2000 Subaru Forester Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 21about this part
- Share
- 28%of 75 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 74,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 21 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2000 Subaru Forester, 28% of the 75 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 74,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“If I place my 2000 Subaru forrester into drive it will not move, it will sit there for several minutes until suddenly it jerks forward into gear. Place into reverse it works well, moves in reverse. Visit several reputable car repair forums online you will literally see hundreds of customers with these same problems posting from 2004-present.”
NHTSA complaint #10224353, filed 2008-04, 102,000 miles“If I place my 2000 Subaru forrester into drive it will not move, it will sit there for several minutes until suddenly it jerks forward into gear. Place into reverse it works well, moves in reverse. Place into drive, lightly press the accelerator pedal, it will jump forward into gear! Place into drive wait for it to move: if I am on an incline it will roll backwards or forwards depending on the slope, otherwise I can sit there for a few minutes before it will jerk forward. …”
NHTSA complaint #10156445, filed 2006-04, 45,000 miles“The problem originally started as a delay when shifting the car into drive. This was about a 1 second delay, after which the car would engage into drive, and then run and shift fine. But then, the delay got worse. All of the sudden it was 2 seconds, then the car would no longer go into drive at all. After evaluation, I was told that I needed to have 5 of the 7 solenoids replaced in the Subaru. This was on a transmission that was 5 years old, with only 80000 miles on it. …”
NHTSA complaint #10130319, filed 2005-07, 82,000 miles“2000 Subaru Forester with a slipping transmission. When in drive, I depress the gas pedal and go nowhere. Just hear a shrieking. Its been coming on for a month now and now has gotten so bad I dare not drive it. It is in the shop now and will be between 1500-2500 to fix. Their estimate is that there is a loss of pressure somewhere. They also have another 2000 Forester in the shop with a similar problem, similar miles etc. Unacceptable on a car with less than 80k miles. And very scary when you are on a slope and go to go and find yourself rolling backwards. …”
NHTSA complaint #10175197, filed 2006-12, 78,000 miles“The 2000 Subaru Forester, when shifted to d , 3 , 2, or 1 will not go forward. It will always go when in reverse! We have been told by several dealers that the transmission must be replaced (at the time the car had 70k miles and was 5+ years old - just out of warranty). This problem appears to be well known to Subaru dealers. To mitigate this problem, I must tap the accelerator, and wait and wait 1 second to 30 seconds before the transmission will engage. A year ago, the transmission was drained, flushed and the filter replaced, that helped a little. …”
NHTSA complaint #10133872, filed 2005-08, 70,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11005624Jul 24, 2024This annoucement provides parts personnel information about remanufactured transmissions that will no longer be available.
- 10089957Jan 15, 2014Repair procedure for high-pitched sound from extension housing area using latest generation production parts - this bulletin provides production change, repair procedure and…
- 10234828May 22, 2013This Bulletin provides production change, repair procedure and parts information to address a customer concern of a high-pitched sound coming from the transmission extension…
- 10234261Dec 12, 2012Remanufactured Automatic Transaxle Program
- 10234258Dec 11, 20125MT Transfer Driven Gear Bearings
- 10093967Dec 11, 2012This bulletin reviews a change to the part numbers used for the transfer driven gear bearings. These revised bearings are to be used to enhance durability.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 6% |
| 2025 | 4 | 4% |
| 2023 | 5 | 7% |
| 2022 | 4 | 4% |
| 2021 | 15 | 7% |
| 2020 | 32 | 5% |
| 2019 | 38 | 5% |
| 2018 | 23 | 5% |
| 2017 | 46 | 8% |
| 2016 | 51 | 12% |
| 2015 | 95 | 15% |
| 2014 | 41 | 10% |
| 2013 | 6 | 8% |
| 2012 | 5 | 5% |
| 2011 | 8 | 5% |
| 2010 | 7 | 3% |
| 2009 | 17 | 10% |
| 2008 | 2 | 4% |
| 2007 | 11 | 15% |
| 2006 | 4 | 5% |
| 2005 | 5 | 5% |
| 2004 | 12 | 5% |
| 2003 | 9 | 5% |
| 2002 | 16 | 18% |
| 2001 | 23 | 17% |
| 2000 | 21 | 28% |
| 1999 | 32 | 24% |
| 1998 | 23 | 23% |
Other parts of the 2000 Subaru Forester
19 complaintsEngine cooling
12 complaintsTires
8 complaintsFuel system
6 complaintsEquipment
4 complaintsVehicle speed control
4 complaintsOther or unknown
3 complaintsSeats
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsElectrical system
1 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
1 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2000 Subaru Forester
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology