Wheel bearing or hub failure on the 2000 Subaru Forester
When wheel bearing or hub failure gets reported
Owners of the 2000 Subaru Forester report wheel bearing or hub failure at a median of 60,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 45,000 miles and a quarter after 75,000 miles, from 8 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 102,000 miles. It is the 3rd most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 35,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 95,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 61,129 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
13% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35,271 miles | 45,000 miles | 59,122 miles | 74,575 miles | 96,400 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $350–$1,200 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 9 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2003, at a median of 20,000 miles, and latest on the 2016 at 85,000 miles.
By volume the 1999 carries the most reports, with 19; the 2000 has 12. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
While traveling, consumer noticed a grinding sound emitting from the rear wheel. Vehicle was serviced by dealer technician who notice the rear wheel bearings needed to be replaced and they caused damage to the hub assembly. Ts *jg
Rumbling under car was indication that a problem existed. 1st incident thanksgiving weekend 2003. Front left wheel bearings falied and had to be replaced. I was not able to get car in immediately because I was traveling and nobody was open. I finally got car to hunter in nc for repair. They told me it was front wheel bearings. Parts person told me they never replace forester bearings with original parts. They use outback or some other model instead. They did not replace axle but I think it may have been damaged because they were unable to do normal fix. Some components had froze and they had to go in backwards to fix. I think the bearings are very heavy duty and will drive for a long time damaged and so crash is unlikely. I drove 800 miles with rumbling. 2nd incident jun 21 2004 - both rear wheel bearings failed and rear right axle was froze and all had to be replaced. This time I brought car in to subaru of beechmont very near to start of rumbling. Subaru of america is trying to say that my vehicle shows signs of heavy trailering as excuse to not reimburse me. I use my hitch several times a year and my rear brakes are being…
I bought my subaru forester 2000 new. Under warranty I have had to replace my wheel bearings three times. A forth time after warrenty and now for a fifth time.. Four of the wheel bearings have been on the same wheel; the back right. Youar component selection does not have suspension rear; wheel bearings so I put in suspension front; wheel bearings. Suggest you add this component.*ak
Also reported on the 2000 Subaru Forester
Other powertrain problem
Engine sensor failure
Head gasket failure
Other suspension problem
Other wheel or tire problem
Fuel leak or fuel odor
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 12 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does wheel bearing or hub failure happen on the 2000 Subaru Forester?
Across 8 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 60,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 45,000 miles and a quarter after 75,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is wheel bearing or hub failure on the 2000 Subaru Forester?
12 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.3 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed