2001 Subaru Forester

Typical pattern

19.2% of complaints about the 2001 Subaru Forester came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2001 vehicle — around the middle of the 216 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 3.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is power train (24 complaints), typically at 3.3 yr or about 56,000 miles.

Complaints: 146
Median age at failure: 3.3 yr
Median mileage: 64,000 n=83
Crash / fire / tow: 21.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Power train mileage not reported 1.1 yr in service

WAS ATTEMPTING TO BACK INTO DRIVEWAY WHEN SUDDENLY THE CAR MOVED FORWARD. ENGAGING THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP CAR AND IT WENT OVER AN EMBANKMENT. IN PREVIOUS YEARS SUBARUS WERE RECALLED FOR BRAKE PROBLEMS.ALSO FOR PROBLEMS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *AK

Power train mileage not reported 1.3 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING IN BUMPER HIGH SNOW FOR 5 MILES VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM 3 RD TO 4 TH GEAR. CONSUMER HAD TO FORCE IT INTO 4 TH GEAR. DEALER DETERMINED SNOW HAD ACCUMULATED AROUND TRANSMISSION AND CAUSED THE PROBLEM.*AK

Power train mileage not reported 3.0 yr in service

AFTER BEING TOLD THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR SUBARU CLUTCHES TO HAVE CLUTCH JUDDER, AND NOW OUT OF MY 60,000 WARRANTY, I FIND THAT SUBARU HAS ISSUED A TSB TO FIX THE CLUTCH JUDDER PROBLEM. I FEEL THIS IS A RECALL ISSUE AND I SHOULD GET A WARRANTIED REPAIR OF MY CLUTCH AS SHOULD OTHER SUBARU OWNERS WITH THIS MAUFACTURER'S DEFECT.*AK

Speed control mileage not reported 6 mo in service crash / fire / tow

PARKING WITH FOOT ON BRAKES AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OVER CEMENT BLOCK. HAD HIT A FEW BUSHES AND THEN A BUILDING. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A MECHANIC BASED ON REFERRAL FROM DEALERSHIP.*AK

Other Forester model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2001 Subaru Forester

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other Forester model years

How to read this