just heard used Subarus prone to blown engines
13 Answers
migration_judge_roy answered 10 years ago
....well the LOW to the ground "H" design is quicker handling, but as a former mechanic can say in all honesty that these cars are more "scientific instruments" then rugged bruisers......saying that, one must handle them gently...not SLAM them...like most American vehicles COMMAND you to do~ The engines---yes, very fussy~.....but if you're happy with this vehicle, that's what's most important...me own mother had one for a couple of years and made friends with the mechanic...bought a TOYOTA prius and has not seen the mechanic at all in five years~...I'm just saying if you want reliability...buy a TOYOTA~
Where did you hear this? Here in New England, the land of the frugal, Subarus are standard issue, they are all over the place. And you'll see many very, very old ones. That wouldn't be tolerated if they were "prone" to blowing engines. When bad things like that happen, it is usually due to neglect and/or abuse. There is no way a car company like Subaru could grow as it has been if there was any credibility to rumors such as being prone to blowing engines. FYI, the 2.5l is the primary, flagship engine. If those engines were prone to blowing, it would have taken the company down long ago. If somebody has statistics regarding blown engines across the industry for similar cars and engines, I'd like to see it. Take care of your car and it will take care of you.
Tom, what models/engines are actually prone to headgasket issues?
The 1998 DOHC 2.5 Subarus were the most prone to head gasket failure. Failures have occurred semi-frequently, but not as often, in the 1999-2003 SOHC 2.5 Subarus. Beyond that, they have happened, but not nearly as often as they used to be. Currently, the longevity of the head gasket is fairly related to the care the car receives. The turbo motors and 2001-prior 2.2 liter motors do not regularly have head gasket issues.
I have done three head gasket jobs on the EJ251 (Subaru's SOHC 2.5 liter) and like Tom says, they're an easy repair, but labor intensive.
And the EJ251 was last produced in 2005. So to answer the question that is the subject of this thread, is the engine in a late model Forester prone to blowing? I'd have to say that none of what has been presented pertains to a late model Forester 2.5i. If anything, it shows that the "problem", if there ever was one, has been resolved. armandcat, enjoy the Forester.
Thanks, I think I will-AC
As far as I can see there is no definitive evidence that Subaru has fixed their 2.5 l problems. Consumer Reports rates the 2008 Forester engine half black and the 2007 all black. The problem is that even their worst engines were usually good for at least 70,000 to 80,000 miles, so it takes at least 5 years to know if the problem has been fixed.
i just bought a 2015 wrx sti back in may and now in October im sitting on the side of the road with a blown motor...not to sure what to think ive been hearing a lot lately about the Subaru's motors blowing. I talk to a friend of mine and he has a 2013 wrx and has had the motor replaced under warranty twice. i followed all maintenance guidelines and was not abusing my car and a simple cruise home on the freeway killed the motor...
I bought a used Forester, 2012 with 70000 miles on it last year. The engine just blew up, I was going to put a new motor in it but the mechanic said not even worth it as the headers (???) were not repairable so now am putting a used engine in. I am so very disappointed as I thought I would have this car for years. I have done regular maintenance and changed oil every 3000 miles with the required synthetic oil.
My 2017 XT Forester just blew the engine at 38,000 miles. The new engine is warranted for 1 year and I only drive 14,000 miles a year. My 2006 Forester 2.5 blew head gaskets at 90,000. When they told me it would require another gasket job at 180,000 I gave it away. I’ve lost confidence in Subaru longevity. My next vehicle will be a Toyota.
The engine blew on our 2010 Forester at 140k miles and we treated it like it was the nicest thing we had... because, it was the nicest thing we had. I always dreamed of owning a Subaru, now I don't think I'll ever own one again. Love my Toyota, though. https://www.carcomplaints.com/Subaru/Forester/2010/engine/engine_failure.shtml
Our 2001 Forester 2.5L finally needs the heads done at 260K miles. It uses oil also. So we are swapping in the smaller engine, which seems to have fewer problems.
