1999 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND AFTER CHECKING/CHANGING GAS CAP AND HAVING LIGHT RESET, IT CAME ON AGAIN. I THEN CHECKED INTERNET SITES FOR POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AND THEN NOTICED CORROSION WHEN I REMOVED THE GAS CAP. ONE AREA HAD A SMALL HOLE STARTING IN THE METAL. WE HAD THE FUEL FILLER NECK REPLACED AT A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY GAVE ME THE OLD ONE BACK. IT WAS ALL CORRODED AND HE SAID IT WAS PROBABLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE GAS MAY HAVE COME THROUGH. VEHICLE IS KEPT IN GARAGE WHEN NOT IN USE AND THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS PIPE TO CORRODE UNLESS THE MATERIAL IS DEFECTIVE. *TR

HEAD GASKET/ENGINE FAILED WHILE ON HIGHWAY. CAR STALLED, UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE COASTING, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 48,700. UPDATED 05/06/08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED DREYER & REINBOLD CHECKED ENGINE, TRANSMISSION MOUNTS SPEED CONTROL AND FOUND NO PROBLEM. 05/06/08 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO AVOID A DOG. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP AND CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. THE POLICE ARRIVED AND FILED A REPORT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE INSURANCE COMPANY INVESTIGATED THE FAILURE AND INFORMED HER THAT THIS WAS A MAINTENANCE ISSUE, RATHER THAN A SAFETY ISSUE. THE SUBARU MANUFACTURER STATED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 100,000. UPDATED 03-25-08 *BF UPDATED 03/25/08 *TR

THIS PROBLEM INITIALLY OCCURRED ONLY ONCE A MONTH OR SO, BUT HAS SINCE DETERIORATED TO OCCURRING MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY. WHEN APPROACHING A STOPLIGHT, OR BRAKING HARDER THAN USUAL, THE VEHICLE WILL SLIP INTO NEUTRAL. THE SHIFTER DOES NOT MOVE, IT IS STILL IN DRIVE, HOWEVER, WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY STOP RESPONDING TO THE ACCELERATOR (EXCEPT THE ENGINE STILL REVS). THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO REV THE ENGINE TO HIGH REVS, OVER AND OVER, UNTIL THE TRANSMISSION "CATCHES", AT WHICH POINT THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD, OFTEN VIOLENTLY, EVEN WITH THE BRAKE DEPRESSED. THIS MOST OFTEN HAPPENS AT STOPLIGHTS/SIGNS, HOWEVER IT WILL OCCUR ON THE HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED HARD. THIS SEEMS TO BE QUITE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN WHEN IT WAS NECESSARY TO MOVE THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE WAY OF SOMETHING ONCOMING AND WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO. A DEALER LOOKED AT IT AND FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION AND ADDED NEW FLUID, WHICH SOLVED THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS, AFTER WHICH IT HAS CONTINUED TO GET WORSE. THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT LOW ON FLUID, AND THE FLUID LOOKS FINE. I HAVE HEARD THIS COMPLAINT FROM NUMEROUS OTHER 1999 FORESTER OWNERS VIA VARIOUS INTERNET FORUMS. *TR

ABOUT 3 YEARS INTO OWNING THIS '99 FORESTER, THE ILLUMINATION FOR MY GEAR SHIFTING COLUMN BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS WENT OUT. COST TO REPAIR WAS PROHIBITIVE, SO I LEARNED TO DEAL WITH IT. ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO, THE LED CLOCK ABOVE THE MIRROR WENT OUT. COST TO REPAIR $180, SO I DECIDED TO LIVE WITHOUT A CLOCK. LAST FRIDAY, THE LED THAT ILLUMINATES THE GAS GAUGE, SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMETER WENT OUT. NOW I HAVE TO PERIODICALLY TURN ON THE CABIN LIGHT TO SEE HOW FAST I'M DRIVING, HOW MUCH GASOLINE I HAVE AND HOW MANY MILES I'VE DRIVEN. WHAT'S NEXT? THIS IS RIDICULOUS! *TR

ON 1998 FORESTER 5-SPD, WHEN PULLING OUT ON FREEWAYS AND OTHER ROADS, AS I SWITCH FROM 3 TO 4 OR FROM 4 TO 5, ENGINE WANTS TO DROP TO IDLE AS I TRY TO ACCELERATE. *NM

CONSUMER COMPLAINT CONCERNING 1999 FORESTER GAS MILEAGE. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED HE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, BRAKES, A KNOCK SENSOR, A SQUEAK IN THE CARGO PANEL AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. *JB

WE HAVE A 1999 SUBARU FORESTER WITH A 2.5 L ENGINE. WE GOT A RECALL NOTICE 2-2004 REGARDING EXTERNAL COOLANT LEAKS AT THE ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS. THIS RECALL COVERED VEHICLE YEARS 1999-2002 OR 4 YEARS OF VEHICLES. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE IN AND HAD THE SPECIFIC (SPECIAL CONDITIONER) INSTALLED AS REQUIRED BY SUBARU. UNFORTUNATELY FOR US IT TOOK SUBARU 5 YEARS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AS WE ARE ON THE FRONT END OF THE MODEL YEARS IN QUESTION. LAST WEEK THE HEAD GASKETS FAILED AND WITH IT A LARGE REPAIR BILL. SUBARU WILL NOT HONOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AS WE ARE OUTSIDE IT BY LESS THAN 10% IN MILEAGE BUT WITHIN THE SPECIFIED 8 YEARS IN AGE. WE LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND IT IS OUR OPINION THE MILEAGE AMOUNTS ALLOWED DO NOT REPRESENT THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY AND ARE NOT REAL WORLD. WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE ISSUE WITH 2 EXTREMELY EXPERIENCED MECHANICS INCLUDING A NISSAN MECHANIC (NOTED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY) WHO INDICATED THE CONDITIONER WAS MERELY A BAND-AID, A WAY FOR SUBARU TO MAKE A TEMPORARY FIX, AND NOT MAKE A PROPER REPAIR BY REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKETS IN QUESTION. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED FUEL LEAKED ONTO THE GROUND WHILE FILLING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE CONTACT WHO DETERMINED THE FUEL FILLER PIPE WAS RUSTED. THE PLASTIC COVERING AROUND THE FILLER PIPE BECAME CLOGGED WITH ROAD DEBRIS AND APPEARED TO HAVE CAUSED THE RUST. ADDITIONALLY, THE PIPE APPEARED TO HAVE RUSTED MORE QUICKLY BECAUSE IT WAS MADE OF MILD STEEL. THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS ORDERED THROUGH THE LOCAL DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THIS WAS A COMMONLY ORDERED PART.