENGAGE. ONCE FORWARD ENGAGES, I HAVE NO PROBLEM UNTIL I TURN OFF THE IGNITION. SERVICING THE TRANS IS A TEMPORARY FIX FOR A FEW THOUSAND MILES AND THEN THE PROBLEM SLOWLY RETURNS. I REALLY LIKE MY CAR, BUT I'M SURE THE TRANS WILL EVENTUALLY CEASE WORKING ALL TOGETHER.EVIDENTLY OTHER ARE HAVING SAME PROBLEM ACCORDING TO CHAT ROOMS.*AK

THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT HE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THE VEHICLE AND RECEIVE A REFUND FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE. *NM THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE ENGINE IS MAKING A HIGH PITCH WHINING NOISE. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE NOISE IS FROM THE REDUCTION GEAR TEETH TRANSMISSION AND WAS NORMAL. THE CONSUMER ALSO EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH HER 1998 SUBARU FORRESTER THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED OVERHEATING AND ENGINE DAMAGE. A FAULTY THERMOSTAT CAUSED THE OVERHEATING. AN INITIAL TEST SHOW CARBON MONOXIDE INDICATING PROBABLE DAMAGE TO THE SLEEVES BETWEEN THE PISTONS AND CYLINDERS, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF THE SHORT BLOCK. OVERHEATED CAMS ARE WARPED DUE TO THE HEAT.

ON A COLD START, GENERALLY THE VEHICLE WILL GO FORWARD WHEN SHIFTING IT INTO DRIVE, BUT AFTER IT IS WARMED UP IF YOU STOP THE ENGINE AND THEN TRY TO GO AGAIN, IT WON'T ENGAGE IN DRIVE BUT IT WILL GO IN REVERSE. I SEE ON SUBARU'S SERVICE BULLETINS, ON THE WEB, SHOW THERE ARE PAGES UPON PAGES OF THE SAME HAPPENINGS. IT WAS EXPLAINED THAT THE INTERIOR SEALS OF THE TRANSMISSION ARE ALLOWING FLUID TO LEAK BY DECREASING FLUID PRESSURE IN THE TRANSMISSION PREVENTING IT FROM OPERATING PROPERLY, SOMETIMES LEAVING US STRANDED. THE VEHICLE IS A SUBARU FORESTER 2000, OTHER VEHICLES WERE SAME MODELS AND WERE ALSO INCLUDED 1999 MODELS. MY QUESTION IS SHOULD THIS BE HAPPENING IN CARS JUST FOUR YEARS OLD?*AK

WITH ABOUT 15-18K MILES, I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH STUTTERING IN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR. IT WAS ALWAYS WORST IN WINTER, WHEN IT WAS COLD. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR OTHER ISSUES AND FOUND SEVERAL CHAT ROOMS WHERE PEOPLE WERE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES. I TOOK THE CAR IN SEVERAL TIMES TO THE DEALERS WHO SAID THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WHEN READING THE CHAT ROOMS, SOME PEOPLE DID HAVE THE DEALERS SAY THIS WAS A PROBLEM. I CALLED SUBARU'S CUSTOMER LINE AND WAS TOLD TO GO TO THE DEALER. *JB

CAR HESITATES THEN LURCHES FORWARD AFTER PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. VEHICLE THEN HESTIATES AS IF LOSING POWER. HAD THE SAME PROBELEM IN AUGUST OF 2003 AND DEALER RESET THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER AND SAID NO PROBLEM. DEALER TRIED TO HAVE ME PAY FOR A FUEL INJECTOR CLEANING SERVICE THIS TIME. CAR HAS 29,000 MILES. I SPOKE A ANOTHER CUSTOMER AT THE DEALERSHIP WHO WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND NOTICED THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB SITE. SHOULDN'T THIS MATTER BE LOOKED AT FOR A POSSIBLE RECALL?

ON THE GREEN TRAFFIC SIGNAL I ACCELERATED AND THE CAR SURGED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I JAMMED MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THREW THE SHIFT INTO PARK WHEN THE CAR STOPPED, THEN WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND SHIFT IN PARK, THE CAR SURGED IN REVERSE HITTING THE CAR BEHIND ME. I PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED SURGING TWICE BEFORE THIS. MY 2002 SUBARU FORRESTER WAS RECALLED FOR THE PARKING ROD REPLACEDMENT IN APRIL 2003.*AK

MULTIPLE MAJOR AND COSTLY REPAIRS TO A VEHICLE THAT IS DRIVEN ON HARD ROAD SERVICES ONLY, AND IN A SAFE MANNER. THE VEHICLE HAS HAD ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. REPAIRS INCLUDE REPLACE OXYGEN SENSOR & EMISSION CONTROL COMPUTER. I WAS EVENTUALLY REIMBURSED FOR THIS SERVICE/PART WHICH TOOK 7 VISIITS TO DEALER AND MUCH CONVINCING ON MY PART. OTHER MAJOR REPAIRS INCLUDE REPLACE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION SEAL (2 VISITS), REPLACE OIL PUMP, REPLACE LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING. REPLACEMENT OF OTHER WHEEL BEARINGS IS POSSIBLE AND PENDING. I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN THIS CAR, JUST WAITING FOR THE NEXT MAJOR REPAIR.

AFTER A SNOW STORM I NOTICED MY 2001 SUBARU FORESTER WOULD NOT DRIVE ON SLIPPERY SURFACES. I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR, THE WHEELS SPUN AND NOT MUCH ELSE HAPPENED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 12/19/03 AND THEY LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS NUTS TO COMPLAIN THAT A CAR DIDN'T DRIVE PROPERLY ON PACKED SNOW AND ICE. THE ORIGINAL THOUGHT WAS THAT IT MUST BE POOR TIRES (BOUGHT NEW ALL SEASONS ON 10/02) OR THAT I NEEDED TO PURCHASE SNOW TIRES (FOR AN AWD?). AFTER PUSHING THE ISSUE, THE SERVICE MANAGER BROUGHT IT BACK INTO THE GARAGE, PUT IT ON THE LIFT AND HAD SOMEONE GUN THE ENGINE. THE FRONT WHEELS SPUN FAST (AS THEY SHOULD) AND THE BACK WHEELS WENT VERY SLOWLY. THEY SCRATCHED THEIR HEADS AND CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA FOR SOME HELP ON THE ISSUE. TURNS OUT THE VALVE THAT SUPPLIES FLUID TO THE REAR WHEELS MALFUNCTIONED/BURNT OUT/NO LONGER WORKED. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED. THE DEALERSHIP SAID NO SUCH LIGHT TO INDICATE A MALFUNCTION IN THE AWD SYSTEM HAS EVER EXISTED. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CROSSED THEIR FINGERS THAT THE ONLY REPAIR I WOULD NEED WAS THE VALVE ($460 PARTS AND LABOR) AND WARNED ME THAT IF THIS HAD BEEN HAPPENING FOR A WHILE I COULD BE IN FOR SOME MORE SERIOUS REPAIRS. I WAS ALLOWED TO TAKE THE CAR HOME BECAUSE I COULD DO NO FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE CAR (WAS TOLD IT SHUT DOWN). BROUGHT IT IN 12/31/03 FOR A REPLACEMENT OF THE VALVE AND THEY DISCOVERED THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AND THE CLUTCH WAS COMPLETELY BURNT. THE COST IS NOW ($1500). THIS PROBLEM WOULD HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER TO FIX IF THERE HAD BEEN A WARNING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. A VALVE FOR THE AWD SYSTEM SHOULD NEVER MALFUNCTION. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY HAD NEVER SEEN IT HAPPEN BEFORE. THE CAR IS NOT OLD ENOUGH (3 YEARS 60K MILES) TO HAVE A PROBLEM LIKE THIS!