Faults:

Clutch repaired at about 140,000 miles. A family member replaced it, but didn't fix the sticking pedal. He recently found the repair bulletin and will be replacing a couple of parts related to the clutch.

The check engine light seems to go on - possibly associated with cheap gas.

General Comments:

Overall this has been a reliable car, and we plan on purchasing another Subaru.

The car handles excellently in bad weather.

A truck hauling adobe roof tiles lost a flat of the tiles, which broke open and landed on my car (while we were both traveling down the freeway). My windshield sustained and hood sustained a few minor chips, and absolutely no dents to the body.

My husband and son were t-boned a few years ago. The other car wrecked the front and back doors and rear quarter panel, but did not set off the air bag on the side as the side roll bar prevented any interior crushing of the body. It was like the roll bar bounced the car back away from our son.

Faults:

Had to replace the O2 Sensor, but that was under warranty.

Had to replace the Right Wheel Bearing at 50K to the cost of $400.00.

Had to replace the Clutch at 56K to the cost of $1200.00. But I didn't get the work done and traded the car for a Honda.

All this is after replacing a 2000 Forester because of the Lemon Law. I got the 2002 as a replacement. The 2000 was bad from the start with the "Check Engine" light always going on. Each time it was a different reason. I gave the 2002 a shot, but no way was I sinking $2000 into that car after only 50K miles.

General Comments:

When the car ran it ran well. It had lots of PEP and the rid was smooth. It had lots of room, but after owning a Toyota, the quality didn't compare in my opinion.

Faults:

Two months after I purchased my 2002 Forester S+ series, I had an O2 sensor go bad.

I have had an engine RPM problem ever since day one, & it seems to happen more often when the outside temp. is below 50 degrees. Upon starting the RPM needle winds up to 2-2,500 Rpms & then drops almost to zero (car starts sputtering) and then climbs back up to above 2. The rpm needle then settles after giving it a bit of gas. The dealership has never fixed the problem & the vehicle only has "38,000" miles currently!

In addition I have had the R. front speaker blow twice, & then the CD player.

The clock & temp has stopped working (these are usually the last things to go), window seals warped on passenger door window & front window, motor on power windows is going bad (sounds like a creaky door opening when engaged, and the leather on the side of the drivers seat has been cracking since 15,000, even with regular moisturizing/cleaning. I only weigh 110 lbs, so it's not from body weight!!

It would seem that the car has a short somewhere, but of course they deny it & indicate they checked.

Unfortunately I'm not done yet; I don't want to forget about the bad charcoal cannister "they claim" was struck by some object, but were unable to show me an impact mark!. They actually pointed at a nut on a screw & said "see here on the nut where the silver is showing, something impacted it here". I replied "I see where some grease has been wiped off maybe by a wrench". I left & when I got home, I took a cloth with some degreaser and wiped it clean! There was absolutely NO evidence of impact on the "Plastic" Charcoal Cannister, & the nut they pointed to is just part of the mounting bracket. They wanted $365 to do the work (it's a 30 minute job).

I called another Subaru repair shop, & the owner advised me that they should have done a smoke detector test, & asked me if my check engine light was still on & I replied "yes". He advised to disconnect the battery cables on the car for 10 minutes & then reconnect to see if it came back on. I followed his instructions & 1,100 miles later still NO Check Engine Light!!!. I even told the headquarters office about the whole visit (4 hours wait with appointment & about the result of resetting/clearing the computer that I did on my own). I asked them to look at it again free of charge, since it seemed to me they didn't examine it good the first time, & I had already paid them $95 for their so called diagnosis. They actually denied my request, & said if I wanted it a new canister, they would take $60 off. They even admitted that I have had more problems than the average Forester owner.

I also notice after shifting gears, that the transmission seems to slip/jolt if you step on the gas too quickly. I unfortunately was in an accident the other day, which consisted of a T-bone impact into my front left fender & front bumper. The "Honda Pilot" only hit me going about 35mph, but according to the inspector for the Ins. Co. & Auto body shop, my axle was broke, hood bent & the front end was pushed 3 inches to the right!!! My car has been deemed a TOTAL LOSS!! (indicated $17,000 in damage). The air bags did not deploy, & for a Honda Pilot to do that kind of damage only going 35mph; all I can say is totally RIDICULOUS!!

I only have one positive comment, & that is I like the "full" moonroof, but they stopped putting those in after 2002!.

Thanks Subaru for making my "first" brand new car purchase so pleasant.