1998 Subaru Forester Suspension Problems

1. WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE CONSISTENTLY NEEDED REPLACEMENT STARTING 4 YEARS AFTER CAR PURCHASED NEW. AT 450.00 TO 500.00 EACH TIME. THIS IS A DESIGN ISSUES AND SUBARU NEEDS TO PAY OF EACH REPLACEMENT. 2. FUEL LINE LEAK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND AGAIN LISTED MANY MANY TIME ON ALL SUBARU FIX WEB SITES. COST TO FIX 1600.00 AND MORE IF FUEL TANK NEEDS REPLACING. AGAIN, SUBARU NEEDS TO DEAL WITH THIS. THESE HAVE BEEN HAPPENING SINCE CAR PURCHASED. CAR HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED SINCE PURCHASE.

NHTSA ID

11311218

Incident

Jun 1, 1998

INCREASING GRINDING NOISE FROM REAR OF CAR; DEALER INSPECTED AND FOUND FAILING RIGHT REAL WHEEL BEARING; REPAIR FOUND FAILED SEAL ON AXLE; ONE CONTROL ARM REPLACED ALONG WITH AXLE AND BEARING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10242202

Incident

Aug 1, 2008

Mileage

84,000 mi

MY '98 SUBARU FORESTER IS EXPERIENCING REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILURE AGAIN. THESE BEARINGS ARE DEFECTIVE AND FAIL OFTEN, FROM WHAT I'VE READ ON THE WEB. *TR

NHTSA ID

10225671

Incident

Apr 15, 2008

Mileage

141,000 mi

MY 98 FORESTER HAD THE RIGHT REAR BEARING CHANGED 3 TIMES BY NON DEALER CHAIN. STARTED MAKING NOISE AGAIN. WHEN I WENT TO SUBARU, THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT IT'S COMMON. HE HAS BEEN REPLACING THEM WITH LEGACY BEARINGS AND HAS NOT HAD ANY COMPLAINTS. ALSO THE VENT ON TOP OF REAR DIFFERENTIAL BLOWS OR SWEATS DIFF FLUID OUT ONTO DIFFERENTIAL. POTENTIAL FOR FREEZE UP OF DIFFERENTIAL ONCE ALL FLUID IS GONE. MECHANIC CLAIMS HE WOULD HAVE TO OPEN DIFFERENTIAL AND "NOTCH" SOME METAL GUARD IN THERE TO PREVENT THIS. THIS ALONG WITH BEARINGS-$600. *TR

NHTSA ID

10207577

Incident

Oct 24, 2007

Mileage

120,000 mi

LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILURE AT 65000 MILES AN UNLIKELY OCCURANCE AT THIS AGE . *AK

NHTSA ID

10092959

Incident

Mar 1, 2002

Mileage

65,000 mi

THE REAR WHEEL BEARING SHOWED SIGNS OF EXCESSIVE WEAR EVERY 30000 TO 40000 MILES. THE DEALER/INDEPENDENT SHOP REPLACED THE PART. *AK *SCC *JB

NHTSA ID

10046309

Incident

Nov 4, 2003

Mileage

62,772 mi

PROBLEMS WITH WHEEL BEARINGS ON 1998 SUBARU FORESTER. *MR THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS ON THE RIGHT SIDE WERE REPLACED TWICE. *SCC *JB

NHTSA ID

10047895

Incident

Sep 1, 2001

DEALER HAS HAD TO REPLACE FRONT AND REAR WHEEL BEARINGS THREE TIMES. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED AT THIS TIME.*AK

NHTSA ID

10033834

Incident

Aug 13, 2003

IN LEFT REAR WHEEL THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION IN BEARINGS. CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE BEARINGS THREE TIMES IN PAST FOUR YEARS. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

NHTSA ID

8009657

Incident

May 2, 2002

DEALER RESEALED OIL PUMP DUE TO AN OIL LEAK, CONSUMER WAS LATER INFORMED THAT ENGINE WAS IN BEGINNING STAGES OF POSSIBLE FAILURE. *YH

NHTSA ID

564372

Incident

May 14, 1999

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE NOISE AND ODOR, DEALER ADVISED THAT BEGINNING STAGES OF POWER TRAIN FAILURE WAS OCCURRING. *SLC

NHTSA ID

564238

Incident

May 15, 1998

CONSUMER STATES THE REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED, AND FOUR MONTHS LATER THE RIGHT WHEEL BEARING THEN FAILED.*JB

NHTSA ID

785746

Incident

Mar 23, 2001

IN JUNE OF 1999 RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BEARING WAS REPLACED BECAUSE OF A LOUD NOISE BEING MADE DURING OPERATION OF VEHICLE. THEN, ON 27-JUL7-2001, LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING WAS CAUSING ANOTHER LOUD NOISE, AND WAS BEING REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT A GROOVE HAS BEEN FOUND IN THE FRONT AXLE OF THE VEHICLE WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM WITH THE 2ND WHEEL BEARING REPLACEMENT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK

NHTSA ID

894197

Incident

Jun 1, 1999

REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED AND WAS REPLACED. *SLC

NHTSA ID

561703

Incident

May 1, 2001

REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILURE, WHEEL CAN LOCK UP. *CJ

NHTSA ID

557567

THE SUBARU FORESTER CITED IN THIS COMPLAINT WAS PURCHASED NEW AT WOODBRIDGE JEEP SUBARU IN WOODBRIDGE VA. ON AUGUST 29, 1998. UNKNOWN TO US AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, THE 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS MISALIGNED. ON AUGUST 25, 2000, MY WIFE WAS ON AN EXTENDED TRIP WHEN THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON FOR NO READILY APPARENT REASON. THIS PROMPTED HER TO RETURN HOME AND US TO TRY TO CONTACT WOODBRIDGE JEEP SUBARU WHICH WE SOON LEARNED HAD QUIT SELLING SUBARUS. WE THEN CONTACTED THE NEXT CLOSEST SUBARU DEALER WHICH WAS REYNOLDS CADILLAC SUBARU IN ORANGE VA., A DISTANCE OF 36 MILES ONE WAY FROM MY RESIDENCE. ON AUGUST 30, 2000 , WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE SAID DEALERSHIP IN ORANGE. THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED THE CAR AND COULD NOT DETERMINE WHY THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALERSHIP DID, HOWEVER, INFORM US THAT THE REAR TIRES HAD WORN EXCESSIVELY TOWARDS THE OUTSIDE TREAD TO THE EXTENT THAT IT WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE THE TIRE HAD WORN DOWN TO THE BELTS ON OUTER PART OF TIRE. THE EXCESSIVE WEAR, I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER REPRESENTATIVE, WAS DUE TO A MISALIGNMENT OF THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM. I WAS TOLD TO MAKE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO GET THE CAR ALIGNED AND TO GET NEW TIRES PUT ON THE CAR. IN THE INTERIM THE SAID DEALERSHIP WAS TO CONTACT SUBARU TO SEE WHAT SUBARU WOULD DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM SINCE THE TIRES HAD OBVIOUSLY WORN PREMATURELY. ON SEPTEMBER 6. 2000, AFTER DRIVING BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WE WERE INFORMED THAT SUBARU HAD AGREED TO PAY FOR THE ALIGNMENT AND 65% OF THE COST TO REPLACE THE TIRES DUE TO THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE ALIGNMENT BEING WRONG AT THE FACTORY. WE INQUIRED WHY THERE WASN'T A RECALL ON THE 1998 SUBARU FORESTER AND WERE INFORMED THAT THERE "JUST WASN'T" THAT SUBARU HAD SINCE CHANGED THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THEIR FORESTERS. *AK

NHTSA ID

732544

Incident

Aug 29, 1998

KAZOO NOISE IN FRONT SINCE 31K, BECAME RATCHET NOISE AT 52K. RACK AND PINION ADJUSTMENT STOPPED NOISE BUT STEERING IS SLOPPY AND PULLS TO RIGHT SOMETIMES.

NHTSA ID

722756

Incident

Mar 9, 1999

THOUSANDS OF TINY CRACKS ARE VISIBLE AROUND ALL TIRES SIDEWALLS. YOKOHAMA AVID TOURING 205R6516.

NHTSA ID

539927