2000 Subaru Forester problems & reliability
75 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2000 Subaru Forester. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2000 Subaru Forester vehicles were involved in 4 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 21 | 28% |
| Suspension → | 19 | 25% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 12 | 16% |
| Tires | 8 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 7% |
| Equipment | 4 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 4% |
| Seats | 2 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 80,000 miles (middle 50% between 45,448 and 95,000 miles), based on 38 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2000 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle began to shake and suddenly veered into the left lane into oncoming traffic. The contact stated that the vehicle had stopped in the middle of the road. The contact was unaware of any warning light being…”
Suspension · filed Oct 28, 2022
“Tl-the contact owns a 2000 subaru forrester. The contact stated while driving 50 mph the vehicle started over heating. He pull to the side of the road and notice coolant coming from underneath of the vehicle. He notices the vehicle has a blown head gasket and leaking radiator coolant. The vehicle was towed to a…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Feb 28, 2011
“On september 12, 2010, our 2000 subaru forrester went into unintended acceleration while backing out of a parking space causing the car to be totaled, damage to a ford f350 truck and injury to the owner of the truck. Similar incident occurred in 2008 when going forward and coming to a stop before entering a highway…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Sep 26, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
74 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2000 Subaru Forester. The 10 most recent:
This annocement is to inform dealers to the Gen 3.1 Head Unit OTA will be available via Wi-Fi. The update will take place in multiple batches with the first beginneing November 15th and the last being Decemeber 3rd…
SubaruNet Announcement · Other · issued Nov 14, 2024
This bulletin details an important regulation issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which impacts the way some vehicles with accessories are sold. This regulation applies to any automobile…
15-130-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 31, 2024
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2024
This Service Information Bulletin announces the preferred practices to be used when handling vehicles equipped with Gen2 Telematics which are enrolled in the Subaru STARLINK® Security Plus Service featuring Stolen…
15-298-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 27, 2024
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 27, 2024
This Service Information Bulletin announces the diagnostic procedures to be followed when diagnosing engine oil leakage on FA and FB type engines.
02-192-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 26, 2024
This Service Information bulletin is being released as guidance for proper testing and charging of vehicle batteries.
07-178-21R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 26, 2024
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure.
15-320-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 26, 2024
The CP1.5 RCs OTA is available for all mid and high grade CP1.5 head units.
SubaruNet Announcement · Other · issued Sep 26, 2024
This bulletin announces availability of the NEW genuine Subaru engine oil filter.
02-191-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 17, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2000 Subaru Forester in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2000 Subaru Forester?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 80,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.