"How reliable is the 2002 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 109 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 93000 miles. The most common issue is Vehicle Speed Control."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Subaru Forester is Vehicle Speed Control, accounting for a significant portion of the 109 total complaints filed."

2002 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 109 complaints

109

Total Complaints

93,000mi

Median Mileage

Vehicle Speed Control

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

34,483 25th Percentile

93,000 Median Mileage

156,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Vehicle Speed Control

Automatic Transmission

Suspension

Engine And Engine Cooling

Fuel/Propulsion System

Unknown Or Other

Frontal

Air Bags

Fuel System, Gasoline

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

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.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Vehicle Speed Control 20 complaints

25th: 21,200 mi Median: 62,500 mi 75th: 106,000 mi

Automatic Transmission 13 complaints

25th: 21,600 mi Median: 21,700 mi 75th: 29,650 mi

Suspension 8 complaints

25th: 149,250 mi Median: 165,750 mi 75th: 177,639 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 7 complaints

25th: 49,900 mi Median: 68,000 mi 75th: 108,000 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 5 complaints

25th: 145,000 mi Median: 150,000 mi 75th: 198,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 19 PA: 17 NY: 9 OH: 8 NJ: 5 MI: 5 CT: 4 NC: 4 CO: 3 MA: 3

Who Files Complaints?

47.7%

Original Owners

52.3%

Second+ Owners

Subaru Forester — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1998	138	98,000	Vehicle Speed Control	9
1999	156	72,000	Automatic Transmission	6
2000	95	80,000	Wheel Bearing	7
2001	169	60,000	Vehicle Speed Control	39
2003	238	85,000	Fuel System, Gasoline	28
2004	268	96,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	19
2005	105	80,000	Suspension	23
2006	121	51,000	Vehicle Speed Control	20
2007	89	59,187	Suspension	16
2008	67	87,950	Suspension	8
2009	228	60,000	Air Bags	25
2010	305	60,000	Seats	28
2011	195	54,000	Engine	41
2012	139	42,513	Engine	22
2013	94	47,000	Engine	17
2014	575	50,000	Suspension	84
2015	883	42,206	Engine	89
2016	601	39,000	Air Bags	77
2017	773	30,000	Air Bags	63
2018	660	14,635	Visibility/Wiper	53
2019	1081	8,743	Visibility/Wiper	63
2020	791	6,000	Visibility/Wiper	44
2021	267	8,250	Visibility/Wiper	28
2022	132	2,900	Visibility/Wiper	11
2023	94	9,000	Unknown Or Other	10
2024	34	-	Unknown Or Other	4
2025	82	2,750	Visibility/Wiper	13

Active Recalls (1)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Automatic Transmission

Campaign 02V282000 | 30/10/2002

THE VEHICLE COULD THEN MOVE/ROLL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION JANUARY 8, 2003. AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE SENT DURING NOVEMBER 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WI

General Vehicle Maintenance

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly

Vehicle Rankings

Most complained Worst transmissions Worst engines Worst brakes Most crashes Compare vehicles

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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