Subaru durability

[treillw]

I live in Montana and drive a lot for work in the snow. I'm considering getting a Subaru. I will put 200,000 or 300,000 mi on this vehicle.

I don't know what to believe reading reports of Subaru reliability. Some people say they are unreliable. Others say that that is nonsense.

Any feedback? Would you be comfortable driving a Subaru 200,000 to 300,000 mi as a work vehicle 7 hours away from home?

Thanks!

 

[Billy Goat]

Short answer for me, yes.

There's a few issues with some models, but I think for a vehicle that needs to be able to be driven in adverse conditions, while putting on a lot of miles, I think it's the best bet.

 

[hikenhunt]

I have a 2002 forester with 285k miles and it has been extremely reliable. I bought it at 100k and my plan is to take it to 300k. It is awesome in the snow.

 

[Rick M.]

If you take care of a Subaru, it’ll take care of you.

 

[Antares]

I think they're pretty awesome in general. Some models have had well documented head gasket issues and others seem to eat up wheel bearings faster than they should, but very capable and reliable overall is what I'd say.

 

[Ferrulewax]

Not a huge fan of the CVT- ours is a 2016 model and a solenoid went out, apparently you have to replace the entire valve body cover which ran us a cool 2400 bucks. The dealership wanted north of 3k. This happened at 105,000 miles. If it had been under 100 it would’ve been free. The car functioned fine, but still an annoyance. Otherwise it’s been a great vehicle. It does seem like this issue has been fixed.

 

[DakotaBPNW]

2017 Crosstrek with 115k on it. Nothing but tires and oil so far

 

[wind gypsy]

I bought a 2020 outback as a work car. No measurable knowledge about real reliability concerns but i've read enough about head gaskets and cvt issues that we'll probably replace it with another or similar before it hits 100k. Saw your other thread and think the rav4 would be another good option for you. We chose subaru based on the full time AWD and length of cargo space. It seems i'm in a rental rav4 about monthly for work too and they are a solid vehicle. They seem to get slightly better mileage than the outback.

I'll say this, my F150 feels like a death trap on snowy/icy roads after spending a bunch of time in the outback. They are fantastic in slippery conditions.

 

[Scottyboy]

My wife has a 2017 forester and has done nothing to it other that routine/scheduled maintenance and has had 0 issues. (Bought new, and currently has 89k miles) the plan is to drive it into the ground as it does really well in Minnesota winters and honestly, I like driving it more than my tundra on most winter days…the AWD is pretty dang nice!

 

[Danny Hoey]

New or used? What year?

 

[Wrangler13]

We had a 17 forester. Multipule ac issues, a couple window up down issues, ate brakes. Nothing that would leave you stranded but lots of little stuff. It was great in the snow.

 

[5MilesBack]

My wife has a 2014 Outback with the manual transmission. 90k+ miles and just oil/filter changes, air filter changes, and headlights so far. You have to remove the fender liner to replace the head light bulbs. SMH It's definitely more squirrelly to me on snow and ice than my trucks in 4wd are, but I don't drive it much, and my wife seems to really like it.

 

[Cornhusker]

Consumer reports would be a touch more reliable than a bunch of posters on a hunting site but most of their models are among the most reliable cars made.

 

[np307]

Currently drive a '14 Forester with 135k on it. I did a lot of reading and listening when figuring out what I would be getting into. The current FB series of engines and TR series CVTs have been in use for over a decade now. The early problems with the engines has been oil consumption due to piston ring issues. This has basically been corrected on the current models and they don't seem to be having any similar issues. The problem with the CVT has been the valve body failing. Specifically, a solenoid within the valve body. Unfortunately, Subaru doesn't sell the solenoids individually so the only option if this fails is to replace the entire valve body. The part is $1000, labor is right around $400 around here. Most of these failure have happened in the 80k-120k mile range. The CVT issues are reportedly better on the newer models but there are still some reports of them failing (nowhere near as many though).

If anyone tells you about head gasket issues, you know they don't know what they're talking about. That was a problem on the EJ series engines (specifically the NA 2.5 models) and those engines haven't been in any Subarus for a while now. That change also means that you no longer have to worry about the timing belt change because the FB series is a timing chain engine.

I've been nothing but impressed with my Subaru anywhere I've taken it. I'll be taking it from NC to WY for mule deer next year and will appreciate that 30 mpg on the trip out.

 

[skindroid]

If you take care of a Subaru, it’ll take care of you.

A good way to approach vehicle ownership, regardless of brand. A sample size of one, but another option is a post-2015 Mazda. My wife is an avid hiker/rockhound and thrashes her CX-9 getting to trailheads. Seems unkillable and is a just a little nicer maybe on the inside than most of what Subaru offers - plus no CVT.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Had three outbacks. They were pretty dependable. Wife got a sports car . Everything got replaced by 100,000miles including two spindles.

I just got tired of crawling out and being mistaken for an environut.

 

[Newtosavage]

Love hearing the good reports because the wife and I just bought our first - for her - a 2017 Forester. She already loves it. Where we're going, she wanted the all wheel drive and I wanted her to have it.

 

[Newtosavage]

Currently drive a '14 Forester with 135k on it. I did a lot of reading and listening when figuring out what I would be getting into. The current FB series of engines and TR series CVTs have been in use for over a decade now. The early problems with the engines has been oil consumption due to piston ring issues. This has basically been corrected on the current models and they don't seem to be having any similar issues. The problem with the CVT has been the valve body failing. Specifically, a solenoid within the valve body. Unfortunately, Subaru doesn't sell the solenoids individually so the only option if this fails is to replace the entire valve body. The part is $1000, labor is right around $400 around here. Most of these failure have happened in the 80k-120k mile range. The CVT issues are reportedly better on the newer models but there are still some reports of them failing (nowhere near as many though).

If anyone tells you about head gasket issues, you know they don't know what they're talking about. That was a problem on the EJ series engines (specifically the NA 2.5 models) and those engines haven't been in any Subarus for a while now. That change also means that you no longer have to worry about the timing belt change because the FB series is a timing chain engine.

I've been nothing but impressed with my Subaru anywhere I've taken it. I'll be taking it from NC to WY for mule deer next year and will appreciate that 30 mpg on the trip out.

Our dealer had to fix the lower control arm problem on this '17 before I'd take it off the lot. It's apparently a routine problem on these Foresters. Not a huge issue but at 62k it makes one wonder why a LCA would go out already when my Silverado has been driven all over heck and back with 225k and has zero front end/suspension issues.

 

[Bono]

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that,:
So yes I will

 

[np307]

Our dealer had to fix the lower control arm problem on this '17 before I'd take it off the lot. It's apparently a routine problem on these Foresters. Not a huge issue but at 62k it makes one wonder why a LCA would go out already when my Silverado has been driven all over heck and back with 225k and has zero front end/suspension issues.

You talking about the bushings wearing out? 62k is a little earlier than I've seen on those but yeah they switched the design from earlier generations and they don't last as long.