There are 3 stored owner reports matching the tires & wheels leading-label group for the 2004 Subaru Forester in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)DRIVER WAS PULLING ONTO ROUTE 66 WHEN HER RIGHT REAR WHEEL ALMOST CAME OFF. TURNS OUT THE WHEEL BEARING FAILED, WHICH APPARENTLY CAUSED THE BRAKES TO GO OUT. THE CAR WENT OFF THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE ON RAMP, THEN SKIDDED TO THE LEFT COMPLETELY ACROSS ROUTE 66, AND ENDED UP ALMOST AT THE JERSEY WALL IN THE MEDIAN, FACING THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY, THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC WAS ABLE TO STOP. BY THIS TIME THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WAS ACTUALLY TILTING OUT AT THE TOP, BUT SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE BACK ACROSS ROUTE 66 AND PARK ON THE SHOULDER. A YOUNG MAN WHO SAW THE MISHAP STOPPED AND HELPED HER JACK THE CAR UP AND TAKE THE WHEEL OFF. CAR WAS TOWED AWAY. NEXT DAY SHE FOUND A CAR PART ABOUT FIVE FEET AWAY FROM WHERE HER CAR HAD BEEN PARKED. SHOWED SUBARU SERVICE PEOPLE THE PART -- IT WAS THE END OF THE RIGHT REAR AXLE, WHICH HAD SHEARED OFF, AND APPARENTLY FLEW OFF THE CAR. IT LOOKS LIKE THE WHEEL BEARING HAD FAILED, AND THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR HAD SNAPPED OFF THE END OF THE AXLE, BEFORE SHE DROVE OFF. THE WHEEL EVENTUALLY STARTED TO COME OFF, AND FORTUNATELY IT HAPPENED WITHOUT FATAL CONSEQUENCES. *JS
NOISE FROM LEFT REAR WHEEL GREW LOUDER FOR WEEKS ON A 2004 SUBARU FORESTER XT TURBO WITH 87,800 MILES. TIRES PLUS IN COOPER CITY, FL, REPLACED THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING. IT SEEMED UNUSUALLY SOON FOR NORMAL WEAR, AND I FOUND SIMILAR ONLINE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SUBARU WHEEL BEARINGS. *TR
THERE IS TEAR BETWEEN THE TREAD AND SIDEWALL ON THE RIGHT REAR SIDE TIRE, WHICH IS CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO NOT MAINTAIN EASY CONTROL WHEN BEING DRIVEN. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BY OWNER. *JB *NM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.