All generations and engines together · 1,726 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 103k
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 1,514 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The naturally aspirated 2.5-litre EJ25, fitted from the late 1990s through the mid-2000s, has a long-standing reputation for weeping head gaskets, especially the single-cam version. Owners report oil seepage or coolant loss from around 60,000-120,000 miles, sometimes with a lumpy idle or a sweet smell from the coolant. A proper repair means pulling both heads, typically £700-1,200 at an independent garage. Subaru has never run a UK recall for it and treats it as normal wear, so it stays folklore rather than an acknowledged fault.
On the early twin-turbo Legacy (pre-1999, short-skirt piston EJ20), owners have long reported premature big end bearing wear, showing up as a rumble or knock from the bottom end and sometimes ending in a broken crank. Honest John notes Subaru's position is that it comes down to poor maintenance and infrequent oil changes rather than a design fault, so it never became a TSB or recall item. It tends to surface from around 60,000 miles on a neglected car.
Salt-belt corrosion attacks the rear subframe, control arm bushes and alignment bolts. Owners describe a clunk or looseness from the back end over bumps, and in bad cases the bolts seize solid and shear on removal. It mostly shows up on cars ten years or older that have wintered on gritted UK roads. This lines up with the measured MOT data, where suspension is the standout fault category for the Legacy; the corrosion is the mechanism forums point to behind that number. A US recall (Subaru of America, covering 2005-2014 Legacy/Outback in salt-belt states) targeted exactly this corrosion, though it was never run as a UK recall.
The Lineartronic CVT fitted from 2009 has a reputation for hesitation, flare or a shudder on pull-away if the fluid hasn't been changed on schedule. Belt and hydraulic pump wear tends to show from around 80,000-120,000 miles, with a second wave of complaints nearer 150,000. A fluid service runs roughly £250-350, while a full CVT rebuild or replacement is £900-2,000. Manual and older 4-speed automatic Legacys aren't affected.
On 2004-2009 Legacy/Outback, a brake pipe union sits under a plastic cover where road grime and salt collect, and it can corrode until it leaks brake fluid, cutting braking efficiency. Subaru ran a UK safety recall to inspect and, where necessary, replace or treat the affected pipes. Even on cars where the recall was done, the same spot is worth checking again years later since the rust trap built into the design hasn't changed.
The EE20 boxer diesel fitted to Legacy/Outback from around 2008 has had reports of individual injector faults, causing rough or uneven idle, misfires, or the engine cutting out once warm. It is intolerant of poor servicing, and skipped oil changes or the wrong oil spec can also bring on DPF regeneration problems. Injector replacement is an expensive job on a boxer layout, often £500-1,000 per injector once diagnosis and labour are added. Doesn't affect petrol Legacys.
Built from the two sections above.
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