Forester transmission problems?

I purchased a used 1999 Forester S with an auto transmission approximately 5 months ago from a local dealer (70K miles). Everything has been sort of fine (minor problems only) until about a month ago when I noticed some hesitation in the transmission engaging (shifting from reverse to drive). Dealer nows says I'm looking at either a total rebuild or new transmission ($2-4K)???

I have a '99 Forester S with the same problem. I started experiencing the hesitation about 2 years after I bought the car and have been to 3 different dealers to correct the problem, which none have been able to correct and only one claims to have been able to duplicate. The hesitation is now 15 sec in duration at times and my car is currently at a dealer who also cannot determine the problem. I paid for the extended warranty, but Subaru will not pay for any of the tests since they can't seem to find the problem. I would be most grateful if you could tell me which test(s) your dealers performed to conclude that your car required a new or rebuilt transmission to correct the problem? Thank you!

There wasn't any real diagnostic tests performed, just the "opinion" of the service technician when he noticed the transmission hesitating when shifting. The service manager suggested I get the transmission fluid and filter changed, which I did, but the problem went away only temporarily. As I didn't purchase an extended warranty, I'm currently putting up with it until being forced to do something. The service department did indicate that to do an actual diagnosis (pull the transmission) would cost about the same as replacing it. In your case, it seems unusual for the dealer to not change the transmission, especially if there is hesitation changing gears as I was told the problem would only progress to full failure.

Yeah, I had my transmission flushed and the problem went away for about 6 months. After perusing numerous message boards on this problem, it is apparent that SOA and dealers will acknowledge this problem only after a car is out of warranty. I read something about a recall for this in Japan but can't find the actual bulletin. This is a serious and potentially fatal problem and maybe SOA is waiting for a $billion lawsuit before they are moved to action.

I have a 99 Forester L w/auto tramsmission. I can drive in reverse all day with no problem. Going forward is hit and miss. Sometimes I can sit for 15 to 30 minutes before the forward gears engage. Once forward engages, I have no problem until I turn off the ignition. Servicing the trans is a temporary fix for a few thousand miles and then the problem slowly returns. I really like my car, but I'm sure the trans will eventually cease working all together.

Yeah, I had my transmission flushed and the problem went away for about 6 months. After perusing numerous message boards on this problem, it is apparent that SOA and dealers will acknowledge this problem only after a car is out of warranty. I read something about a recall for this in Japan but can't find the actual bulletin. This is a serious and potentially fatal problem and maybe SOA is waiting for a $billion lawsuit before they are moved to action.
I also have a 99 automatic Subaru Forester (only 51K miles) with a hesitation/lurching problem when putting it into drive. A local transmission co recommended rebuilding the transmission ($2-3k estimate) I called SOA but they said the vehicle is several months out of warranity and there weren't any recalls. They said I would have to take the vehicle to an authorized Subaru dealership for them to diagnose the problem before they would be able to look into my situation. I don't want the added expense from the dealership if SOA won't do anything about it. I'm not sure what to do at this point.
I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks

Have 2002 forester, Transmission (torque-converter) started making a low pitch hum at about 57k, have extended warranty. Dropped at dealer, diagnosed as bad TqCvtr, the replaced tranny with re-mfg unit from SOA. No questions, No hassle. Have 67k on vehicle now..everything seems OK.

the fault with your hesitation from park to drive or reverse is from a worn piston seal on the fwd clutch pack.common problem with foresters.the time lag test should be no more that 1.5 seconds from park to drive/reverse.if you apply the throttle you are producing greater line pressure to overcome the lack of pressure in that clutch pack.then when it does apply the clutch pack with throotle you will get a shift shock.rebuild if you know your dealer tech is confident in trans rebuiling or just get the reman unit.

I also have 99 Forester with the same transmission problem. It will not go into drive at times and when it does you have to give it gas, Subaru dealer told me after a 10 minute inspection that I need a new transmission, $,4,080. Has anyone used any other method to solve this problem

I have a 2001 Subaru Forrester with 62.5K on it and the Transmission just went. The estimate is $3,800 for a rebuild. I have no other choice but to get it fixed. And to think I was considering to buy another Subaru to replace my other car which is a Honda with 120K with no major problems. NOT!! I will most likely replace the Honda with another Honda.

I have a 2000 S series AWD automatic. Have had similar problems described in this thread When I accelerate on hills (mostly when it is cold outside) I get a hesitation in the shifting of the gears and then a sudden engaging that gives the car a slight jolt. Have heard this is a transmission problem and a design flaw in all Forrester models. Is this true? I've had my tranny filter and internal and external grates replaced. Seemed to help for about a day and then it went back to the hesitation phase again. My mechanic says it's not a major problem and to just let the car warm up. I've done that to no avail. I am beginning to think it's worse than I am being told and am considering selling the Forrester and getting something outside the Subaru family. Anyone out there have any ideas on what's going on or what you think I should do? Thanks!

We had the same problem last year and earlier in the Winter with the transmission jerking when it first starts out. The car wouldn't move any more and had to be towed. The total cost $3,800 as estimated. What a piece of junk. I never heard of a car blowing a transmission at 62.5k miles. We also supplied proof that the fluids were changed every 20K as recommended. My next AWD will be a Toyota or Honda. This car will be sold in the next few months. Beware, don't buy a Subaru.

I have a 2000 S series AWD automatic. Have had similar problems described in this thread When I accelerate on hills (mostly when it is cold outside) I get a hesitation in the shifting of the gears and then a sudden engaging that gives the car a slight jolt. Have heard this is a transmission problem and a design flaw in all Forrester models. Is this true? I've had my tranny filter and internal and external grates replaced. Seemed to help for about a day and then it went back to the hesitation phase again. My mechanic says it's not a major problem and to just let the car warm up. I've done that to no avail. I am beginning to think it's worse than I am being told and am considering selling the Forrester and getting something outside the Subaru family. Anyone out there have any ideas on what's going on or what you think I should do? Thanks!

We have a 99 Forester w/auto tramsmission. My spouse can drive in reverse all day with no problem. Going forward is hit and miss. Sometimes I can sit for 15 to 30 minutes before the forward gears engage. Once forward engages, I have no problem until I turn off the ignition. The transmission was repaired under the used car service warranty. This transmission failed three times in the last two years and all internal transmission sensors were replaced. The xmission expert said he did not know what to do? The problem seemed to get better when we had the engine seals replaced which were leaking?? Keep in mind these failures could produce a lethal result. My spouse has had many serious close encounters when the transmission fails. And yesterday, the car has a Check Engine light". My spouse has been very afraid of this lemon as should be all owners.

A '99 Forester a lemon? Get your head checked, you're talking about transmission issues on an 8 year old car!

What's the mileage on the car?

Sounds like there is a fluid issue, have you checked the fluid level in the transmission? When last was the transmission flushed and the fluid replaced?

I am also having problems with my auto tranny on my 1999. When i am cruising at 40 MPH no problem apart from a little kick when it changes gear but if i was to put my foot down its a totally different store, it just doesnt change up a gear unless i drop off the accelerate and back down again it will then change up a gear?!.. it has 116000 on the clock and i have just services the gear box i.e. tranny fluid and filter but still have the same problem... The Subaru Forester is a well built car, then again Subaru do build good motors so i wouldnt get shot of it or go out and buy something else... All i want is to find out what the problem is and fixing it.....

A '99 Forester a lemon? Get your head checked, you're talking about transmission issues on an 8 year old car!

What's the mileage on the car?

Sounds like there is a fluid issue, have you checked the fluid level in the transmission? When last was the transmission flushed and the fluid replaced?

I have 99 Forester mine has AC problems and my car have difficulties in starting.The clutch gear doesn't engage, my trusted mechanic pointed out the master cylinder has to be replaced.Good thing I found some good quality of the parts so I bought also a good quality Subaru aftermaket parts (http://www.subautoparts.com/subaru-aftermarket-parts/) to get out of the stalling issue.

Okay, I KNEW I'd find information about that problem somewhere. I, too, have a '99 Subaru Forester automatic with problems with the gear engaging when I put it into drive. I have tried to see if it was related to 'warming' up.. and sometimes, yes and sometimes, no. Sometimes, I put it in a lower gear and bypass the issue, but that doesn't always work. So. the suggestions (OTHER than a transmission replacement at a mint price) are get a transmission flush, seals done, and fluid replaced? But I am reading that works for about 6 months, then it's back to the same issue, right? Great..... well, no more Subaru's for me. I will ride this out, til I can't ride it anymore. ONE More year is all I ask of this vehicle which just turned 100K.

Wow...seems like the '99 had issues. Sounds like a torque converter issue.

Here is a possible solution:

For the Forrester Transmission in the US they use Castrol Dexron III Mercon (a black bottle) as the automatic transmission fluid. It will take 4 quarts.

For the filter for the transmission you need to use:
FRAM PH7317

Every time you see that the car won't switch gears properly you will have to change the transmission fluid (see above) and the filter. After changing the fluids and filter, start the car, hold the brake petal with your foot and shift from Parking, to Neutral, to Drive, and do this to the rest of the gears up and down a few times.

In general, I noticed that going in reverse works fine most of the time. But when you switch to the drive, it takes a few seconds for it to "engage" the gears.

YOU MUST BE PATIENT! When you switch gears, keep your foot on the brake and wait for the car to grasp the selected gear. ie: Drive. You'll feel the car doing this. In time doing this procedure the car will stop jerking but you'll still have to count to 10 to make sure the car had time to engage the correct gears. DO NOT remove your foot off the brake until the gears grab! THEN when you feel it go into the proper gear can you take your foot off the break and give it gas to go.

When you do this over time I've notice the car responds better and works better.

If your car still does not work you'll have to redo the above procedure of emptying out all the transmission fluid and changing the filter. Then doing that engaging of all gears a few times. That should do the trick.

But in time I"ve learned that if you do all of the above it should resolve this perplexing problem!

Happy driving!

I,m a 99 forester owner same problems had new fluid and filter changed and nothing changed . replaced trans with used trans with less miles on it and it has the same exact problem. There is something wrong with this model of transmisson what I do not Know? Hopefully someone will come up with some explanation of course most dealers or trans shops will tell you the same thing rebuild or replace.....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ we want your money!!!

It might be possible to swap in a 2nd gen. tranny. It should bolt right up, but if not, you can probably get an adapter plate from a company like Advance Adapters.

I too just bought a 1999 Forester S auto transmission :-( Drove it for about 2 weeks before the infamous transmission problems started. I too can drive all day in reverse, but forward is hit & miss. At first, it was a hesitation, then I had to start putting it into a lower gear to get it to go forward, and finally it stopped going forward. For about 5 days I would try to get it to go into drive with no luck. Then dad comes over jumps in & presto it moves. Now back to the same problem. What do we need to do to get SOA to acknowledge this problem. Obviously, I'm not the only one, contrary to what the dealership told me. I'm outraged after seeing ALL of these same stories!

NOT to be an echo, but I too have a worthless 2000. As for my head check, it has two leaks too! All the fluid flushs and filter changes did not help. I have old chevy and it has never had a tranny flush and works great. My thought is this is just a through away, and you may be better off never changing anything, just add gas until it stops, then donate to your favorite mechanic that over charges for the rebuild or R&R.

I won't beat around the bush, early Subaru heads suck. I wouldn't call the entire Subie a throw away, though. Run it till it dies, then swap in a new motor?

sweet i had a feeling i was not the only with this problem..... i have a 99 gt forester automatic got it from a dealer and just after the six month warranty ran out it starts having problems engaging......at the moment im just having to deal with this dangerous/embarassing/costly dillema as i know th outcome from a mechanic would be to replace the whole AT....Well Fu#K that! i just spent everything i had buying this car and now i gotta come up with another 4000 to fix it when it seems like this problem should have been re called in the first place....im sure subaru are now fully aware of this i have an AT service kit and am going to replace the filter and give it a flush.....if this does not help me from looking like a hoon everywhere i go because im revving my car like a bogan trying to get it into gear....Well Fark me! 4000 dollars is a great chunk of income whilst i pay my high interest loan as i wanted to spend a bit more to get a supposedly reliable car! Its a vicious Cycle....looks like more slaving for me! wow i have written alot......guess i must be really pissed off!

I've got a '99 Outback with the same problem. Of course at 256,000 miles with a transmission swap by a previous owner I can't complain much. I wonder if he stuck in a Forester tranny. No prob. with Reverse. Sometimes it goes into Drive easily; sometimes it takes 2-5 minutes. My Mechanic put in some 'magic' transmission additive which cleared the problem up for nearly 6 months. I'll try it again and post the name when I get it. Any more thoughts on the knock sensor or other cheaper repairs?
Thanks - jwrickert@aol.com

My 2000 Forester S automatic has 175K on it, love the car. However since the car was about 2yrs old it has been missing shifts from 2nd ->3rd whenever its very cold. Other than that no tranny problems until now. First there started a low level buzz that followed road speed. Thought I'd picked up a stick or some trash that was rubbing on a tire. Nope. Couple days later pulled out from a stop sign and CLANK! GRIND! JERK! Fortunately I was able to coast across the intersection out of traffic to call AAA. My mechanic says the box is so far gone it's not worth trying to rebuild. Looking for a used one, but now after reading this thread I'm worried I'll wind up with another bad one. :crying:

FIXED!! I browsed the forums for solutions and put a few together. I tried this:
pulled the pan, totally drained the ATF, replaced filter and refilled with Amsoil synthetic ATF and a can of Trans-X AT slip-stop & leak fix. Absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. Thanks to all previous posters and good luck to anybody with the same problem. Note: I have a 99 Outback with 256K. As far as I know, this us NOT a universal fix: applies only to Subarus of a particular vintage.

I have a 2008 forester that I bought with 16000 miles on it. A few days before my 30000 mile check up I felt the transmission slip. I mentioned it to the dealer to have it checked. They didn't. I took it back the next Monday for warranty work and asked them if they had checked the transmission because it had slipped again the previous Saturday. They said I didn't mention anything about it before. Since then I have contacted them and SOA without any response. It slipped again this past week and jerked harder than it had previously. I am noting when and where it happens. Have informed SOA and dealership they wont have a returning customer for lack of good resonable service.

The newer Foresters (previous bodystyle and the current one) don't have any trans problems that I have seen. If yours is having a problem wjtuck, it is something unusual.

A little history: in Aug 2008 at 171,000 miles, I had this same problem, and my mechanic changed the trans fluid and filter. The problem seemed to disappear for a month or so, and then would occasionally crop up, but not that frequently.

About two weeks ago my wife said the Drive delay was now occurring every day, and one day it took her ten minutes to get the car to go forward. The car now has 205,000 miles, and the AT fluid level was full and not burnt/discolored. That's when I brought the car to my mechanic, who said the problem could get to a point that I could be at a stop sign, or waiting in the middle of an intersection to make a left turn, and the bleed-down would occur and I wouldn't be able to get the car moving forward without gunning the engine. That's when he gave me the $2100 transmission quote.

After reading reviews on the internet, I opted to try a $7 bottle of Trans-X AT Slip-Stop & Leak Fix - which I got at Auto-Zone. I also bought a $13 liquid transfer hand pump. Since the AT fluid and filter was relatively new I opted not to change these.

I stuck the pumps long hose down the AT filler tube and pumped out about 16 oz of AT fluid. I used an empty Snapple ice tea bottle as a guide to how much AT fluid I was taking out. I then poured in the Trans-X and took the car for a drive, and the trans works fine. It has only been a week and about 500 miles, but neither my wife or I have experienced the former transmission problem.

I know this is anecdotal, but so far the only difference is the Trans-X.

We bought a 1999 Subaru Forester, w/ auto trans, last year, and shortly after getting home with it, noticed sluggish shifting problems, wasn't happy about it, but oh well, that's life, especially when buying from private party.
Car had 158,000 when we got it last year, so the first thing I did was get a bottle of trans.seal ~leak fix.
This fixed the problem for the short term, [as I'd planned to do a full service later anyway]..but now the problem is back, [car now has 165,000 ] I've also noted that our Subaru had poorly been maintained.. so I doubt if the tranney filters have ever been changed..So am doing my own full service on it now..
I've owned several Subaru's over the years, and they've always been good cars with good gas mileage, and have also learned over the years how to tear em' down and do my own fixing on em'. from rebuilding the motors, trans. and minor stuff too.. In my opinion, the Reliability is equal to the care of Maintenance..there's a lot of Subaru's out there with over 300,000 and still trucking on.
The above post, by Mechanic44023 just above this one, with excellent tips on how to prolong the life of the tranny with the manner of holding foot on break, shifting to N. then to D... We have done this with every Subaru we've ever owned.. especially in the winter time, and we let the car warm up while the tranny is in N. [ otherwise you warm the motor but the tranny doesn't get circulated / warmed.]
The above post about the Trans.X with synthetic trans. fluid & filter change is another post on here to take a heads up about doing... With the exception of what products to use... Personally, I believe in putting the ultimate worlds best into it... so if anyone feels their tranny is worth using the ultimate products in, then do the trans. fluid change with Vololine Mercon V ATF leaving room to put a 8 oz. bottle of Motor Silk CLS Bond Transmission Treatment and a bottle of Trans. seal ~ leak fix....
Changing your own tranny filters and fluids is a NO Brain-er as easy as doing your own oil change..
The problem with going into gear, especially if tranny is cold, comes from the small rubber - tapered looking - o-ring on the plunger that drives the forward clutch when you put the car in the Drive position.. The Trans.seal-leak fix and Motor Silk CLS Bond Transmission Treatment has high tech. chemicals within it that will take care of these problems if you haven't ignored the problem for so long that more serious damage has been created to parts.
Here's a link for more info. on this trans. treatment ~
http://www.altboron.com/store/index.php/cPath/24
The polymers within synthetic ATF, like the Mercon V also helps smooth operation that does not break down when heated from normal operation.
Note: the trans. fluid that is called for in your Forester is most likely the Mercon III, the Mercon V is a superior synthetic blend replacement to the III,
Hope this helps!

I have a 2004 Forester with 125k miles, original owner and I am so BUMMED to be experiencing transmission problems. I also believed to be buying a rock solid car, but alas I didn't.

I had transmission slippage, which was fixed just fine with my local Subaru shop (about $2k) - BUT the repair was supposed to also address the problem of the auto-trans not shifting into 3rd. The rpms would keep increasing until I would ceased to accelerate and the rpm dial would spike. I have to pull over and start driving again. This only happens in the morning when first driving, or after a long day at work and it is cold. The original shop fix actually fixed this problem, but it is back (about a week now).

Can I avoid massive trans costs by just waiting 10 minutes to warm up my car every morning? Is that safe for the car? Why is it doing this in the first place?

I love my Forester, but I can't afford all these repairs! :banghead:

Just wanted to add my 2cts to this thread...

I am a mechanic for 35 years. I got my Subaru from a customer who severely overheated his 99 Forester about 3 years ago. He declined the repairs, left it at the shop and I am now the proud owner of this little gem. Currently 205,900 on the ticker and since the initial head gasket replacement it has been a pleasure. No snow is too deep and no hill too steep for this car, it gets great mileage, well, you guys know this already.

Last year, the trans started doing the lazy engagement in drive thing, and I called my trans buddy up, he told me its a fairly common problem with Sub's. I asked him what's the fix, and he told me 2K. There is a lip seal going bad that bleeds off pump pressure, and that is why revving the motor helps it move. He also told me it will someday just not move at all [isn't that true for every car?]

Not wanting to put that kind of cash into a car that has the miles it does, I serviced the trans and filters, and it didn't help the cause at all. It got to where I just dealt with it, and figured someday I would bite the bullet and pick up a crashed similar model and change it out.

Lately it has gotten so bad, I wondered if and when it would just stop moving. If I let it idle and dropped it in gear, I dont think it would have ever moved. I would buzz the motor up and wait to feel the bite, then feather it and hope it didn't break a halfshaft. Last week I picked up a bottle of that Trans-X "repair in a can", poured it in and crossed my fingers.

Much to my disbelief, the problem is [I]gone! I literally poured it in, drove it home and its like I paid for the trans job. I never believe in repairing cars with bottles of wonder fluid, but I have to say this stuff is miraculous. Its been about 300 miles, and so far so good, even if its not permanent [what is?] at least it buys me some time. I'm still keeping my eye out for a used trans, but right now its a happy situation sitting in the driveway. John

The synthetic ATF fixed my hesitation problem, 4 quarts about once a year. I haven't tried the additives. good luck.

hello, i'm working on a 1998 subaru forester awd 2.5... the original complaint was transmission wouldn't move in reverse but all forward gears worked fine.... i jumped it at owners parking lot it had been parked for about 3 months prior to having me work on it. it started up and drove fine i even had reverse with no issues .. the owner had me drive it for about 2 weeks. then i was driving it i came to a red light and the car stalled out at the intersection. it started right back up but stalled each time i took it out of park and put it in gear. i replaced the torque converter( thinking it was locked up ) i removed the pan replaced the filter and fluid there was no metal or shaving in the pan. i reinstalled the transmission and same problem exists. i pulled it back out removed the rear transfer case cover and found the spring on the parking pawl miss installed. i turned all the shafts by hand found nothing binding no clanging or broken drums. i reassembled rear of transmission and reinstalled in the car.with the car still in the air. i start the car its fine in park and neutral. i put in gear with my foot on the brake and it stalls out. i put it in gear with my foot off the brake and it goes in reverse and drive.it clangs and vibrates and makes all kinds of noise... i give it just a little throttle and it smooths out and the vibration and clanging goes away ... i put my foot on the brake and it stalls out .... i'm at a total loss and i can't find any other posts anywhere on the web. t