Are Subarus Reliable? / Detailed Brand Review

Today I will go over the common issues found in Subaru models from the last 20 years along with if/how they were fixed. I'm going to discuss problems found with the Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, Impreza, Ascent, BR-Z, Legacy and WRX. I will also touch on what makes Subaru stand apart from Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and more!

Thank you, Royal on the Eastside service department for answering my questions!

@900BRZ video on oil starvation

@kellyclarkautomotive3747 Head gasket leak visual

Source on Boxer engines and vulnerability to head gasket leaks.

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00:00 Background info
00:50 Head gasket leaks
02:18 Oil consumption
03:45 Transmission issues
05:16 Wheel bearings
05:39 Teething issues
06:07 Oil starvation / RTV problem
07:44 Timing belt (old)
08:05 Common current issues
09:13 Boxer limitations
09:33 Subaru Brand thoughts

[MrSubaru]

Every engines cooling system is fully filled with coolant. No air. The boxer engine’s head gaskets, as well as every other water cooled engine’s head gaskets, are in constant contact with coolant! 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

Every single Subaru doesn’t have a boxer engine.

[Blimpie]

I love my 2015 Forester. At one point had two at same time. BOTH had catastrophic air conditioning failure. One was within a warranty. The other was just outside of warranty (a week after I got rid of car, I got a call from dealer service department telling me they reconsidered and would fix for free- great help!)

[tauzu]

2018 Crosstrek Limited here with ~90k miles. I get each service on time and it's been pretty good so far! Been on beaches, snow, ice, mud and the Texas heat. If it lasts til 200k I'll be a lifetime Subaru fan!

[williamegler]

My neighbors were serial Subaru buyers for decades.
They purchased their first one when they graduated from college and drove them almost exclusively until recently.
They even gave their children new models as graduation gifts.
Starting in the early 2000's they began to have serious issues and the final straw was the numerous issues, from minor issues to catastrophic failures, with a new Ascent.
They now have a Lexus SUV and a Toyota minivan.

[SF.Automotive]

I had a tuned 2011 Subaru STI with 266, 000km (around 160k miles), on the orignal engine, headgaskets and turbo. I sold it last week and never had a single issue with the car, all I did was change my oil every 5, 000km with 5w-40. Amazing cars.

[lmstefanini]

I discovered your channel recently and I really appreciate your reviews. Balanced, transparent and have the reliability subject, something rare to see in other channels. Thank you

[parsley]

I’ve put hundreds of thousands of miles on my Subarus and they’ve always proven to be reliable. As you’ve stated, the prior years have had their issues with head gaskets and such. My 2016 Outback needed nothing other than regular services and a rear wheel bearing. My 2022 Touring is now at roughly 45k and has been a dream. Just standard maintenance, most of which I do myself as these are not very difficult cars to work on.

[hlk]

So far so good on my '19 Crosstrek. It's maintained by the book, I'm getting the cvt serviced at 35K miles. Not a single issue but then again it's still pretty new. Fantastic resale value on these too. A great show, I really enjoy this channel.

[Darthvolvo]

My 2003 Subaru Forester is indeed similar to an Anime character who has died 3 times in battle..lol. I just installed the third engine into it. So far, this one seems to be running well. As with all of the earlier EJ engines, if you do the MLS head gasket upgrade, then the issue is solved. Great review as always.

[danhowell]

2009 Forrester. Air conditioning failure twice. Leaking head gaskets. My exhaust system completely rusted out including pipes from catalytic convertor. Fixing exhaust was $1400. If I need to rebuild engine it's $4k.

[coryhamelehle]

Great video. Just an added comment about headgasket issues. People tend to think it is a Subaru problem when in reality many different cars had headgasket issues back in 2000-2010. One of the most notable cars is the 2nd generation MX-5. People love to dote on the MX-5 all the while ignoring that is also faced very similar headgasket issues. And this is true for a lot of cars made at the time, it wasn't just Subarus...

[heidimariebee]

There IS an oil consumption problem with later Subarus, but corporate classifies it as "normal" (ie, no law suits YET). They will order an oil consumption test performed by the dealer which is short-term and designed to mask the oil consumption issue overall. My 2019 Outback started burning oil around 50k miles.

[kathleenspring]

My 2017 Outback at 93000 has the head-casket issue! So this is problematic. I am still under warranty but it is hell getting it in to get fixed.

[davidjohn]

Thanks for the rundown, well compiled and presented. Got my used, 2019 Forester in 2022 … after having had a 2014 Xtrail ( a little beauty), went to the 2019 Xtrail, took it for a 6000 k road trip, and got rid of it straight after, went to a Ford Everest, loved it, didn’t get to use it to its full capabilities, then the diesel prices went through the $2 per litre + plus the Adblue "shortage". And said nope, not economically justifiable, then the Forester … took it for a run through 3 states, 7000 k round trip, and loved it. Efficient, comfortable(fitted as a sleep-in "carmper"… and average of 7.4 litres per 100 k.mixed driving … last book service, wiper and cabin filter replacement extras, all good …. What can I say, just absolutely enjoy getting in and going for a drive, dirt roads often, just because I can … 👍🏼

[edwardzdankiewicz]

This is good timing. I am trying to psyche myself up to buy an outback (2024) this weekend. The battery kill issue is the one that has me hesitating the most. There was a class action covering up through 2020 but there are still people reporting problems in outbacks and foresters thru the 2023 models..

[josmo]

Great video, with my 2013 crosstrek. I have had bad rust problems. Exhaust and from and back suspension completely falling apart. I also live in ga with no salty roads..

[Thatsotaguy]

Absolutely the best review channel. No fluff and you mention reliability and common problems

[mbeacom]

Another good subie video thanks! Only thing I would add is that the head gasket failures in the early 2000s were confined to the 2.5 liter non-turbo engines. The 2.0, 2.2, 2.4s and turbos etc haven't had the issue. Also with the oil consumption, I think it was confined to certain engines but I forget which. That would be helpful peole buying used cars, for example to know that a WRX didn't have the head gasket issues.

[theunown]

Appreciate the work you do and really like how honest you are. I watched a video by Scotty Kilmer yesterday where he mentioned that newer Subaru engines use silicone sealer instead of actual gaskets in the engines. He says that they eventually become brittle and cause oil leakage. Is this true? How much of an issue can this really be and are you aware of how to avoid this.

[bwebbs]

The power lift gates are a known problem as well. We just had to have the motor in ours replaced. We also had to have our full infotainment center replaced. The engine and the car is great but definitely get the extended warranty.