2002 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 109 complaints
109
Total Complaints
93,000mi
Median Mileage
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Top Issue
29
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

34,483 25th Percentile
93,000 Median Mileage
156,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
20
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
13
SUSPENSION
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
4
AIR BAGS
4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
4

Severity Assessment

29
Crashes
1
Fires
13
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"HOOD IS TOO HIGH AND ALLOWS WATER TO RUN ONTO ENGINE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK"
"THIS SITUATION WAS TAKEN CARE OF BY REPLACING "THE BRAINS" OF THE TRANSMISSION BUT THE IDLE SPEED HAS REMAINED BELOW 300 WITHOUT THE SERVICE LIGHT COMING ON SINCE. ONE OTHER COMMENT IS THAT THE SHIFTER DOES NOT LOCK INTO DRIVE LIKE MOST CARS IT LOCKS INTO 3RD. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE IDLE SPEED IS SU..."
"AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GEARS LOCK IN PARK POSITION ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE 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