"How reliable is the 2001 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 169 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 60000 miles. The most common issue is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Subaru Forester is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, accounting for a significant portion of the 169 total complaints filed."

2001 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 169 complaints

169

Total Complaints

60,000mi

Median Mileage

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

38,403 25th Percentile

60,000 Median Mileage

90,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

SUSPENSION:REAR

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

WHEELS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SEATBELT IS FASTENED UNDER THE HIP, AND IT'S LIKE T SHAPE DESIGN. SEAT BELT PINCHES CONSUMER IN THE SIDE, TO THE POINT THAT IS REALLY HARD TO GET BUCKLE UNLOOSENED. IN AN ACCIDENT IT MAY BE HARD TO GET OUT OF VEHICLE. *AK"

"NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK"

"WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO SEE THE ROAD CLEARLY BECAUSE OF FAULTY HEADLIGHTS.*AK NO LEFT OR RIGHT ADJUSTMENT FOR HEAD LIGHTS AND NOT ENOUGH LIGHT TO SEE THE EDGE OF THE ROAD. ALSO HEAD LIGHTS ARE TO HIGH ON BRIGHT TO LOW ON DIM. *YH"

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