Subaru Forester Problems

Are you having problems with your Subaru Forester? Let our team of motoring experts keep you up to date with all of the latest Subaru Forester issues & faults. We have gathered all of the most frequently asked questions and problems relating to the Subaru Forester in one spot to help you decide if it's a smart buy.

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Used Subaru Forester review: 1997-2002

By Graham Smith · 09 Jul 2005

Subaru's concept for the soft-roader was simple, brilliant even. Of the light-duty four-wheel-drives available, the Outback and Forester offer the best blend of city manners and bush brawn.Model watchThe Forester was launched here in 1997. It was based on the underpinnings of the Impreza passenger car, but didn't look much like its family-car cousin. Its four-door wagon body gave it a new look.The Forester was primarily powered by Subaru's familiar single overhead camshaft flat-four boxer engine, in this case a 2.0-litre unit developing 92kW and 184Nm.When pressed it would accelerate from rest to 100km/h in a little over 11 seconds and do a 400m dash in a respectable 17 seconds.For more zip Subaru released the GT in 1998 and that came with a turbocharged, double overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine, boasting 125kW and 240Nm. Buyers could choose between a five-speed manual gearbox and a four-speed auto trans, both sending the drive to all four wheels.The Forester's system is a four-wheel-drive system, with drive going to all wheels, all the time, unlike other soft-roaders which have a part-time system, with drive primarily going through either the front or rear wheels. And it works well on road or off.Subaru offered three main variants of the Forester — the GX Wagon, RX Limited Wagon, and GT Wagon. The GX Wagon had steel wheels, colour-coded bumpers, roof rails, power steering, cruise, power windows, mirrors and central locking; the RX Limited Wagon had all of that plus dual front airbags, air-conditioning and self-levelling suspension.At the top of the Forester range sat the GT Wagon which had alloy wheels, velour trim, leather steering wheel and hand-brake knob, metallic paint, central locking, and, from 2000, a sunroof and heated front seats.In the shopThe Forester is not showing any serious weaknesses. Generally, the Subaru mechanicals are solid and reliable and little goes wrong with them. The flat-four engine has stood the test of time and shows nothing that is likely to cause a headache later on.A word of caution on the GT with its turbo motor. While the Subaru turbo has few problems and survives some pretty tough punishment in the WRX, it's worth going to the trouble of having an independent check on the GT, just to be sure it hasn't been given a hard time by an enthusiastic driver.Check the engine oil and look inside the oil filler for sludge that might suggest a lack of servicing. Turbo engines, in particular, need more servicing, and more frequent oil changes than a normally aspirated engine.Although these cars tend to do little off-road work it's worth having a close look underneath for signs of bush-bashing. Look for damage to the underbody, brackets, exhaust, suspension and steering. Walk away if you suspect it has spent a lot of time off the black top.Crunch timeSubaru's all-wheel-drive system gives the Forester decent primary safety, allowing you greater ability to escape a potential crash situation so the Forester gets good marks for primary safety. ABS wasn't available on the GX, but was standard on the RX and GT adding to their primary safety package.Likewise airbags were not available on the GX, but the RX and GT both had dual frontal airbags making them the preferred choice for secondary crash protection.Rating15/20 Good round-town manners with the ability to go places off-road make the Forester a sensible buy.Subaru Forester 97-02Look for Signs of damage from heavy off-road useGood resale valueCheck for evidence of regular servicingHandles dirt roads and bush tracks with easeReliable engine and transmission

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Used Subaru Forester review: 1997-2001

By Staff Writers · 02 Sep 2006

The Forester was launched here in 1997. It was based on the Impreza platform. Although, it didn't look much like its rather mundane family-car cousin. Its four-door wagon body gave it a completely new look, one that promised the convenience of a station wagon for a family combined with the ability to escape the shackles of the city.It had the high-driving position with the good road vision, but it didn't have the bulkiness. It was relatively light and had good road manners which made it an easy driving all-rounder perfect for the family.The Forester was primarily powered by Subaru's familiar single overhead camshaft flat-four engine, in this case a 2.0-litre unit developing 92kW at 5600 revs and 184Nm at 3600 revs. Not exactly sports car stuff, but it pulls smoothly and willingly from low down in the rev range with heaps of mid-range grunt.When raced it would accelerate to 100km/h in a little over 11 seconds and account for the standing 400m dash in a respectable 17 seconds. At the same time it would return about 11.0L/100km on average.For more zip, Subaru released the GT in 1998 and that came with a turbocharged double overhead camshaft 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine boasting 125kW at 5600 revs and 240Nm at 3200 revs. Buyers could choose between a five-speed manual gearbox and a four-speed auto trans. The Forester's system is a constant four-wheel-drive, unlike other soft-roaders which have a part-time system with drive primarily going through either the front or rear wheels.At the heart of the system is a centre transfer case with viscous limited-slip differential. When it detects a difference in the rotation speed of the front and rear axles, it automatically adjusts the torque split for optimum drive.Subaru offered three main variants of the Forester: the GX Wagon, RX Limited Wagon and GT Wagon.The GX Wagon had steel wheels, colour-coded bumpers, roof rails, power steering, cruise, power windows and mirrors and central locking. The RX Limited Wagon had all of that plus dual front airbags, air-conditioning and self-levelling suspension.At the top of the Forester range sat the GT Wagon which had alloy wheels, velour trim, leather steering wheel and hand brake knob, metallic paint and central locking.There isn't much that goes wrong with the Forester in general. While most Foresters stick to the black top around town, it is worth checking for signs of heavy offroad use. A lack of ground clearance is the thing that stops a Forester, so take a look at the underbody for damage that might have been caused by being grounded on a rough bush track. If you suspect it has been used off-road for more than the occasional trip down an unsealed road, walk away. There are plenty more out there to choose from.It's important to change the cam-timing belt every 100,000km. So make sure that's been done. While you're at it, check the service record to make sure the servicing has been done as Subaru recommends.The Forester gets good marks for primary safety with its all-wheel-drive system. Anti-lock brakes weren't available on the GX, but were standard on the RX and GT, enhancing their primary safety.Likewise, airbags were not available on the GX, but the RX and GT both had dual front airbags making them the preferred choice for secondary crash protection.

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Hip for the oldies

Answered by Carsguide.com.au · 02 Nov 2007

BASICALLY, the H point is the spot where your hip is located when you are sitting in the driver's seat. It can be raised by lifting the base of the seat, the height of the floor or even the whole vehicle. So cars such as the Toyota Camry have a high seat position, but a Subaru Forester has a high H point because of gravel-road suspension settings. You really need to walk around a few showrooms to see the difference.

Towing options

Answered by Carsguide.com.au · 12 Nov 2004

YOUR poptop would probably weigh about 1500kg when loaded, so that's the weight you need to consider when buying a vehicle. In my view it comes down to where you want to go when travelling, and what you want to do with the vehicle for the rest of the year. If you stick predominantly to the blacktop on your travels, then a regular Commodore or Falcon is probably the best way to go. Both will easily tow your poptop, are comfortable and will give you reasonable fuel consumption. An X-Trail will tow up to 2000kg if the trailer has brakes, so that will also handle your poptop. A recent experience with a 3.0-litre Subaru Outback, rated to tow 1800kg, showed that when it was towing a 1200kg camper trailer the fuel consumption rose about 30 per cent, and rose even more when towing a camper weighing close to its rated tow capacity. That said, the Outback would be a great compromise for round-town use and towing capacity.

Forester vs CR-V

Answered by Carsguide.com.au · 03 Jun 2004

THERE really isn't much to separate these two -- they're the class acts in the compact all-wheel-drive category. The CR-V offers a little more interior room, and it's a more flexible interior set-up as well, but the Forester is a little better equipped, with four-wheel disc brakes and cruise control. Both will perform well around town and have limited ability to go bush, but I'm assuming you won't be doing any heavy-duty bush bashing anyway. Look underneath for battle scars, scrapes and bumps on suspension parts, underbody and other bits and pieces of exposed hardware. It's also hard to get sand and dust out of cars, so look for evidence of dust build-up in door openings, under carpets and elsewhere.

Subaru Forester 2005: Shocking knocking under light acceleration

Answered by Graham Smith · 27 Jan 2006

WE APPROACHED Subaru for its thoughts. The company said it is difficult to accurately diagnose the engine noise without hearing it or knowing the specific conditions when it occurs. It is possibly caused by pinging or by pre-detonation of the fuel in the combustion chamber and this can be the result of the quality and/or octane rating of the fuel. If the dealer cannot determine the actual cause, it can ask for help from Subaru Australia's technical support department (ph: 1800 226 643) so more specific information can be obtained to assist the diagnosis.

Subaru Forester 2003: Rotten-egg smell?

Answered by Graham Smith · 03 Dec 2004

THE rotten-egg smell is sulphur dioxide, usually a sign your catalytic converter has failed. If that's what you smell take it back to the dealer and pursue a resolution with him. A malfunctioning converter should be picked up by a diagnostic check by the mechanic, but may have been missed. If the smell is always present when you get out of the car, take the car back to the dealer and go for a drive with the service manager or mechanic to show him what you are concerned about.

Subaru Forester 2004: What are the correct servicing intervals?

Answered by Graham Smith · 02 Mar 2007

SERVICING is usually done on the basis of kilometres travelled, but to catch those cars that don't travel as many kilometres carmakers also specify time intervals, which applies in your case. Though it may seem like over-servicing it's best to keep it up because fluids and so on deteriorate with time.

Subaru Forester 2008: Is there a LPG conversion kit?

Answered by Carsguide.com.au · 05 Jun 2008

IT'S best to phone the suppliers to find a system for your car, and then ask for their recommended installer, someone with experience with the system on the same model as yours. The Australian LPG Warehouse has a kit available for the 2002-2007 Forester.

Subaru Forester 2001: Value over 100,000km?

Answered by Graham Smith · 14 Jun 2007

I ASSUME you are concerned about your car losing value when it hits the 100,000km mark. There does seem to be a perception that once a car has done 100,000km it is on the slippery slide in terms of reliability etc. But if you like your car and it is in good condition, then why sell it? The reality is that 100,000km is still a low mileage in today's terms when cars are better built and more reliable than ever before. If, on the other hand, you want to swap to a newer car to keep pace with the market, then sell it.

Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.

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