Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Subaru Forester owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The car is 4 years old with 24100 miles. At 16000 miles, right rear wheel bearing failed and was replaced under warranty. At 22000 miles, right rear bearing noise returned and the dealer 'adjusted' the bearing for 'free', even though the 3 year warranty had passed. At 24100 miles, the bearing failed with grinding and smoking while vehicle was on the highway. Dealer refused to cover the event under warranty.a technician at the dealership told consumer that other foresters were having similar bearing problems,and that they we retold to stop using the OEM ball bearings, and go to a roller bearing.
I have had to replace rear wheel bearings on my 1999 Subaru Forester three (3) times. The left rear wheel bearings had to be replaced twice before 35K miles and the right rear wheel bearing just failed at 50K miles. Clearly Subaru has a design and/or manufacturing problem with the 1999 Subaru rear wheel bearings. I don't know if it is a serious safety issue but having a wheel bearing fail completely at highway speeds would seem like a bad thing.[I found out about your site on cartalk.com]. Nlm
After purchasing my 1999 Subaru Forester, at 67,000 miles the left rear wheel bearing began to fail. This appears to be a common event judging from the complaints I have researched from various internet sources. Instead of recalling the defective parts, Subaru has decided to ignore the issue and make the vehicle owners have their defective wheel bearings replaced (with different bearings) at their own expense.
There was a grinding noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. Upon inspection of the noise by the dealership, they indicated the noise occurred because of a right wheel bearing failure. The right wheel bearing was replaced, but then the failure occurred on the left side.
Rear wheel bearings were replaced four times. Vehicle was making too much noise before the bearings were replaced. Consumer felt that the wheel bearings should have lasted longer. Manufacturer was notified.
While making a right turn, the consumer heard a rubbing noise. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the rear strut spring plate corroded and was pushed down onto the tires. The rear struts were replaced.
Rear wheel bearings on my 1999 Subaru forrester purchased on mar 6, 1999 have failed on the left rear wheel at 31619 miles on nov. 13, 2001. The right rear wheel bearing failed on July 1, 2004 at 58974 miles. The left rear failed again on a vacation trip to vermont on July 12, 2004 at 59832 miles. On this last failure the left rear hopusing had to be replaced as excessive heat scorched the part. The first incident was covered under the manufacturers warrenty. The other 2 failures were covered under an extended $900 warrenty that was purchased when the car was purchased otherwise added expense to myself would have $286.33 for the second failure and $507.17 for the third failure as the car was out of the standard car warrenty. This still cost me $100 (2 incedents at $50 deductable). …
Dealer replaced wheel bearing at 29,000 miles under warranty. Went bad again 30,000 miles later, even though owners manual states that it doesn't need serviced until 60,000 miles. Dealer said that we drove on it too long and damaged the hub and housing, $700 repair bill. Dealer said that they had been having a lot of problems with these bearings and they replaced it with a legacy bearing. Service manager stated that we were 'lucky' to only have had bearing fail twice. We feel, after research, that it is a design problem and there needs to be a recall by Subaru to fix this problem and we should be reimbursed for our expense.
Rear bearings failing; wheels make dull roar above 30 MPH. From number of similar reports in this database, this is obviously a defect with the 1999 Forester, yet Subaru will not pay for the repair because (1) vehicle has over 36,000 miles on it, and (2) we didn't have the 30,000 mile service performed. A defect is a defect, as far as I'm concerned -- what difference does it make if I had the 30K maintenance performed or not???? I didn't expect this kind of reaction from a "quality" car company.
I took my Subaru in for an oil leak problem and was informed that my right bearing was bad. The oil seal was under warrenty, however the bearing cost nearly 500.00. Drove it a month and started hearing a roaring noise. I took it in again and the bearing had caused the hub to go bad. I was not charged this second time. I was told they had other all wheel drive vehicles in with this problem.
Suspension complaints in other Forester years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1999 Subaru Forester?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the suspension of the 1999 Subaru Forester, 19% of the model year's 131 complaints. The component named most often is front › wheel bearing (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Subaru Forester suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 1999 Subaru Forester, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Subaru Forester suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 43,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.