2001 Subaru Forester L review from North America
"Great AWD in a nice package with bad reliability and high maintenance expense"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Coil went out at 40K miles; this is a common problem with this car. Dealer wants $295 U.S.
Both rear wheel bearings went at 40k miles, damaged hub. Dealer wants $825 to repair this known defect; $425 just for labor of under 2 hours, per their own Technical Service Bulletin.
Subaru has put a stop leak type of product in the engine to forestall head gasket failure which is common on this, and other model year vehicles.
General comments?
My ownership of this car has been bittersweet. I love the basic design and the size of the vehicle, as well as the AWD. Unfortunately, with just 41k miles, the bad (and expensive) wheel bearings, the bad coil, and an engine that needs stop leak, really makes me wonder what more miles will bring. I like the car so much that I could almost overlook some of the problems I've had if Subaru wouldn't let their dealers gouge people for known defects.
Recommended reviews
| This car does not age well |
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| Lots of repairs needed to keep vehicle running |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5L EJ25 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 41000 miles |
| Previous car | Honda Accord |
| Date of Entry | 9th January, 2006 |