Two problems related to wiper 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.
My son was driving from new jersey. Suddenly the front hood opened and crashed into the windshield. He was able to move over three lanes to stop the car. The windshield was cracked. This was a hood replacement done last spring after a deer ran across the vehicle. The latch has not been a problem until this trip. On the way to new jersey, my son noticed that the hood partially opened. He stopped the car and made sure that the hood was tightly shut. The same repair shop is installing another hood and replacing the windshield. There is no collision insurance on the vehicle (Subaru Forester 2003). My two grandsons were passengers in the back seat. My son's fiancee was a passenger in the front seat. The only crash was the the breaking of the windshield from the hood.
Rear view mirror (self-dimming with compass) became cloudy and discolored. Unable to clearly view activity behind vehicle. This is, according to internet research, a common defect in the Subaru rear view mirrors in the era of (approximately) 2003-2008. No recall has been received. An e-mail to Subaru last evening explaining this problem was answered by telling me to order a new mirror from a local dealer. They need to investigate the defect and provide new mirrors. It's an important safety issue and must be corrected by Subaru immediately.