1999 Subaru Forester power train problems
32 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 1999 Subaru Forester — 24% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“As others have stated here and many more from various subaru forums, I've been dealing with the shifting into drive issue (it acts as if it's in neutral) with the at. It can take several seconds to several minutes (and sometimes longer or not at all) before it engages. I usually have to rev/pump…”
filed May 28, 2016
“There are days where the vehicle will not engage into drive. It goes in reverse but still not engage the drive gear. After about a week of the vehicle sitting and not being turned on it will engage and work fine. But will do it again a few weeks to a couple of months later.”
filed May 20, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Power Train problems in other Forester years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Forester | 4 | 5% |
| 2023 Forester | 4 | 5% |
| 2022 Forester | 4 | 4% |
| 2021 Forester | 14 | 7% |
| 2020 Forester | 30 | 5% |
| 2019 Forester | 38 | 5% |
| 2018 Forester | 23 | 5% |
| 2017 Forester | 44 | 8% |
| 2016 Forester | 49 | 12% |
| 2015 Forester | 95 | 15% |
| 2014 Forester | 41 | 10% |
| 2013 Forester | 6 | 8% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1999 Subaru Forester
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.