Four problems related to clutch have been reported for the 2003 Subaru Forester. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Subaru Forester based on all problems reported for the 2003 Forester.
Clutch jitter; started immediately: clutch was replaced under warranty at 11,900 miles. Spoke with cousin in canada who bought the same car the same day. Already has replaced clutch once and is having trouble again with jitter. Vehicle stalls frequently upon cold start. Computer was removed from vehicle and sent back to factory to be recalibrated at 11,900.
Manual transmission. Clutch shudders (chatters) in 1st and sometimes 2nd gear. Problem occurs after car has not been used for a while (such as overnight), and especially in the morning. Car was bought used with 14,000 miles, and had this problem from when it was bought. Dealer replaced clutch assembly which appears to have remedied the problem.
Clutch chatter, 1st and 2nd gear. 18000 miles on vehicle.
Manual clutch chatters. Mainly 1st and 2nd gear, only after sitting for long periods of time (6-12 hrs). Started early, around 7,000 miles. First time I complained about it, Subaru said that I wasn't driving it properly. 3rd time I reported it (at 15,000 mi), Subaru acknowledged the problem and they are now going to replace the clutch. They said that they would not replace it with a heavier duty clutch so the problem may occur again.