NHTSA lists 88 complaints for the 2002 Subaru Forester, 21 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 5 complaints mention an injury, with 8 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU FORESTER.
At a glance
Complaints
88
With crash
21
With fire
1
With injury (complaints)
5
Injuries
8
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
172,564
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
137
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The required sales year is missing.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
23
26.1%
POWER TRAIN
16
18.2%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
14
15.9%
AIR BAGS
10
11.4%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
9
10.2%
SUSPENSION
9
10.2%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
6
6.8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
5.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
5.7%
STRUCTURE
3
3.4%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
POWER TRAIN
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
13
AIR BAGS
FRONTAL
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
ENGINE
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
PEDALS AND LINKAGES
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ACCELERATOR PEDAL
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
COOLING SYSTEM
2
POWER TRAIN
CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
2
STRUCTURE
BODY
2
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Model-generated complaint tags: This model year has not been tagged.
Defect: CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS WERE PRODUCED WITH AN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR LEVER IS PLACED IN THE "P" (PARK) POSITION, THE TRANSMISSION PARK MECHANISM, THAT IS INTENDED TO HOLD YOUR VEHICLE, MAY NOT ENGAGE.
Consequence: THE VEHICLE COULD THEN MOVE/ROLL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: 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 WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
0 investigations; 0 open.
Manufacturer communications
137 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
61
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
25
EQUIPMENT
22
POWER TRAIN
15
ENGINE
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
3
11037943
Date: 2026-10-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
11037940
Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
11037930
Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
11037927
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11037929
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036807
Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036796
Date: 2026-08-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
Date: 2026-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin
11034249
Date: 2026-06-12. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement is requesting retailer staff to retain the EyeSight protective hood covers from Generation 4 EyeSight cameras.
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.