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2002 Subaru Forester Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

109 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.04 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious02V282000

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

THE VEHICLE COULD THEN MOVE/ROLL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION JANUARY 8, 2003. AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE SENT DURING NOVEMBER 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS WERE PRODUCED WITH AN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR LEVER IS PLACED IN THE "P" (PARK) POSITION, THE TRANSMISSION PARK MECHANISM, THAT IS INTENDED TO HOLD YOUR VEHICLE, MAY NOT ENGAGE.

Complaint volume

109 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

29Crashes
1Fires
13Injuries
0Deaths

Across 109 complaints. Severity Index 1.04.

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 Control20 · 18%Power Train · Automatic T…13 · 12%Suspension8 · 7%Engine And Engine Cooling7 · 6%Unknown Or Other5 · 5%Fuel/Propulsion System5 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…4 · 4%Air Bags · Frontal4 · 4%
  1. Vehicle Speed Control — 20 reports
  2. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 13 reports
  3. Suspension — 8 reports
  4. Engine And Engine Cooling — 7 reports
  5. Unknown Or Other — 5 reports
  6. Fuel/Propulsion System — 5 reports
  7. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 4 reports
  8. Air Bags:Frontal — 4 reports
  9. Air Bags — 4 reports
  10. Fuel System, Gasoline — 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 (1) · 1999 (1) · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 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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