Subaru News (BLOG)

Welcome to Subaru News, Suburb Service’s monthly blog! Subaru News is meant to educate, entertain, and engage you in monthly musings on such topics as auto mechanics, Subarus, travel, auto repair, and driving and living in the Lake Forest Park and Shoreline area. Our blogs are released on the first day of each month!

Why Are Subarus Known For Head Gaskets?

Photo by Jakob Rosen on Unsplash

 

Welcome to the new blog! We’re going to talk about the elephant in the back seat: Subaru’s issues with head gaskets. 

 

While most Subaru fans LOVE their cars, one of the most frustrating elements of owning a Subaru has been the company’s lack of accountability for faulty head gaskets. Unreliable material in manufacturing has made the head gaskets a regular issue. These are three symptoms to watch for that may indicate head gasket damage:

 

  • Coolant overflow

  • Coolant or oil leaks beneath your vehicle

  • Overheating engine on highway or mountainous roads

 

Many models were affected over a decade… here’s the Subie models that might need help, from ScannerAnswers:

 

“Head gasket problems affect Subaru’s EJ25 engines. This 2.5-liter powerplant has several configurations and received many updates during its production run. They initially had faulty composite style gaskets. The manufacturer attempted to correct the issue in 1999 with an updated multilayered metal shim gasket.”

 

Affected models include:

Forester from 1999 through 2010

Impreza from 1999 through 2011

Outback from 2000 through 2009

Legacy from 2000 through 2009

Baja from 2003 through 2005”

 

That’s the bad news. And it’s basically terrible. We hope, if your car is on this list, you don’t lose your love of Subarus. Every car has its weak spot, and this is something Subaru has since taken care of in later models.

 

The good news is that Subarus are built in a way that makes head gasket replacement less of a problem than other engines. The boxer-style build of a Subaru lets us use a crane to remove your engine from the chassis, giving us better access to it. We can replace the head gasket and return your vehicle to good working order. What would kill other cars, Suburb Service can correct and replace this with our head gasket service


So don’t fear the fall of your head gasket. If you need service for your Subaru for any nagging issue, please schedule your appointment and let us ease your mind and ours. We’re located at 15017 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155. We’re open Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 4 PM. All We Do Is Subaru!