Are Subaru Foresters prone to leaking oil from Head Gasgets?

Foresters specifically are not prone to head gaskets, the 2.5L engines from about 98-05 or 06 were prone to head gasket issues, the one you have now is newer than the time frame when they were having that big problem. I say have the head gaskets done but when they are replaced make sure the shop replaces them with a multi layer steel (MLS) head gasket, they are reuseable so wont have to be replaced if the heads ever need to come off and you really wouldn't have to worry about them ever again. The only reason manufactures don't us them is instead of being say $200 for a pair of the composite gaskets the company uses they are $3-400 for a pair but again rarely ever need replaced, unfortunately the mind set of any car company is that once it's past the warranty which your car made it past, it's no longer their problem and if you go back to them for repairs it's just more money for them. Find a privately owned shop that you trust and the repair wont cost as much as at a dealer either.

Head gaskets are a maintenance item on all vehicles and they are recomended to be done at the same time as your timing chain or belt. on a subaru that should be every 120K miles reguardless, these gaskets failed early and sometimes that just happens. My 98 Forester has 170K with orrigional headgaskets, my 02 forester has 140k with orrigional head gaskets, my 93 Legacy has 190K with orrigional head gaskets.

What Nick said about head gaskets. My research indicates the 5 Star brand head gaskets are the best. To do the job right the engine really needs to be pulled and the head and block surfaces carefully prepared. I would consider installing new head bolts while you are at it and make sure they are torqued according to the proper procedure. That said your car should have gone a LOT longer than 70,000 miles. My 2002 Forester has 197,000 on the original gaskets and still runs good. There are steps you can take to extend the life of your head gaskets - use a good grade gas and if you car pings use a better grade gas. Maintain your battery connections, radiator coolant and use the Subaru anti-leak in the radiator. Alumaseal also works well.

Hi, It happened to my Subaru Forrester 2010 on my way back from North Carolina to Montreal. Leaking head gasket and side gasket. It cost me a new timing belt set and time....1377$. That's not supposed to happen for quality cars. JP from Montreal.

A big part of the problem with Subaru's is the open block design on the engine. If Subaru would go with a closed block system the head gasket problem would be a thing of the past. I have to disagree with Nick a bit and say that head gaskets while sometimes needing replacement are not a maintenance item replaced on a schedule like timing belts at least not for any car I have ever heard of.

I have a 2009 with a leaking head gasket, I am surprised I did expect expect. My son has a 2014 Impressa with the oil consumption problem 1 quart every 1000 miles. My new car is a 2016 Honda CRV, no more Subaru's.

my 2010 outback was just diagnosed with a HG failure at 93K miles Subaru should stop spending their money advertising how reliable their vehicles are and start actually improving known issues. Bye Bye 4 cylinder subie

Was looking at getting a 05 Subaru outback for cheap but I came across this forum luckily. No way. Anyway, driving a 99 Mazda Protege with the 1.6 and have 351kms and running smooth. Ac stopped working but great car.

I have just found out my 2010 forester is leaking oil as well. What is the result after you contacting the Subaru or the dealership? Please let everybody know. Is there an existing lawsuit on issue?

I had a head gasket leak on my 2010 Forester at only 120k miles. I was furious, the dealer wanted $2000 to repair. I called Subaru Of America and they gave me $500 towards the repair. I am thankful and its better than nothing but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

yup 01 forester same issue and with other leaks. Big mistake to purchase any model with this engine. The money they put into a quality sound system should have been used instead for more reliable engine/////////parts design. But then again they did have a nuclear power plant blow up as well that all humanity will suffer from the radiation. So not just the few of us idiots who chose a subaru.

I have a 2010 Subaru Forester with 140,000 miles and was just told my head gaskets are shot. Subaru will contribute $500 toward the replacement.

I purchased a used 2010 Forester with 20K in 2014 but the dealer was nice enough to supply and extended warranty as part of the sale. Lucky me because at 50K Leaking head gaskets! Repair covered by Subaru and they even supplied a loaner car! I also opted to have Timing belt, tensioner, Water pump and some other minor maintenance items addressed which ended up costing me about $800+ I still plan on keeping this car for my college student son. Really satisfied after all was done. I figured I saved a bunch on labor for the timing belt replacement albeit a bit early.

This is my third (used) Subaru Forester. I felt the first two saved my life, so I was a huge fan. But this may make me switch to Honda or Toyota. At 120K, my 2009 Forester had to have new spark plugs, wires and covers (1200.00) NOW at 122K, problems with coolant and oil issues... Dealer diagnosed bad Head gasket - quoted 2700.00 to repair!!!! Other mechanics say it isn't worth doing on a car this old. I am a single woman caring for my mom with Alzheimers, and need a safe dependable vehicle. How does one apply for the 500.00 from Subaru toward a new one? 500.00 will not help much, but might make the difference in me selling. Also I see many Subarus around this age with windshield cracked in the same place as mine - Which happened while I was in a meeting and car was sitting in the sun. Is this common? All advice appreciated. Marci

My 2010 Forester is my second Forester and 4th Subaru. I also was told I had a leaky head gasket at my 70,000 oil change. Being a woman, I got a pat on the head from the Ramsey/Subaru guys in Des Moines and told it wasn't anything to worry about. They would change it when I needed the big 100,000 mile servicing. I called Subaru Corporate and got the "huh really?" reaction. How stupid do these guys think I am? This is probably my last Subaru unless someone pays to fix it.

such a shame... I emailed corporate and they offered to give me a certificate for 500.00 off a NEW Subaru. Way out of my price range. I'm sad. I loved my first 2 Subarus, so I searched for this one for a long time. now I will switch to Honda or Toyota...It's really hard to find a used Subaru around here anyway. thanks for weighing in on this!

I have a 2009 Forester that has an oil leak. I creplaced the head gasket at 80,000 miles now I am at 149,000 and they are not able to find the leak at Diablo Subsru. This is my second Subaru and I Love them but this is ridiculous! My E-Mail is merrilyt@yahoo.com if anyone has any suggestions.

I took my 2010 Forester, with 72K miles, in for an oil change this week, dealer found leaks in both HG and both front axle seals. I knew the HG were a common issue when I bought it and wasn't surprised, and love my Forester- it really can't be beat in the winter! The dealer, Subaru of Spokane, repaired/replaced gaskets, timing belt, seals- the whole shebang, and charged me a $500 copay, as they were going to squeak the repairs in under some expired warranty (can't be the warranty I bought with the car, as that expired in November 2015). They saved me around $3K, and I didn't even ask if there were options available to help with the cost- they offered it when they called to tell me about the HG!

Just got the bad news from our dealer's service dept. Out 2010 Forrester has leaking HG (3,300 to repair) and leaking transmission coolant hoses (600 to repair). Found this forum and am really bummed. So much for all the things they advertise. Further searching shows 2010 and earlier boxers are most prone. Edmunds says it's worth 4,200 max. So much for great resale value. Followed the maintenance schedule to a T. 6 year extended warranty expired 2 years ago, but just turned 99,000 miles, so under the 100,00 mile warranty. Shame on Subaru for not doing anything for us. Not sure what we're going to do, but won't put 4 grand into a car that's only worth 4 grand.

I am right there with you! They told me 4700.00 to fix it at the dealer. Another Reputable mechanic said he would not do it if he were me - but if I loved the car I could put a whole new (refurbished) engine in for 6300.00!!! Mine has body damage from a deer hitting me and a crack in the windshield. It won't be worth anything. I may as well keep mine in the driveway to ward off burglars while I'm at work. For now, because I have no time to look for a new used car until school is out, I have continued to drive mine 50 miles a day, putting in coolant every 2 days ( It's not leaking on the ground ) watching the oil and so far so good. I am really sad too. Even though it is an old 2009 and had a lot of miles on it - I love it. But not enough to buy another Subaru after all this. If they had met me half way I would have. Question: Since yours is under 100,000 miles why is it not covered?

They got me with the x miles or x years "whichever comes first " Just talked to corporate and 1500 towards the repairs is their offer. 2500 for me on a car worth only 4200 doesn't make sense. Anyone think a class action lawsuit might help?

A class action law suit probably won't ever get off the ground for 8 year old cars.

Sad, since their commercials show Bobby as a kid sitting in the backseat and then Dad giving him the keys as a young adult. I guess Dad must have been able to pay for unusual repairs like this. My Honda CRV before the Forrester got 225000 miles. One timing belt replaced at 100k. Never a repair over 500 besides that. Honda here I come.

Just went through the same thing with my 2010 Forester. HG leaking at 89,000. Dealer charged $2500 but at the suggestion of an independent mechanic, I worked with Subaru of America and they paid $2000. Grateful for that but this is a repair that should never have had to be made at that mileage. First and last Subaru for me.

Subaru only offered me 500.00 off a NEW Subaru... But, At the time I guess I had 125,000 miles on it. And the dealer in the the most expensive county in TN wanted 3700.00. I kept adding coolant every few days for months and then finally the water pump blew. An independent mechanic installed a new water pump (and serpentine belt) and thinks possibly it had a very small slow leak trickling back on to the head gasket and that maybe the HG wasn't leaking after all. So far - so good - but the car always smells like something is wrong. Not unbearable but noticeable. Does yours smell like something is burning?

If the unusual smell is kind of sweet, it might be coolant. That's how mine smells now with a blown head gasket. Do lots of research before buying a Subaru. Don't listen to the Subaru fanboys. I had a '98 Outback. Head gasket failure at 120k miles cost me $2400. I figured in 11 years they'd figure it out, right? Wrong. My 2009 Legacy just blew the head gasket at 107k miles. That's inexcusably poor engineering. A modern engine should not fail at 100k miles. Ridiculous. Too bad because my mother wants me to pick out a new, small SUV for her. I was talking up the Crosstrek until the dealer told me my Legacy gaskets were toast. No thanks. Hello Hyundai Tucson. They'll at least guarantee the engine for 100k miles.

My 2010 Forester has gasket leaking oik at 84K and its a $3000 - $3500 repair. I was planning to keep this car for a long time, but may just trade it in now for that amount of money for something new. So incredibly disappointed because this was a car I thought I would keep forever a a utility vehicle and i have taken pristine care of it. Subaru should have added this to the recalls, in addition to the other two.

Suggestion. Contact Subaru and ask them why their head gaskets are leaking and what they will do to support their customers. You might get an offer for partial payment from them. I did. Also, contact some other dealers for pricing. I made a stink at my dealership about this and got a much better repair price on my 2009 Legacy with 108k miles@ time of failure.

Subaru is being very effective at keeping this issue undercover. Wonder what will happen if Outbacks get hit with something similar. Millennials will probably flock to social media I imagine. We're done with subies. Total cost of ownership is way too high.

Exactly. Can you imagine if the Subaru salesmen mentioned that at around a hundred thousand miles, chances are that you are going to need to cough up a couple or few grand for major engine work? Subaru sales would go the way of the Volkswagon.

Number to call Subaru?

As one who experienced this same issue, and researched it, let me elaborate. First, no car lasts forever. Go back 40 years and you were lucky if your car lasted 100k miles. Second, it's not just the Forester, but nearly all the Subaru's that have had gasket or seal issues, including Outbacks, Imprezas, etc. The HG maybe the most common, but I've heard of valve gasket issues, piston ring seals, more. Almost always these are over 100k in though. They have changed the HG and other seals many times over the years, so it's not like they aren't aware of it. How well your Subaru has been maintained, where you drove, conditions, all play a factor, as they do in any car. Subaru's are known as much for being a great car to drive, extremely efficient AWD, and a 5-star crash rating, as much as reliable from repair. If reliability and low maintenance cost is your singlemost primary concern, look up Consumer Reports analysis on this on all cars. Subaru does well in those, but not the tip top. Finally, you can call them directly at: 1 (800) 782-2783, and they have a customer service website here: https://www.subaru.com/customer-support.html, also, Also, All Wheel Drive Auto in Seattle has excellent, detailed articles on this issue on their website which is well worth reading.

2010 Forester with 80K KM (50K miles) and HG leak on one head plus broken crankshaft rear oil seal. My independent shop suggested to fix both heads instead of just the leaking one for $2.2K CAD ($1.68K USD) plus $760 ($580) for that crankshaft rear oil seal. :(

Why bother buying a vehicle that is known for oil leaks and head gasket failures. There are veicles that seldom have these problems- Honda CRV, Toyota RAV 4 for example have far fewer head gasket failures / oil leak occurances than Subarus.

2006 Forester here, I had head gasket and timing belt repaired at 70k miles. I'm now at 125k and my mechanic just told me that I have another head gasket problem. It cost me $4k to repair in 2011 and the quote for the repair now is $3k. I am in the market for a new car and it won't be a Sube - too bad, because otherwise it was a great car!

It doesn't make sense to say head gaskets are something to be done at 60k then 125k miles, really?? you want me to drop $2000 to do that? at those intervals? You must be out of your minds. Its NOT normal to have to do that. I have had 3 Subaru's,2 have had head gasket failures, the 2004 Forester, my 2010 Forester, and now the 2011 Outback is starting to blow white smoke on startup after sitting for more than 2 days. Yes they are safe, yes they handle great in bad weather, but man Subaru cannot build head gaskets to save their lives.

Short answer, Yes, Subaru's are VERY PRONE to head gasket failures. Ask any mechanic. 2 out of 3 Subaru's I've owned/own have had head gasket failures.

A head gasket job done right should last a long time. If they fail every 60,000 miles something else is wrong.

After 2 out of 3 Foresters with head gasket troubles I too gave up on beloved Subarus until I can afford a much newer one and hoping by now they have addressed the longstanding HG issues. I don't enjoy driving it near as much but I'm counting on a 2010 Toyota Highlander I bought with 78,000 miles on it for the same cost as people were asking for Foresters with 250,000 miles. It is not however an AWD vehicle - nor dies it have a moonroof.... and I miss both.

I have owned at least one Subaru for the last decade. In said time, I have purchased three used Subarus. My first Subaru was purchased in 2009, was a 1996 outback(first year), and I had no issues out of it for 150000 miles. my first issue was timing belt failure. I found a mechanic, who was reasonable, to fix the timing belt and it was mechanically sound for another 100k miles, at which time the timing needed to be replaced again(recommended interval for changing a timing belt on that year model). Two years ago, I gave my outback to a friend who was in need of a reliable vehicle. I just got back from a 1000 mile round trip in the car, of which I would still feel confident to undertake today. That outback now is ever so close to 400000 miles. People that I have met who have owned Subarus have had similar experiences. My second Subaru was a 2004 Forrester that I purchased in 2014, have put 80k on it and no issues. My third was a 2004 outback sedan, with high miles I picked up for a cheap, reliable daily driver (65 miles a day rush hour) for back and forth to work, etc.. I have put 64k on that in the last two years with no issues. I have found that with any pre-2007 that issues with oil consumption happen with degraded oil (ie oil with more than 3500 miles of use), but the consumption is mild and as long as weekly checks happen no concern of catastrophic failure. Nothing is permanent, and any vehicle that you can get out of having for less than a $500(outside of routine maintenance) a year is a great vehicle. I understand that my experiences are anecdotal, but I have also known many other people that have had similar experiences.

I am looking to replace my 2000 Forester. I got mine in 2010 private sale for 3K. had the HG replaced in 2012. seemed reasonable to me. It has 290,000 miles on it I just had brake lines and bearing and breaks replaced--this is only second big expense. I am happy--now slight oil leak and thinking that now as it is 19 years old I want to find the next one.

These posts have been helpful. I bought a used Subaru Forester two years ago with about 45,000 miles on it. It's been running fine, but earlier this year, my trusted mechanic gave me a heads-up about a small leak in the struts and a leak developing in the head gasket. The latter of which is why is searched and found these posts. While the head gasket is off, he suggested hitting the Timing Belt and Water Pump since I needed to do that before 105,000 miles anyway. As others of you have done, I will contact Subaru of America to hopefully get that $500 from them anyway. It's the least they can do.

My 2010 Forester just hit 106,000 miles. I changed the oil last week only to find oil pooling on top of my motor. Took it to the shop yesterday and was told my gaskets were leaking, and since Subaru put them on the sides of the engine the entire engine must be pulled to replace them. I was given an estimate of $2,500 for the replacement. I bought this Forester 2 years ago with 83,000 miles at the time. Still making payments. Trading it in or selling it is not an option. Other than this, I have never had any issues with it, and it has been my favorite vehicle I've ever owned up to this point. Bummed out.

After 3 Foresters - my ALL TIME favorite cars - I had to get a Toyota until I can afford a newer model Forester... because from what our research suggested, Subaru finally addressed the problems on the 2015 and newer models. Some mechanics say any car can have head gasket leaks but I think they forget that part of the problem is that where it would cost just pennies for a new gasket on a different design - having to pull the engine to replace them on a Subaru takes a whole day and an expert mechanic gets a lot of money per hour! The dealer I went to wanted 3500.00. A friend mechanic put something in it to make it stop leaking and it did fine for one year, before it was totaled by a distracted driver. SO Sorry. I know your pain. I LOVED it so much.

I was told last year when I took my daughter's 2009 in for an oil change that I needed a new head gasket and it would cost $1900. I kind of pushed back and said how did they determine it is leaking? The service guy said well these 2009s are known to have issues, so we usually go ahead and suggest that when the car gets over 100,000. I said "Does it have a leak or not?" He said it isn't blown but they see some issues. I just sat there and stared at him with a blank look on my face. He then said It could take years before it blows. I told them to change the oil. I have done some checks my self to see if it is leaking or blown and none of the checks I have done have shown any problems and that was over a year ago. I don't mind having work done if it has to be done but I am not paying $1900 because these cars have known issues. I just paid almost $900 because Subaru uses a stupid timing belt on an interference engine. This was our 4th and last Subaru. I have been driving Toyota Highlanders myself and I put over 150,000 without ever having to do any service other than oil changes. I then trade them in to the dealer (for good money) and get a new one and put 150K on the new one. Much cheaper and way more reliable!!!!!

I have a 2009 Subaru Forester, 125k miles with a head gasket leak. My mechanic said I could drive it for years this way. Thinking about selling as a private sale. Question is how much Is it worth as is. No other major issues. Timing belt was changed at 100k. Brand new tires.

I have a 2010 Forester with 180k miles and original head gasket. I guess I'm lucky.

I have a 2010 Forester and told during my oil change with 87K miles that I’ll need to replace the headgasket for $4500 in Ballard WA or suggested to consider buying something newer. ugh! They’re seeing some leads with coolant/oil. I’m not even clear if I can continue to drive safely for a while, they mentioned “no long trips”, seemed vague so I asked in miles to give me specifics he said 100’s of miles so around town is fine. Went to another local Subaru dealer for another oil change and coolant check so I asked if you see any leaks make sure you let me know. They didn’t see anything obvious during the oil change so now I’m confused -not sure what to do!

I know this is an old thread, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had any success with getting the $500.00 credit from Subaru for the Forester head gasket issue? I called their customer support line and got nowhere. (I have a 2008 Forester 2.5XL with 103,000 miles on it).

I have a 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X with 201,840 miles. Took it to the Subaru dealership for a transmission drain and fill since my go-to shop won't touch it because of the mileage and transmission type. Subaru did it for $98.17 out the door but called me during the repair to report catastrophic news that the head gaskets are spewing oil everywhere and might need to consider a costly repair or a replacement. Quoted $2,600 for labor time (14 hours to pull motor) and parts. I'd notice if it leaked oil since I park in a garage. No performance issues and JUST had my usual shop do a tune up week previously with no issues. Went back to my shop and told them the "catastrophic" news. They weren't surprised. We see head gaskets sweat ALL THE TIME on Subaru. Nothing to worry about or fix. It's normal and life goes on. Now...the TMPS light always coming on is another issue. Each tire sensor was checked and good. Tire pressure adjusted and good. Codes reset and light turned off at the shop. Few miles later, back on! I give up.