Faults:

Previous owner problems (found out after buying the vehicle from a dealer - which said there was no problems with the car).

Three bearings on the front driver's side wheel.

Two bearings on the front passenger's side wheel.

Transmission was replaced.

I believe the previous owner received a brand new Forester since his previous one had the same problem three times (lemon law). This is the only reason I can think of why he would be driving another one of these terrible vehicles.

When I bought the vehicle with 30,000 I also purchased an extended protection plan (5yrs/80,000) for $900. It was the best thing I did. When I reached 80,000 I had $1700 in repair costs which cost me nothing, except for the $900, since I had the protection plan.

Problems since I had the car -

Three bearings on the front driver's side wheel.

(On the third time, the dealer also replaced the shaft which seemed to fix the overall bearing problem).

Two bearings on the front passenger's side wheel.

Leaking head gasket and transmission seal.

Clock went out.

Cup holder in back seat is broken and will not stay up.

Muffler shields rattle. I decided not to fix this myself so other people see and hear what a piece of crap this vehicle is.

General Comments:

If anyone asks me how I like the vehicle, I tell them stay away from Subura vehicles. There are tons of unsatisfied Subaru owners on the Internet. The problems are similar and the solution from Subaru seems to be the same also - Subaru does not care and will not back their vehicles. My ultimate goal is to prevent anyone from making the same mistake I did - buying a Subaru.

Caution - DO NOT BUY A SUBARU. You have been warned.

Previous owners should get together and file a lawsuit against Subaru.

Faults:

Another head gasket at 80,209 miles "This is unacceptable Subaru" Your badly designed engine cost me $1500.00.

General Comments:

This is the letter I sent to Subaru:

I am an owner of a 1999 Subaru Forester 2.5 liter with 80,209 miles. I just picked up my car from the dealership after paying $1551.34 for what seems to be a well documented defect in the design of the head gasket. I understand Subaru's position on this matter is that it comes from "normal" expansion and contraction of the engine... So is it also Subaru's position that it is "normal" for this engine to fail before 100,000 miles. I have been told that Subaru is aware of the problem and is not willing to help their customers with any of the costs of repairing this defect. I love my car, but now I am going to sell it as soon as I can because I can't risk having this happen to me again. I think Subaru should issue a recall for all of the cars with this problem before they discourage anymore loyal customers from buying a Subaru again. My biggest problem at this point is that I have lost faith in my favorite car company. I feel like I’m breaking up with my girlfriend by writing this letter. Please let me know if I am wrong about Subaru’s position on this matter. I would love for us to be okay again.

Subaru customer service called me this morning. I keep you posted on how they handle this... I still have hope that they will do the right thing.

Let me know about any class action lawsuit at benjaminp15@msn.com.