"How reliable is the 1998 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 138 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 98000 miles. The most common issue is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Subaru Forester is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, accounting for a significant portion of the 138 total complaints filed."

1998 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 138 complaints

138

Total Complaints

98,000mi

Median Mileage

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

68,500 25th Percentile

98,000 Median Mileage

112,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TIRES

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SUSPENSION:REAR

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

SUSPENSION:MULTIPLE AXLE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE DRIVING. FIRE STARTED FROM REAR OF VEHICLE'S BACK SEAT.CAUSE OF FIRE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED.OWNER IS VERY CONCERNED FOR SAFETY. *AK"

"VEHICLE SURGED WHEN BRAKING AT SLOW SPEEDS AND CRASHED INTO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF IT."

"WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES ON DRY PAVEMENT THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28