Ah yes….#5. 2013 Impreza Hatchback …at 146,000, been through two left wheel rear bearings and one right rear. When the right side went, at 60,137 miles, I was just out of warranty. Had the dealer repair it then I emailed Subaru Customer Service asking if they would consider reimbursing me. I submitted the bill and pertinent information. A week later, I had a check for the full amount.
Same here for #5 .. wife's 2015 Crosstrek at 104k needed driver's side rear replaced just a month ago. We live in Eastern PA. First time I ever I had to do that on a car we owned.
Right rear failed at 47k, left rear at 80k. Granted, we have four seasons, and salt our roads in winter (to compensate for the retarded drivers here in Cleveland), but those two bearing and an AC recharge have been the only repairs my 6 up Subie has needed.
95k 2018 Legacy, right rear. North East car so I went straight to the independent shop with it, wasnt about to give it ago on my own lol 😂 OEM replacement.
2020 Forester 62k miles with obviously failing driver front bearing. I have the pre-owned 100k warranty so I took it in and they claim it's my tires making the sound even though I had already ruled them out, but hey they replaced the passenger rear bearing for some reason. We will see how long my sanity remains before I replace it myself
The main thing I learned from this video is Take Care of Your Car. Although repairs might seem expensive, they’re much less than buying a new car. Especially these days. Subarus are very reliable. But you have to do your part in keeping them running right. Thanks for this video❤
Your videos have saved me thousands over the past two weeks. We have a 2015 Outback and last weekend I had to replace the thermostat and so I went through all of the thermostat, PCV union, coolant crossover, etc and while it was off did the spark plugs and cam carrier reseal. Ours had oil all in the spark plugs just like the 2015 you worked on did. Then yesterday I replaced the driver's side CV axle. Couldn't have done it without your walkthrough videos. Thank you so much and big thanks to SubaryPartsDeals.
My Subaru 260,000 I have changed everything but it is still the best thing ever spent money on to this day, and in the winter, I don’t have to plow my driveway😂
Another great video! 2003 WRX bought new now @109K miles. Commuter car driven year round including heavy snow. Modified +70 HP over stock with dozens of track day laps. No noticeable oil consumption so far. No head gasket issues since it's a turbo 2.0L. Had to replace an inner front CV boot which was leaking grease. Had dealer replace timing belt at 90K miles (used SubaruBucks which were expiring). Easy, affordable and fun to work on. Would have to say that, overall, it's the best car i've owned in over 40 years.
This is Richard from northern Michigan I really enjoy and I found your videos to be very valuable I purchased a 2011 Subaru Outback Limited in December of 2010 the vehicle currently has 482,000 Mi on it and has the original engine and transmission the only failure that I have had is the head gasket with a multi-layer metal Subaru gasket per year recommendation and it has been perfect ever since. My CVT transmission for the past 482,000 MI however I have drained definition fluid every 60,000 me with OEM CVT fluid and the transmission has worked flawlessly. Thanks for all your good work and your excellent videos
Good to know I’m almost to 300k and yes I too have been changing the cvt fluid consistently with subbies oem fluids. Good to know I hopefully can get a couple more hundred thousand miles on my 2011 .
We had a 2002 Forester for 18 years and about 210K miles. We had 4 of 5 of these issues with it. The only one we didn't have was the timing belt breaking (I changed them pretty religiously). I changed the oil in that thing every 3K miles on the dot, and it still started developing oil consumption problems. Had the rear wheel bearings fail at about 190K, and the head gaskets were replaced around that time too. We finally sold it as it was becoming a money pit.
Mr.Subaru,you are the cats meow!At ,76 years old on my Fourth Outback,great cars,I started driving at 15 years old in 2963,if you would of told me I would be driving a 4 cylinder Japanese car at 76 years old,I would of had you committed!Thank you for all you inform us of,keep it up,and Godbless you and your family!Thomas A.Filipiak!
I would add ac compressor clutches, lower control arm bushings, and ball joints to the list. Also while not super common, CVT valve bodies. The good news is Subaru covers most of them under warranty.
Very cool! I did price the rear wheel bearings replacement at my Subaru dealer on my 2013 outback and they wanted $1300. Did it myself and very easy after watching one of your videos.
To "machine" my heads I use a 32"×32" piece of granite counter top. Start with 300 grit sandpaper glued to the granite surface, work the head in small circles, while working sandpaper down to 600 grit. Took about 45 minutes per side.
my 99 Outback blew the HG at around 100k. pulled the engine, but while in there.. do the rear main and water pump and timing belt. Ended up selling that car, but ran into it years later with another 100k and it was still running like a top! I was stoked.
The head gaskets started leaking externally on our 2018 3.6R. It was under 20K miles and luckily under warranty. The dealership said they replaced with the turbo gaskets. No issues so far, wish me luck.
There is no turbo on any 3.6 And it has 6cyl so there are no shared gasket types at all. So basically they lied to you inadvertently to make you feel better.
Great failure list, I've had encounters with all of them. Another failure I've seen on many of my Subaru's is the oil pressure switches leaking, in fact I've got a stock pile in my tool box.
Top 5 Subaru Failures/Breakdowns: 1) Head Gasket failure 1997-2012 models EJ series engines 2.5L naturally aspirated 2) CV axels primarily the front CV axels 3) Oil consumption issues started around 2011-2013 with FA/FB series engines 4) Timing belt failures with EJ series engines 5) Wheel bearings and hub assemblies failure
Thank you so much for these videos. I’m a brand new Subaru owner and a senior woman to boot. I find it extremely helpful to know what kind of things I need to keep an eye on. One of the most important things I’m understanding is to have everything done at the Subaru dealer. This is a new thought for me as I used to have Fords which have become complete junk. Four dealers don’t care, they lie to your face, they say they did things they didn’t do, etc.. The Subaru is an absolute delight and I will keep watching your videos to learn how to keep it that way. T nap.hank you.
My '05 Forester had a cylinder head oil leak. Dealer quoted $2K in 2018. Had the rear wheel bearings replaced on my Outback at 100K, mechanic said one fought him every bit of the way. Comparing the 2 vehicles, I much prefered the quietness of the timing belted '05 engine. Hate the noisy chain timed engine in the Outback, especially when cold. I'm pleased the CVT didn't make the top 5 list, I worry that Subaru says the trans fluid is permanent. I have a problem when cold but the dealer couldn't verify and wouldn't do anything. Thanks for the video.
Your on borrowed time with your transmission. I have overhauled automatics. I always change the oil in all my transmissions (3) every 30k miles. Oil is cheap compared to a rebuild. Don’t let the dealer bs you. If you are not a diy person, then go to a reputable shop and get it changed. Do not go to just an oil change place. Don’t give your car to a grease monkey to do this. This kind of work takes real knowledge (not hard but easy to screw up).
I have a strong feeling the 2006-2007 EJ’s all had bad oil compression rings. Owned 3 and around 125,000miles all started burning excessive oil in the quart per 600 mile range. All had oil changes every 3500 miles with good synthetic oil and wix premium filters. The only non standard thing I ran was K&N air filters that I kept clean and properly oiled. I no longer run those for fear the problem was related. I’ve had all the problems described on the 7 Subaru’s we’ve put 1 million miles on (total). Completely relied on your video’s for repairs so thanks for all your help over the years.
I have 2 2018 Subis, a Forester & WRX. Both had rear passenger wheel bearings go around 50k. Cost me around $550 to get replaced. Also have a 2019 Ascent with almost 100k, no wheel bearing issues on it, just front brakes/rotor problems. Great video.
I had a 2007 Outback with all of the five problems and thank God I have a real good and reasonable Subaru mechanic with a family business and honest in upstate NY.
Great video and I personally appreciate how Mr. Subaru verbally explains in great detail exactly what you're working with. I listen to these video's while working/driving, so the audio is super helpful.
I just did wheel bearing hubs on my 2009 Subaru I’m up here in Ohio two came out very easy the other two in the front I had to take the whole front steering knuckle off and I had to put longer bolts in through the backside and set it on two bricks and beaded the bolts with the 3 pound sludge to knock the wheel bearing out of the front knuckle. I tried all the other tricks, but that was the only one that worked.😂
I recently replaced the CV axle, wheel hub, spindle and lower ball joint on my 2015 Forester. I snapped off the ball joint pinch bolt and speed sensor bolt and stripped a hub bolt. Everything was seized up pretty bad, and after 3 days of trying to drill out the broken pinch bolt I cut my losses and just bought a whole new spindle. It took 2 weeks of waiting on parts, and working on it to finally get it back on the road, but it was well worth it. I only spent about $500 to diy it, a shop quoted around $900 just to replace the hub assembly and CV axle which is what inspired me to just do it myself
I had the same issue with the pinch bolts on my daughter's 2010 Forester- had to buy a new knuckle. I just bought my Dad's 2020 Outback when his lease ran out and one of my first jobs was to remove the pinch bolts while they are relatively new and easy to remove and I slathered them with anti-seize before reinstalling to 37 ft-lbs torque. We live in the upstate NY rust belt!
I was a fully Subaru certified technician as well as an ASE Master auto technician in the 1980's; Subaru had oil consumption issues in their new generation 1985 model engines as well as head cracking issues between valves, this is a long-standing issue.
Had both rear wheel bearings replaced on my 2017 forester. Also had total air conditioning failure when just out of warranty, that one hurt the hip pocket. Owned nothing but Subaru since 1985, I’ve no plans to ever leave the brand.
2013 Forester Diesel 6 sp manual, 200,000km. On second set replacement front lower control arms, 3rd turbo hose under top intercooler, 2nd set of hoses at other end of engine, clutch replaced 7 yrs old, alternator when about 9 yrs old, still happy, still trucking along at 11 yrs old, owned since brand new 😊
Replaced the right rear bearing on our '14 Forester last fall. Thankfully we're in the CA Central Valley so it basically fell out. No salt rust. Harder to get the axle out of the bearing than the bearing/hub out of the carrier. I didn't go Subaru on the part...please don't hate! We're likely going to trade it in within a year or two and we don't put many miles on it since COVID changed my office to home, so went with TRQ and it fit like a glove. Keeping an ear on the rear end but so far no growling!
My 2016 Legacy has oil consumption issues and since I have had the car, I keep up with oil changes. I bought the car with about 112K on it and it now has about 204K on it. Early on, it didn't have the burning issue with the oil, but now it does even though I keep up with my oil changes. I have to add at least a quart in between oil changes.
My '15 Legacy has been victimized by #3 (oil consumption, despite getting my oil changed on time every time) and #5 (rear wheel bearing assembly). I haven't taken any action against the oil consumption and do not intend to. I was recently quoted $8K to replace the short block assembly... For #6 I would add CVT valve body replacement as that is the other major repair I've had to endure.
Currently have a 2012 Forester engine out for pistons, rings and bearings. Was drinking 1 qt/500 miles!! Exhaust valves were trashed! Head valve job $550.00.
Another common failure are the stabilizer drop links or end links. Seem to go at about 30k miles. Glad to be in the desert southwest, no rust issues here!
Hi there, and thanks for your super videos. I'm on my 3rd Outback (currently a 2012, 2,5 manual 6 speeds), and I'm having issues with the oxygen sensors and the complimentary problems (carbon buildup, hesitation, check engine lights, etc.). Nobody seems to want to touch this thing, and not even my Subaru dealership. I've heard that in some cases, even with both 02 sensors replaced, there can still be problems (catalytic converter?) . Thanks for your comments.
I replaced both rear wheel bearings at around 93,000 miles on my 2015 Forester. I am in MA, a snow state and they were tough to remove. The tool that attaches to the studs and you bang on the tool was successful to pull the hub off leaving the bearing attached to the back plate on both sides of the car. I resorted to removing the knuckle and using my 20,000 lb. press to remove the back plate and bearing from the knuckle. Driver side came off with minor damage to back plate, but passenger side required an incredible amount of force, so I had to replace the back plate. I replaced with A-Premium 2 x Rear Wheel Bearing and Hub Assembly from Amazon where you get 2 for around $90.00 for both. I bought cheap ones figuring the Subaru ones weren't much good and, after using high temp never seize, replacing the cheap ones would be easy, if ever needed. They went in perfectly, removed all the noise, and still work fine after one year and around 8000 miles. If you live in a snow state and are unwilling to go through what I went through, leave it to a professional. Once the hub separates from the bearing, you will have to fix it or tow it. Putting it back together and driving will not be an option. People with repeated wheel bearing failures might not understand the importance of proper torque on the axle nut and that torquing needs to be done without weight on the hub.
The rust belt factor is no joke. I'm in Pittsburgh and it took me 90+ mins a side to get my front rotors off last weekend. And they only saw 2 winters.
377,000 km on my 2012 Impreza. driving it 1000 km/wk and it just keeps on going. Had to replace the valve body at 260,000 km and had to get it done at the dealer because Subie Canada wouldn't sell me one. It ran so well for me that we ended up with a Crosstrek Sport 2.0L, too. After driving my Crosstrek, my wife now wants one to replace her CR-V. Great videos.
Good list! What about other fluid changes impacts (engine coolant, break fluid, trans fluids, differential fluids, etc)? How rigidly should you adhere to inspections / checks / changes on these other fluids?
I was a mechanic for 6 years, mainly with Japanese cars. As long as CV boots did not come apart, I've never seen CV joints fail. I took my '85 Chevy Sprint (Suzuki) 384 k miles, none of the failures you cited.
Solid list. For people up in the rust belt the heat shields have been a nuisance forever. They just rust out and start to rattle. Trying to tighten them up is only a temporary fix. Replacing them has been the only true fix and those shields aren't cheap. The wheel bearings aren't getting any better. Just had a 2024 Outback in with 26k on it and both rear wheel bearings were bad.
Yea the heat shields on my 2010 forester started rattling, dealer quoted $1,200 to replace, I told them to just cut them off, suddenly the said they could replace them for $800. These dealers are just crooks.
I have only driven Subaru vehicles since 1998. My issues have been oil leaks, head gasket (1998 Legacy 2.5 GT wagon - $1,800), O2 sensor issues (same 1998 Legacy Wagon), oil leaks, and oil leaks. Did I mention oil leaks? And YES, front CV axels! Ugh, wheel bearings too.
A less common thing but a very pricy failure is on the crosstreck and some others is the transmission valve body... they have a awd silonoide that goes bad and will cause the vehicle not to shift. I've done 4-5 in the last year alone and at 1500$ or more for the valve body from subaru they are not cheap at all all because of a small silonoide not hating just putting the information out there for others
Had this exact thing happen on my ‘14 forester this year. About 140,000 miles on it. Also, Subaru (thankfully) replaced my engine block at around 50,000 miles because it failed the oil consumption test.
208k on my 2011 outback 2.5 limited. Had it since 2016. So far I’ve had the valve body replaced at around 160k, the timing belt and water pump replaced while getting the head gasket replaced at 150k, rear wheel bearings that I couldn’t replace myself due to lack of lift/tools (very expensive) other than that it’s been all diy maintenance. Just replaced half of the rear exhaust with muffler myself and will hopefully diy the front wheel bearings, struts, ball joints, front cv axles, control arms (because why not while I’m there anyway) and then getting an alignment. Kept up with all oil changes and brakes and other diy projects myself. Thanks for all your videos you’ve been a huge help to me trying to keep my favorite car safe and on the road as long as possible!
Funny story about Subaru being known for the head gasket failure... I'm on my 6th Subaru, 4 of them fell within the year range you said were known for the head gasket going out. I experienced EVERY failure/repair on your list EXCEPT the head gasket over the years.
Mr. Subaru you are on point🤣 I have replaced all four wheel bearings and my front axle. Currently waiting for right axle. I’m suprise the front control arm rear bushing is not on the list.😊
After my first wheel bearing, I found it was best to order used knuckles with bearing already removed. Put new bearing in and save removing the old bearing from the old knuckle for a day you need to blow off steam by smashing something with a hammer.
I had a 2004 2.5X forester with 221k and still ran great but blew the trans and front diff. Sold it to a mechanic who needed motor for customer car. I miss that car, looking for a 1st gen outback with 2.2l now, they are hard to come by on east coast, as I am in south central PA
first time I watched your channel. I had a 1999 Subaru Legacy bought it with 115,000 KM's on it drove it for 8 years did some exhaust work and brakes, it had a 2.2 L engine. sold it after 8 years and got what I paid for it and this was 2 years ago and I still miss it today new car is good just not the same to drive (2006 Buick lacrosse 75,000 km's now had 63,000kms when I got it) still miss the Subaru
Only tip I can give you re the rear bearings. Many of the "Subaru" ones are made by NTN aka BCA. Held theirs next to the "genuine" and they were identical. Can maybe save $50 a side there 😊
been a fan long time been a Subaru sti owner for even longer, i know a lot of this but always love seeing you upload! been a HD mechinc for years and years and even more years lol , thanks man! good reminder i probly should replace my hubs soon as a pm thing!
My 05 Outback XT has needed some repairs but the only times it couldn't be driven were when the battery died (beyond being able to take a jump start) & when the clutch died.
I had a lot of trouble with an '07 Outback consuming oil. Took a quart every 1200 miles. Dealer wouldn't stand behind it...pathetic really. I finally replaced it with a used 2010 engine from Japan "guaranteed" to have less than 60k on it. No oil consumption problems anymore. Engine was about $2800. DIY project but my brother is a professional mechanic and I would have struggled and possibly failed without his help. We had to tap some holes in th block to accommodate the original oil pan.
My 2024 Outback XT is in the shop today after not wanting to start over the weekend. Dash flashed a few time without turning and eventually started with the check engine and gas gauge at 0. Only has 1,400 miles. I hate all the electronics in these new models. My 2015 2.5 lasted 10 years without a major problem over 140k miles. I hope this is a one shot minor electronic hiccup that won’t happen again. It drives better than the old one, but only time will tell of the reliability.
@@mikebates4815The notorious dead Subaru battery. They kept it 2 days to test for parasitic drain, but thankfully it was just a crappy battery. I went through 3 batteries in 4 years on my old outback before I decided to buy a good one from auto zone.
My upnorth 14 Forester just turned 250,000 miles and ive done all the repaors on it thanks to your videos! Front lower control arms, front CV axels and ball joints, radiator, rear end pinion seal, replaced a cracked valve cover. Original engine and trans with regular maintenance. Its always drank oil, but no leaks. I might add #6 as headlights burn out rather quickly for some reason.
I’ve had 5 Outbacks over the past 20 years, and thank God I always got the 6 cylinder engine. Never had a single engine problem running close to 200,000 miles. Rear hub bearings, I replaced a few. Ditto the rear axles.
I just changed a front wheel bearing in my 2006 chevy aveo with 260K+ miles. I have a decent size arbor press. The spindle moved about 1/8 and then stopped despite me hanging on the arm of the press. Tried wailing with a 28oz hammer. No luck. Snap-On air hammer made short work of both inner and outer races. Worth every penny. New $45 Timkin and she runs and drives as she should.
The only Subaru I would own is an old Brat, that is IF I could find one that wasnt rusted to powder. I drive a 1984 Bronco II, I still see other ones on the road, but I sure as hell dont see any Subarus left from that period.
The Front lower control arms is another thing that fails. I bought a 2016 Forester XT and have replaced the fronts within 3-4 years. I bought the car brand new, only driven on road never offroad.
My daughter just bought a used 2013 Subaru XV (Crosstrek) with 100,000 miles. She had it checked out by a Subaru service dept and they gave it a clean bill of health apart from a wheel alignment. So hopefully there won't be any issues with it.
For my part, these are exactly the breakdowns that I have had so far on my 2007 STI at 147,000 km. Currently I am ordering all the material to forge the engine.
Something I just ran into was a valve cover gasket leak on my wrx. Car is only a year old so it was covered under warranty. Sounds like its a pretty common thing from what I was told.
Just a comment on wheel bearing replacement. I live in NC and my 2014 Subaru started rumbling. It turned out both rear wheel bearings were failing (Passenger worse than driver side). I'm a fairly competent DIY guy. The passenger side pretty much came apart with a couple taps. The driver side was a multi-hour marathon. Strangely, once apart it didn't look much different than the 'easy' side. Mild rust. I replaced both bearings, every surface got anti-seize treated, and reassembled fairly easily. So yes, can be a 2 of 5 OR a 9 of 5.
Exhaust systems in the rust belt. Great video ! Been working on Subaru's since my 1974 back in high school. I have rebuilt 5 motors from the split case and up. Not an ez project. Rebuild exhaust systems and most of the things you have talked about. I have a head scratcher rt now with a 97 2.5 twin cam that has a dead spot rt off of idle. It idles perfect, no miss fires, but it falls on it's face when you step into it. Seems like a map sensor, like on a 2.2 Impreza, but I don't see a map sensor. It's not a maf sensor. When yo step into it, it stumbles and badly. Thoughts ?
I’ve owned my 2018 WRX for 7 years and I have about 57,000 miles and the only real issue I’ve had is with the throw out bearing. I had to have it replaced somewhere around 25-30k miles and now I need to have it done again. I’m out of warranty now so I’m gonna look for better parts than the oem ones because they do not seem to be of good quality for that particular part. And it’s a pretty pricey job too. Somewhere around 2k is what I’ve been quoted.
I’ve heard throwout bearings being a problem on Subarus, but mine has been holding well so far with 57k miles. I drive a regular 2020 Impreza btw, not a wrx.
Wife has a 2021 wrx premium (m6 short throw shifter package)bought new in December that year. 50k+miles later 50/50 city/highway (even if she says otherwise I know she hits over triple digits once a week in it). Not one single problem. Clutch pressure plate, throwout bearings still feel like brand new anytime I'm allowed to drive it 😢 # cool chick's drive sticks!
On our 2011 outback I had three of five of these problems. Never lost a timing as I always charged it early. The car went 255,000 km and 11 years before we replaced it with a 2022 Forester limited. Our 2018 Crosstrek has 163,000 km on it. Daily driver. Only big failure has been a known issue…the starter died.
First for me Subaru, the last manual trans Crosstrek (2023). Too many times yanking the fuse cover when trying to pop the hood. Yeah, likely broken plastic tabs and the plastic fuse cover handle sits in the glovebox. Hood more consistent opening now!
I have a 2023 Outback. I'm experiencing flex noises in the roof. Last winter, they took the head liner out and discovered the roof panel had separated from the frame structure. They glued it back together. It failed again pretty quickly, but then it warmed up and stopped making noise. Now my a-pillar cover pops off when it gets hot... And the seal around the sunroof gets folded under itself somehow. I really like driving the car, it's very nice. But these strange issues have me concerned about the future with this car.
Was at the roadside watching New Zealand Rally way back. Colin McRae was going like the clappers as usual in his Subaru. It stopped at the corner just before where I stood. After a while Colin & Nicky walked past and said the CAM BELT BROKE.
Salt belt car here. Only thing worse than rear wheel bearing replacement on my 15 OB was the ball joints replacement. Ball joint replacement turned into new spindles. There was no amount of reasonable heat or violence to seperate without damaging other components. 202k miles and oil consumption is just starting to become a thing.. 5000 mile oil change intervals and last 3 changes ended up being a little over half a qt low.
had a forester xt randomly setting cam/crank correlation codes on drivers bank. found timing belt tensioner was weak, and it had been rattling against the hardened steel pin and wore it pretty bad. I just removed the pin rotated about 90 degree and drove it back in the case, of course it got the whole deluxe timing set, water pump, thermostat and replaced all crank/cam seals while at it. no more codes, well until the catalytic converters went bad, new aftermarket junk and a few oem o2 sensors and all is well again(for now). the exhaust had rusted through a few spots upfront anyway
If my mechanic had told me to replace my timing belt I would have saved $10,000 Canadian $ to repair my 2003 Outback 2.5 litre! Thanks for all your advice!
I agree with the list. But, I'd argue failures of the secondary air injection system are probably as common as wheel bearings, more expensive to repair, and not regional.
I had an 1982 Gl wagon. It was bulletproof as well as under powered at 63hp lol. 400k km no break downs. Unfortunately I traded it for a first gen XT coupe. It was a cool car but it did break and wow was it costly for parts. I got rid of it. I since owned Several Hondas back in the 90's and early 2000's never had anything break. I now have a used vibe / Matrix lots of miles no breakdowns. No nothing just brakes and oil changes. I always liked Subaru but it does seem to me by all the videos on them , they seem to require alot more intervention. I'm an industrial mechanic so I do kinda want to pick a Forester up and work on it . Haven't made the jump yet though. I subscribed to you to physc myself up again. But they don't seem as bulletproof as the old 70s & 80's
Subaru, put in a really nice early warning system on those CV boots. When they go, you’ll get an awful smell of the grease landing on the exhaust manifold. At least you know it’s time to repair.
I have 2016 Legacy 3.6R with about 77,000 miles. I drive it with care and overall it's a good car (original owner). 1. at around 60,000 miles, power steering rack started making a loud noise especially when it's cold in November - February. Subaru of Shoreline in Seattle, WA. replaced it with Subaru of America paying a portion of the cost since the car is still in pristine condition, total cost was around $3,000. 2. 13 months later, the power steering rack issue reappeared again and since it was a month over the warranty I had to pay for it with the help of SOA. 3. Several month later (about 6 months ago) the same issue came back. Dealership mechanics took it for a test but couldn't replicate. I don't know when this will popup again, hopefully before warranty expires which is in January. 4. several months ago and while driving on the freeway, CVT slipped a couple of times. Transmission kept slipping for about two weeks then all went back to normal. Took the car to the mechanic shop and they were unable to replicate the issue. I know it's there and it's only a matter of time before CVT starts to act up again. CVT fluid was replaced at about 65,000 miles. 5. Battery drains and dies if vehicle is not driven for about 3-4 weeks. It happened three times where the car needs a jumper. 6. Windshield cracked once, replacement cost $1,500. 7. A/C is not as cold as other vehicles such as Toyota or Honda. I live in North Seattle and as you can imagine summer is not that hot but sometimes A/C cannot keep up. 8. Infotainment LCD malfunctioned/froze while driving, happened several times only 9. A popping sound comes from the middle of the dashboard by the A/C control button, it sounds like a rock hit the windshield, it could be heat expands something behind the dashboard because it happens when the car gets hot after driving for a while. Other than those issues the car has been good to me. Thought to share my experience.
My 2018 subaru forester has transmission valve body issues that required a complete replacement at around 114000 miles. Not bad considering that was the only problem with my car up to that point. The only problem is that it completely turns off all the safety features (abs, cruise control, traction control, and hill assist) when the problem presents itself.
Ive got a 92 cummins and a 2012 impreza 2.0. Let's not try compare the two. Other than the killer dowel pin the 5.9 will still be going long after I'm dead and buried.
My rear left wheel bearing hub assembly failed after only 2 1/2 yrs / approx. 25k miles on my (first) Subaru, a 2017 Forester base. Living in the S.E. USA. Luckily it was under warranty. Another item I had fail on 2 of our Subarus (the same 2017 Forester and a 2020 Crosstrek) were the blower motors behind the glove box. Both failed after only approx. 1 1/2 yrs and barely 12k miles.
Thanks for a great video! My '15 Outback is on its second windshield and the warranty on the CVT got extended to 10 years. The forums have lots of info on those so I know those are not uncommon problems.
10 yr / 100,000 mile warranty. They didn’t cover my cvt valve body on my 14 forester with around 130,000 miles on it. And their windshields are so fragile and thin, never had so many rock chips on other vehicles.
2018 forester XT at about 135k miles. Needs transmission top cover seal replaced according to dealer. So they have to pull the whole transmission. $1800
Ah yes….#5. 2013 Impreza Hatchback …at 146,000, been through two left wheel rear bearings and one right rear. When the right side went, at 60,137 miles, I was just out of warranty. Had the dealer repair it then I emailed Subaru Customer Service asking if they would consider reimbursing me. I submitted the bill and pertinent information.
A week later, I had a check for the full amount.
Same here for #5 .. wife's 2015 Crosstrek at 104k needed driver's side rear replaced just a month ago. We live in Eastern PA. First time I ever I had to do that on a car we owned.
Right rear failed at 47k, left rear at 80k. Granted, we have four seasons, and salt our roads in winter (to compensate for the retarded drivers here in Cleveland), but those two bearing and an AC recharge have been the only repairs my 6 up Subie has needed.
95k 2018 Legacy, right rear. North East car so I went straight to the independent shop with it, wasnt about to give it ago on my own lol 😂 OEM replacement.
2020 Forester 62k miles with obviously failing driver front bearing. I have the pre-owned 100k warranty so I took it in and they claim it's my tires making the sound even though I had already ruled them out, but hey they replaced the passenger rear bearing for some reason. We will see how long my sanity remains before I replace it myself
@@rodneywk1 How did it go for you? DIY or shop job?
The main thing I learned from this video is Take Care of Your Car. Although repairs might seem expensive, they’re much less than buying a new car. Especially these days. Subarus are very reliable. But you have to do your part in keeping them running right. Thanks for this video❤
Your videos have saved me thousands over the past two weeks. We have a 2015 Outback and last weekend I had to replace the thermostat and so I went through all of the thermostat, PCV union, coolant crossover, etc and while it was off did the spark plugs and cam carrier reseal. Ours had oil all in the spark plugs just like the 2015 you worked on did. Then yesterday I replaced the driver's side CV axle. Couldn't have done it without your walkthrough videos. Thank you so much and big thanks to SubaryPartsDeals.
My Subaru 260,000 I have changed everything but it is still the best thing ever spent money on to this day, and in the winter, I don’t have to plow my driveway😂
Another great video! 2003 WRX bought new now @109K miles. Commuter car driven year round including heavy snow. Modified +70 HP over stock with dozens of track day laps. No noticeable oil consumption so far. No head gasket issues since it's a turbo 2.0L. Had to replace an inner front CV boot which was leaking grease. Had dealer replace timing belt at 90K miles (used SubaruBucks which were expiring). Easy, affordable and fun to work on. Would have to say that, overall, it's the best car i've owned in over 40 years.
This is Richard from northern Michigan I really enjoy and I found your videos to be very valuable I purchased a 2011 Subaru Outback Limited in December of 2010 the vehicle currently has 482,000 Mi on it and has the original engine and transmission the only failure that I have had is the head gasket with a multi-layer metal Subaru gasket per year recommendation and it has been perfect ever since. My CVT transmission for the past 482,000 MI however I have drained definition fluid every 60,000 me with OEM CVT fluid and the transmission has worked flawlessly. Thanks for all your good work and your excellent videos
Good to know I’m almost to 300k and yes I too have been changing the cvt fluid consistently with subbies oem fluids. Good to know I hopefully can get a couple more hundred thousand miles on my 2011 .
We had a 2002 Forester for 18 years and about 210K miles. We had 4 of 5 of these issues with it. The only one we didn't have was the timing belt breaking (I changed them pretty religiously). I changed the oil in that thing every 3K miles on the dot, and it still started developing oil consumption problems. Had the rear wheel bearings fail at about 190K, and the head gaskets were replaced around that time too. We finally sold it as it was becoming a money pit.
Mr.Subaru,you are the cats meow!At ,76 years old on my Fourth Outback,great cars,I started driving at 15 years old in 2963,if you would of told me I would be driving a 4 cylinder Japanese car at 76 years old,I would of had you committed!Thank you for all you inform us of,keep it up,and Godbless you and your family!Thomas A.Filipiak!
Wow what’s it like 950 years in the future where you’re from?
@@fastinradfordable sorry buddy that was 1963,I am old but not that old!
You are a blessing to all who own a Subaru machine!!!!! Thank-you!!
I would add ac compressor clutches, lower control arm bushings, and ball joints to the list. Also while not super common, CVT valve bodies. The good news is Subaru covers most of them under warranty.
Very cool! I did price the rear wheel bearings replacement at my Subaru dealer on my 2013 outback and they wanted $1300. Did it myself and very easy after watching one of your videos.
Holy crap 1300 is insane !
To "machine" my heads I use a 32"×32" piece of granite counter top. Start with 300 grit sandpaper glued to the granite surface, work the head in small circles, while working sandpaper down to 600 grit. Took about 45 minutes per side.
my 99 Outback blew the HG at around 100k. pulled the engine, but while in there.. do the rear main and water pump and timing belt. Ended up selling that car, but ran into it years later with another 100k and it was still running like a top! I was stoked.
The head gaskets started leaking externally on our 2018 3.6R. It was under 20K miles and luckily under warranty. The dealership said they replaced with the turbo gaskets. No issues so far, wish me luck.
There is no turbo on any 3.6
And it has 6cyl so there are no shared gasket types at all.
So basically they lied to you inadvertently to make you feel better.
Great failure list, I've had encounters with all of them. Another failure I've seen on many of my Subaru's is the oil pressure switches leaking, in fact I've got a stock pile in my tool box.
Top 5 Subaru Failures/Breakdowns:
1)
Head Gasket failure 1997-2012 models EJ series engines 2.5L naturally aspirated
2)
CV axels primarily the front CV axels
3)
Oil consumption issues started around 2011-2013 with FA/FB series engines
4)
Timing belt failures with EJ series engines
5)
Wheel bearings and hub assemblies failure
Don’t forget about the cvt transmissions
Thank you so much for these videos. I’m a brand new Subaru owner and a senior woman to boot. I find it extremely helpful to know what kind of things I need to keep an eye on. One of the most important things I’m understanding is to have everything done at the Subaru dealer. This is a new thought for me as I used to have Fords which have become complete junk. Four dealers don’t care, they lie to your face, they say they did things they didn’t do, etc.. The Subaru is an absolute delight and I will keep watching your videos to learn how to keep it that way. T nap.hank you.
My '05 Forester had a cylinder head oil leak. Dealer quoted $2K in 2018. Had the rear wheel bearings replaced on my Outback at 100K, mechanic said one fought him every bit of the way. Comparing the 2 vehicles, I much prefered the quietness of the timing belted '05 engine. Hate the noisy chain timed engine in the Outback, especially when cold. I'm pleased the CVT didn't make the top 5 list, I worry that Subaru says the trans fluid is permanent. I have a problem when cold but the dealer couldn't verify and wouldn't do anything. Thanks for the video.
Change the tranny fluid ASAP. Not hard to do. Drain and fill x2 . Good YT videos available.
Your on borrowed time with your transmission. I have overhauled automatics. I always change the oil in all my transmissions (3) every 30k miles. Oil is cheap compared to a rebuild. Don’t let the dealer bs you. If you are not a diy person, then go to a reputable shop and get it changed. Do not go to just an oil change place. Don’t give your car to a grease monkey to do this. This kind of work takes real knowledge (not hard but easy to screw up).
I have a strong feeling the 2006-2007 EJ’s all had bad oil compression rings. Owned 3 and around 125,000miles all started burning excessive oil in the quart per 600 mile range. All had oil changes every 3500 miles with good synthetic oil and wix premium filters.
The only non standard thing I ran was K&N air filters that I kept clean and properly oiled. I no longer run those for fear the problem was related.
I’ve had all the problems described on the 7 Subaru’s we’ve put 1 million miles on (total).
Completely relied on your video’s for repairs so thanks for all your help over the years.
I have 2 2018 Subis, a Forester & WRX. Both had rear passenger wheel bearings go around 50k. Cost me around $550 to get replaced. Also have a 2019 Ascent with almost 100k, no wheel bearing issues on it, just front brakes/rotor problems. Great video.
Anti-seize is your friend for the bearing/hub assembly, especially up north. Your second time around the car replacing these will be much easier.
I had a 2007 Outback with all of the five problems and thank God I have a real good and reasonable Subaru mechanic with a family business and honest in upstate NY.
And promptly not mention them directly or more indirectly how they can be found by others...
S.M..A ?
Great video and I personally appreciate how Mr. Subaru verbally explains in great detail exactly what you're working with. I listen to these video's while working/driving, so the audio is super helpful.
I just did wheel bearing hubs on my 2009 Subaru I’m up here in Ohio two came out very easy the other two in the front I had to take the whole front steering knuckle off and I had to put longer bolts in through the backside and set it on two bricks and beaded the bolts with the 3 pound sludge to knock the wheel bearing out of the front knuckle. I tried all the other tricks, but that was the only one that worked.😂
I recently replaced the CV axle, wheel hub, spindle and lower ball joint on my 2015 Forester. I snapped off the ball joint pinch bolt and speed sensor bolt and stripped a hub bolt. Everything was seized up pretty bad, and after 3 days of trying to drill out the broken pinch bolt I cut my losses and just bought a whole new spindle. It took 2 weeks of waiting on parts, and working on it to finally get it back on the road, but it was well worth it. I only spent about $500 to diy it, a shop quoted around $900 just to replace the hub assembly and CV axle which is what inspired me to just do it myself
Those lower ball joint bolts always snap we always heat them up before we try to remove them I'm sorry you had to go through all that
I had the same issue with the pinch bolts on my daughter's 2010 Forester- had to buy a new knuckle. I just bought my Dad's 2020 Outback when his lease ran out and one of my first jobs was to remove the pinch bolts while they are relatively new and easy to remove and I slathered them with anti-seize before reinstalling to 37 ft-lbs torque. We live in the upstate NY rust belt!
I was a fully Subaru certified technician as well as an ASE Master auto technician in the 1980's; Subaru had oil consumption issues in their new generation 1985 model engines as well as head cracking issues between valves, this is a long-standing issue.
Had both rear wheel bearings replaced on my 2017 forester. Also had total air conditioning failure when just out of warranty, that one hurt the hip pocket.
Owned nothing but Subaru since 1985, I’ve no plans to ever leave the brand.
2013 Forester Diesel 6 sp manual, 200,000km. On second set replacement front lower control arms, 3rd turbo hose under top intercooler, 2nd set of hoses at other end of engine, clutch replaced 7 yrs old, alternator when about 9 yrs old, still happy, still trucking along at 11 yrs old, owned since brand new 😊
Replaced the right rear bearing on our '14 Forester last fall. Thankfully we're in the CA Central Valley so it basically fell out. No salt rust. Harder to get the axle out of the bearing than the bearing/hub out of the carrier. I didn't go Subaru on the part...please don't hate! We're likely going to trade it in within a year or two and we don't put many miles on it since COVID changed my office to home, so went with TRQ and it fit like a glove. Keeping an ear on the rear end but so far no growling!
My 2016 Legacy has oil consumption issues and since I have had the car, I keep up with oil changes. I bought the car with about 112K on it and it now has about 204K on it. Early on, it didn't have the burning issue with the oil, but now it does even though I keep up with my oil changes. I have to add at least a quart in between oil changes.
My '15 Legacy has been victimized by #3 (oil consumption, despite getting my oil changed on time every time) and #5 (rear wheel bearing assembly). I haven't taken any action against the oil consumption and do not intend to. I was recently quoted $8K to replace the short block assembly...
For #6 I would add CVT valve body replacement as that is the other major repair I've had to endure.
Currently have a 2012 Forester engine out for pistons, rings and bearings. Was drinking 1 qt/500 miles!!
Exhaust valves were trashed! Head valve job $550.00.
Another common failure are the stabilizer drop links or end links. Seem to go at about 30k miles. Glad to be in the desert southwest, no rust issues here!
Indeed. Luckily not a complicated or excessively expensive repair.
Hi there, and thanks for your super videos. I'm on my 3rd Outback (currently a 2012, 2,5 manual 6 speeds), and I'm having issues with the oxygen sensors and the complimentary problems (carbon buildup, hesitation, check engine lights, etc.). Nobody seems to want to touch this thing, and not even my Subaru dealership. I've heard that in some cases, even with both 02 sensors replaced, there can still be problems (catalytic converter?) . Thanks for your comments.
I replaced both rear wheel bearings at around 93,000 miles on my 2015 Forester. I am in MA, a snow state and they were tough to remove. The tool that attaches to the studs and you bang on the tool was successful to pull the hub off leaving the bearing attached to the back plate on both sides of the car. I resorted to removing the knuckle and using my 20,000 lb. press to remove the back plate and bearing from the knuckle. Driver side came off with minor damage to back plate, but passenger side required an incredible amount of force, so I had to replace the back plate. I replaced with A-Premium 2 x Rear Wheel Bearing and Hub Assembly from Amazon where you get 2 for around $90.00 for both. I bought cheap ones figuring the Subaru ones weren't much good and, after using high temp never seize, replacing the cheap ones would be easy, if ever needed. They went in perfectly, removed all the noise, and still work fine after one year and around 8000 miles. If you live in a snow state and are unwilling to go through what I went through, leave it to a professional. Once the hub separates from the bearing, you will have to fix it or tow it. Putting it back together and driving will not be an option. People with repeated wheel bearing failures might not understand the importance of proper torque on the axle nut and that torquing needs to be done without weight on the hub.
Hi... Do you have the link for the bearings and hub assembly for rear?
Thanks
Premium (Amazon) bearing.
Lol
Whatever helps you sleep brother.
I got a turbo from Amazon but I don’t go around saying it’s PREMIUM
@@fastinradfordable A-Premium is a trade name, not a description of the part.
2021 forester with 18000 miles
Already had to take it to the dealer
For carbon buildup issue . Had a misfire codes. DI engines suck!
Very upsetting
Ya port injection better.
One for me on both 91 & 98 2.2L legacy's was front and rear main seal oil weeping. Great video as always. Cheers
Thank God for you Bro 🙏🏾 I'm looking to buy a used Outback ASAP. Your channel was God sent 👍🏾
The rust belt factor is no joke. I'm in Pittsburgh and it took me 90+ mins a side to get my front rotors off last weekend. And they only saw 2 winters.
377,000 km on my 2012 Impreza. driving it 1000 km/wk and it just keeps on going. Had to replace the valve body at 260,000 km and had to get it done at the dealer because Subie Canada wouldn't sell me one. It ran so well for me that we ended up with a Crosstrek Sport 2.0L, too. After driving my Crosstrek, my wife now wants one to replace her CR-V. Great videos.
Aren't we trying to identify problems, not hear people bragging about not having problems ?
@@Luther-1968Its someone sharing good experiences chill out he likes his Subarus for good reasons
@@Luther-1968what a weird comment. He was literally explaining how his experience with Subaru has been. Not sure why that’s a problem?
I’d be keeping my CRV…
@@Luther-1968sore toes? 😊
Good list! What about other fluid changes impacts (engine coolant, break fluid, trans fluids, differential fluids, etc)? How rigidly should you adhere to inspections / checks / changes on these other fluids?
I was a mechanic for 6 years, mainly with Japanese cars. As long as CV boots did not come apart, I've never seen CV joints fail. I took my '85 Chevy Sprint (Suzuki) 384 k miles, none of the failures you cited.
Solid list. For people up in the rust belt the heat shields have been a nuisance forever. They just rust out and start to rattle. Trying to tighten them up is only a temporary fix. Replacing them has been the only true fix and those shields aren't cheap.
The wheel bearings aren't getting any better. Just had a 2024 Outback in with 26k on it and both rear wheel bearings were bad.
Already on a 2024?! As for heat shield, was that on same or older?
@@mclark4218 Yup already on a 2024. The heatshield thing has been for many years.
Yea the heat shields on my 2010 forester started rattling, dealer quoted $1,200 to replace, I told them to just cut them off, suddenly the said they could replace them for $800. These dealers are just crooks.
I have only driven Subaru vehicles since 1998. My issues have been oil leaks, head gasket (1998 Legacy 2.5 GT wagon - $1,800), O2 sensor issues (same 1998 Legacy Wagon), oil leaks, and oil leaks. Did I mention oil leaks? And YES, front CV axels! Ugh, wheel bearings too.
A less common thing but a very pricy failure is on the crosstreck and some others is the transmission valve body... they have a awd silonoide that goes bad and will cause the vehicle not to shift. I've done 4-5 in the last year alone and at 1500$ or more for the valve body from subaru they are not cheap at all all because of a small silonoide not hating just putting the information out there for others
Had this exact thing happen on my ‘14 forester this year. About 140,000 miles on it. Also, Subaru (thankfully) replaced my engine block at around 50,000 miles because it failed the oil consumption test.
208k on my 2011 outback 2.5 limited. Had it since 2016. So far I’ve had the valve body replaced at around 160k, the timing belt and water pump replaced while getting the head gasket replaced at 150k, rear wheel bearings that I couldn’t replace myself due to lack of lift/tools (very expensive) other than that it’s been all diy maintenance. Just replaced half of the rear exhaust with muffler myself and will hopefully diy the front wheel bearings, struts, ball joints, front cv axles, control arms (because why not while I’m there anyway) and then getting an alignment. Kept up with all oil changes and brakes and other diy projects myself.
Thanks for all your videos you’ve been a huge help to me trying to keep my favorite car safe and on the road as long as possible!
Funny story about Subaru being known for the head gasket failure... I'm on my 6th Subaru, 4 of them fell within the year range you said were known for the head gasket going out. I experienced EVERY failure/repair on your list EXCEPT the head gasket over the years.
Just bought a 2025 outback onyx. Love it so far and can’t wait to play in the snow.
Mr. Subaru you are on point🤣 I have replaced all four wheel bearings and my front axle. Currently waiting for right axle. I’m suprise the front control arm rear bushing is not on the list.😊
After my first wheel bearing, I found it was best to order used knuckles with bearing already removed. Put new bearing in and save removing the old bearing from the old knuckle for a day you need to blow off steam by smashing something with a hammer.
I had a 2004 2.5X forester with 221k and still ran great but blew the trans and front diff. Sold it to a mechanic who needed motor for customer car. I miss that car, looking for a 1st gen outback with 2.2l now, they are hard to come by on east coast, as I am in south central PA
first time I watched your channel. I had a 1999 Subaru Legacy bought it with 115,000 KM's on it drove it for 8 years did some exhaust work and brakes, it had a 2.2 L engine. sold it after 8 years and got what I paid for it and this was 2 years ago and I still miss it today new car is good just not the same to drive (2006 Buick lacrosse 75,000 km's now had 63,000kms when I got it) still miss the Subaru
Only tip I can give you re the rear bearings. Many of the "Subaru" ones are made by NTN aka BCA. Held theirs next to the "genuine" and they were identical. Can maybe save $50 a side there 😊
been a fan long time been a Subaru sti owner for even longer, i know a lot of this but always love seeing you upload! been a HD mechinc for years and years and even more years lol , thanks man! good reminder i probly should replace my hubs soon as a pm thing!
My 05 Outback XT has needed some repairs but the only times it couldn't be driven were when the battery died (beyond being able to take a jump start) & when the clutch died.
I had a lot of trouble with an '07 Outback consuming oil. Took a quart every 1200 miles. Dealer wouldn't stand behind it...pathetic really. I finally replaced it with a used 2010 engine from Japan "guaranteed" to have less than 60k on it. No oil consumption problems anymore. Engine was about $2800. DIY project but my brother is a professional mechanic and I would have struggled and possibly failed without his help. We had to tap some holes in th block to accommodate the original oil pan.
My 2024 Outback XT is in the shop today after not wanting to start over the weekend. Dash flashed a few time without turning and eventually started with the check engine and gas gauge at 0. Only has 1,400 miles. I hate all the electronics in these new models. My 2015 2.5 lasted 10 years without a major problem over 140k miles. I hope this is a one shot minor electronic hiccup that won’t happen again. It drives better than the old one, but only time will tell of the reliability.
What was the issue?
@@mikebates4815The notorious dead Subaru battery. They kept it 2 days to test for parasitic drain, but thankfully it was just a crappy battery. I went through 3 batteries in 4 years on my old outback before I decided to buy a good one from auto zone.
@@stonz42ok thanks!
My upnorth 14 Forester just turned 250,000 miles and ive done all the repaors on it thanks to your videos! Front lower control arms, front CV axels and ball joints, radiator, rear end pinion seal, replaced a cracked valve cover. Original engine and trans with regular maintenance. Its always drank oil, but no leaks. I might add #6 as headlights burn out rather quickly for some reason.
Does it have a low engine oil indicator? Not low oil pressure but low level indicator.
@@dreamrelaxation7239 Yes that sensor still works too. It's rare I let it get that low however.
You in Michigan? Need a couple repairs.
I’ve had 5 Outbacks over the past 20 years, and thank God I always got the 6 cylinder engine. Never had a single engine problem running close to 200,000 miles. Rear hub bearings, I replaced a few. Ditto the rear axles.
I just changed a front wheel bearing in my 2006 chevy aveo with 260K+ miles. I have a decent size arbor press. The spindle moved about 1/8 and then stopped despite me hanging on the arm of the press. Tried wailing with a 28oz hammer. No luck. Snap-On air hammer made short work of both inner and outer races. Worth every penny. New $45 Timkin and she runs and drives as she should.
Great Videos! Love the straight forward information that has receipts too! Outstanding sir!
2017 Crosstrek. Right rear wheel bearing at 49,644.
The only Subaru I would own is an old Brat, that is IF I could find one that wasnt rusted to powder.
I drive a 1984 Bronco II, I still see other ones on the road, but I sure as hell dont see any Subarus left from that period.
The Front lower control arms is another thing that fails. I bought a 2016 Forester XT and have replaced the fronts within 3-4 years. I bought the car brand new, only driven on road never offroad.
My daughter just bought a used 2013 Subaru XV (Crosstrek) with 100,000 miles. She had it checked out by a Subaru service dept and they gave it a clean bill of health apart from a wheel alignment. So hopefully there won't be any issues with it.
If the transmission hasn’t been serviced.
Just know it’s $7000 if it fails.
For my part, these are exactly the breakdowns that I have had so far on my 2007 STI at 147,000 km. Currently I am ordering all the material to forge the engine.
Yes, your videos and responsiveness have been a significant help in my Subaru repair life.
Something I just ran into was a valve cover gasket leak on my wrx. Car is only a year old so it was covered under warranty. Sounds like its a pretty common thing from what I was told.
Just a comment on wheel bearing replacement. I live in NC and my 2014 Subaru started rumbling. It turned out both rear wheel bearings were failing (Passenger worse than driver side). I'm a fairly competent DIY guy. The passenger side pretty much came apart with a couple taps. The driver side was a multi-hour marathon. Strangely, once apart it didn't look much different than the 'easy' side. Mild rust. I replaced both bearings, every surface got anti-seize treated, and reassembled fairly easily. So yes, can be a 2 of 5 OR a 9 of 5.
Everyone has said how invaluable you are Sir….
Thank you truly!
Still in my top 5 Mr. Subaru.
Excellent explanation. You certainly are a master of your craft.
Exhaust systems in the rust belt. Great video ! Been working on Subaru's since my 1974 back in high school. I have rebuilt 5 motors from the split case and up. Not an ez project. Rebuild exhaust systems and most of the things you have talked about. I have a head scratcher rt now with a 97 2.5 twin cam that has a dead spot rt off of idle. It idles perfect, no miss fires, but it falls on it's face when you step into it. Seems like a map sensor, like on a 2.2 Impreza, but I don't see a map sensor. It's not a maf sensor. When yo step into it, it stumbles and badly. Thoughts ?
I think you have missed the lower control arm bushings…
Just had mine to at 70k. wheel bearing at 20k and 63 and 64k
My 2012 Outback just died to a head gasket failure at ~180k miles earlier this month. Wound up getting a CPO 2022 Outback to replace it.
Never had a bearing issue, jeep. Toyota, Volvo, Chrysler. Triumph TR4, Fiat Brava 231, many more.
I’ve owned my 2018 WRX for 7 years and I have about 57,000 miles and the only real issue I’ve had is with the throw out bearing. I had to have it replaced somewhere around 25-30k miles and now I need to have it done again. I’m out of warranty now so I’m gonna look for better parts than the oem ones because they do not seem to be of good quality for that particular part. And it’s a pretty pricey job too. Somewhere around 2k is what I’ve been quoted.
Ha, same issue here. but I never replaced mine, I figured i'd wait till I do the clutch
I’ve heard throwout bearings being a problem on Subarus, but mine has been holding well so far with 57k miles. I drive a regular 2020 Impreza btw, not a wrx.
Wife has a 2021 wrx premium (m6 short throw shifter package)bought new in December that year. 50k+miles later 50/50 city/highway (even if she says otherwise I know she hits over triple digits once a week in it). Not one single problem. Clutch pressure plate, throwout bearings still feel like brand new anytime I'm allowed to drive it 😢 # cool chick's drive sticks!
On our 2011 outback I had three of five of these problems. Never lost a timing as I always charged it early. The car went 255,000 km and 11 years before we replaced it with a 2022 Forester limited. Our 2018 Crosstrek has 163,000 km on it. Daily driver. Only big failure has been a known issue…the starter died.
First for me Subaru, the last manual trans Crosstrek (2023). Too many times yanking the fuse cover when trying to pop the hood. Yeah, likely broken plastic tabs and the plastic fuse cover handle sits in the glovebox. Hood more consistent opening now!
Thanks for the tip on replacing all components of the timing belt. I have that coming up in a year or so.
I have a 2023 Outback. I'm experiencing flex noises in the roof. Last winter, they took the head liner out and discovered the roof panel had separated from the frame structure. They glued it back together. It failed again pretty quickly, but then it warmed up and stopped making noise. Now my a-pillar cover pops off when it gets hot... And the seal around the sunroof gets folded under itself somehow. I really like driving the car, it's very nice. But these strange issues have me concerned about the future with this car.
Mr Subaru, where’s the tool content been? I really enjoy it, especially the Subaru specific ones!
Just bought a 2025 Forester Premium. Glad I found you!
What’s your thoughts on Toyota denying warranty on gr86 engines? Best advise to prevent failure? Would love a video
Was at the roadside watching New Zealand Rally way back. Colin McRae was going like the clappers as usual in his Subaru. It stopped at the corner just before where I stood. After a while Colin & Nicky walked past and said the CAM BELT BROKE.
Salt belt car here. Only thing worse than rear wheel bearing replacement on my 15 OB was the ball joints replacement. Ball joint replacement turned into new spindles. There was no amount of reasonable heat or violence to seperate without damaging other components.
202k miles and oil consumption is just starting to become a thing.. 5000 mile oil change intervals and last 3 changes ended up being a little over half a qt low.
had a forester xt randomly setting cam/crank correlation codes on drivers bank. found timing belt tensioner was weak, and it had been rattling against the hardened steel pin and wore it pretty bad. I just removed the pin rotated about 90 degree and drove it back in the case, of course it got the whole deluxe timing set, water pump, thermostat and replaced all crank/cam seals while at it. no more codes, well until the catalytic converters went bad, new aftermarket junk and a few oem o2 sensors and all is well again(for now). the exhaust had rusted through a few spots upfront anyway
If my mechanic had told me to replace my timing belt I would have saved $10,000 Canadian $ to repair my 2003 Outback 2.5 litre! Thanks for all your advice!
I agree with the list. But, I'd argue failures of the secondary air injection system are probably as common as wheel bearings, more expensive to repair, and not regional.
I had an 1982 Gl wagon. It was bulletproof as well as under powered at 63hp lol. 400k km no break downs. Unfortunately I traded it for a first gen XT coupe. It was a cool car but it did break and wow was it costly for parts. I got rid of it. I since owned Several Hondas back in the 90's and early 2000's never had anything break. I now have a used vibe / Matrix lots of miles no breakdowns. No nothing just brakes and oil changes. I always liked Subaru but it does seem to me by all the videos on them , they seem to require alot more intervention. I'm an industrial mechanic so I do kinda want to pick a Forester up and work on it . Haven't made the jump yet though. I subscribed to you to physc myself up again. But they don't seem as bulletproof as the old 70s & 80's
Subaru, put in a really nice early warning system on those CV boots. When they go, you’ll get an awful smell of the grease landing on the exhaust manifold. At least you know it’s time to repair.
I have 2016 Legacy 3.6R with about 77,000 miles. I drive it with care and overall it's a good car (original owner).
1. at around 60,000 miles, power steering rack started making a loud noise especially when it's cold in November - February. Subaru of Shoreline in Seattle, WA. replaced it with Subaru of America paying a portion of the cost since the car is still in pristine condition, total cost was around $3,000.
2. 13 months later, the power steering rack issue reappeared again and since it was a month over the warranty I had to pay for it with the help of SOA.
3. Several month later (about 6 months ago) the same issue came back. Dealership mechanics took it for a test but couldn't replicate. I don't know when this will popup again, hopefully before warranty expires which is in January.
4. several months ago and while driving on the freeway, CVT slipped a couple of times. Transmission kept slipping for about two weeks then all went back to normal. Took the car to the mechanic shop and they were unable to replicate the issue. I know it's there and it's only a matter of time before CVT starts to act up again. CVT fluid was replaced at about 65,000 miles.
5. Battery drains and dies if vehicle is not driven for about 3-4 weeks. It happened three times where the car needs a jumper.
6. Windshield cracked once, replacement cost $1,500.
7. A/C is not as cold as other vehicles such as Toyota or Honda. I live in North Seattle and as you can imagine summer is not that hot but sometimes A/C cannot keep up.
8. Infotainment LCD malfunctioned/froze while driving, happened several times only
9. A popping sound comes from the middle of the dashboard by the A/C control button, it sounds like a rock hit the windshield, it could be heat expands something behind the dashboard because it happens when the car gets hot after driving for a while.
Other than those issues the car has been good to me. Thought to share my experience.
Interesting... In South Africa, we generally pull the axle and just change the CV joint itself.
Number 1 go to for Subaru repair info - cheers
My 2018 subaru forester has transmission valve body issues that required a complete replacement at around 114000 miles. Not bad considering that was the only problem with my car up to that point. The only problem is that it completely turns off all the safety features (abs, cruise control, traction control, and hill assist) when the problem presents itself.
Looking at getting back into Subaru after 30 years- you're scaring the crap out of me! 25 years of 5.9 Cummins diesel has spoiled me.
Ive got a 92 cummins and a 2012 impreza 2.0. Let's not try compare the two. Other than the killer dowel pin the 5.9 will still be going long after I'm dead and buried.
My rear left wheel bearing hub assembly failed after only 2 1/2 yrs / approx. 25k miles
on my (first) Subaru, a 2017 Forester base. Living in the S.E. USA. Luckily it was under warranty.
Another item I had fail on 2 of our Subarus (the same 2017 Forester and a 2020 Crosstrek) were the blower motors behind the glove box. Both failed after only approx. 1 1/2 yrs and barely 12k miles.
Thanks for a great video! My '15 Outback is on its second windshield and the warranty on the CVT got extended to 10 years. The forums have lots of info on those so I know those are not uncommon problems.
10 yr / 100,000 mile warranty. They didn’t cover my cvt valve body on my 14 forester with around 130,000 miles on it. And their windshields are so fragile and thin, never had so many rock chips on other vehicles.
2018 forester XT at about 135k miles. Needs transmission top cover seal replaced according to dealer. So they have to pull the whole transmission. $1800
Good video. You are so right on about the wheel bearings. Did all (4) of mine and each one had to be beaten out!
Found this channel cause my Forester isn't having a CV joint issue.