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1998 Subaru Forester Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

138 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.57 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious99V040000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder

THIS CONDITION CAUSES THE VEHICLE STOPPING DISTANCE TO BE INCREASED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS). (THE 1999 2.2 LITER LEGACY VEHICLES ARE EXCLUDED). IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE STOPPING DISTANCE IS INCREASED.

Complaint volume

138 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

9Crashes
5Fires
9Injuries
1Deaths

Across 138 complaints. Severity Index 0.57.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Vehicle Speed Control13 · 9%Tires8 · 6%Visibility · Windshield6 · 4%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…5 · 4%Suspension · Rear5 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…5 · 4%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…4 · 3%Power Train · Axle Assemb…4 · 3%
  1. Vehicle Speed Control — 13 reports
  2. Tires — 8 reports
  3. Visibility:Windshield — 6 reports
  4. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor — 5 reports
  5. Suspension:Rear — 5 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 5 reports
  7. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components — 4 reports
  8. Power Train:Axle Assembly — 4 reports
  9. Power Train:Manual Transmission — 4 reports
  10. Power Train:Clutch Assembly — 4 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1998 · 1999 (1) · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 (1) · 2003 (3) · 2004 (2) · 2005 (1) · 2006 (2) · 2007 (1) · 2008 (1) · 2009 (18) · 2010 (17) · 2011 (16) · 2012 (15) · 2013 (12) · 2014 (2) · 2015 (3) · 2016 (3) · 2017 (1) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (3) · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 (1) · 2023 (1) · 2024 (2) · 2025 (3) · 2026 (3)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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