“If it’s still leaking, it’s not empty.”
I’ll never forget the words of my mechanic when my very first Subaru, a trusty 2010 Subaru Forester, began dribbling coolant all over my driveway. I, a used car expert, should have known better. I even bought the extended warranty, in case the head gaskets needed replacing. They started leaking less than an oil change after that warranty expired. I should have saved my money: the head gasket replacement cost about as much as the $1,100 Canadian dollar extended warranty package that I had otherwise wasted at the time.
Subaru head gaskets in this era had a reputation for being made of tissue paper (not really), but I fell for the trope anyway, rolling the dice and assuming it wouldn’t happen to me. My beloved base-model manual Forester had about 60,000 miles on it when the dribbling commenced.
“Is it really that common?” I asked my mechanic, dismayed. He put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye, and said “Justin, there comes a time in every Subaru’s life….” and I don’t remember the rest.
That was a bit of an exaggeration, but for a time, Subaru was having a lot of trouble keeping their 2.5-liter engines sealed properly. The ordeal affected models from the WRX STI to the Forester to the Outback XT and became so widely memed within the enthusiast space that Subaru became known for a time as a manufacturer of engines that might leak, smoke, overheat, or turn themselves into coleslaw at a moment’s notice. Some owners called head gaskets a maintenance item, and others said that ringlands were a suggestion, not a feature.
Will The Used Subaru You’re Considering Have Engine Trouble?
That depends. Over time, owners, technicians and tuners learned about the engine issues and how to fix them. Today, it’s widely held that certain design elements, components, electronic controls, and structural weaknesses in the day’s famous EJ engine series were to blame for frequent, sometimes repeated, failures experienced by owners.
The reputation for Subaru engines to eat head gaskets and ringlands was pervasive enough that second-hand Subaru shoppers today still wonder how cautious they should be. If you’re one of them, your knowledge might be outdated, which could keep you out of a perfectly good vehicle, or conversely, land you in one with a higher risk level than you’re comfortable with. Let’s get you up to speed about what you need to know about head gasket and ringland failure, and how to protect yourself when buying a used Subaru in 2026.
Please note that while every attempt has been made to give accurate information, it is impossible to predict which engines will fail (and which will last) with absolute certainty. This article makes use of historical data to draw conclusions but there will always be exceptions to a rule. We suggest having a vehicle checked by professionals before you purchase.
The Pressure Cooker: The Anatomy Of A Blown Gasket
A head gasket is a thin piece of material used to seal the space between an engine’s cylinder block and cylinder head. It’s the engine’s equivalent of the rubber seal on your pressure cooker: a slim barrier that keeps extreme heat, pressure, liquids, and gases contained and separated so things can function properly without blowing apart. If the gasket on your pressure cooker gets damaged, you can probably replace it for a few bucks.
Stakes are higher with an engine’s head gasket, which is exposed to tremendous amounts of heat and pressure at all times while the engine is running. The head gasket seals passageways where coolant, oil, combustion gases, and thousands of PSI of cylinder pressure all flow in close proximity to one another, but must never be allowed to mix.
Head gaskets have a very difficult life. Their job is demanding, but automakers have had this gasket mastered for decades. Factory engines generally run with their original head gasket for life. There aren’t a lot of modern engines known for head gasket failure.
When shopping for a used Subaru, context is important. Various online owner communities have documented and timelined head gasket issues carefully. Their primary advice for used shoppers is to avoid lumping all Subaru engines together. In 2026, Subaru’s famous head-gasket issues are historical, and affect naturally aspirated (non-turbo) 2.5-liter Boxer engines from about 1996 to around 2010, depending on the model you’re considering. Over nearly 30 years, this EJ25 engine was installed in just about every Subaru, built as the base, default engine for most of the brand’s lineup.
This Was A Base Model Problem
The first issues appeared around 1996 and were tackled around 1999 with a revised, stronger head gasket and redesigned engine block as a fix. It didn’t work very well, and head gasket troubles continued for years. Early engines could suffer internal gasket failure, causing internal leaks that could result in sudden, dramatic overheating and engine damage. Coolant could mix with engine oil, wiping out sensitive engine internals that were no longer being properly lubricated.
The revised engine and gasket design that ran from 1999 to 2011 sorted out many of the serios problems, but made less serious external leaks (like on my Forester) more likely. Now, engine coolant would dribble out of the engine, often puddling on the ground below, or burning off on the exhaust.
What Happens When A Head Gasket Fails
When a head gasket fails, drivers may experience all, some, or none of the following: external coolant leaks, external oil leaks, unwelcome smoke from the exhaust, poor performance, mixing of oil and engine coolant, overheating, or even immediate destruction of the engine. Various factors are at play, including where the gasket physically fails. All Subaru engines have two head gaskets, one per cylinder bank.
Note that turbocharged 2.5-liter Subaru engines of the era were largely exempt from head gasket failure, since these higher-performing engines used a stronger head gasket from the factory. That stronger head gasket happens to fit the non-turbo 2.5-liter engine as well, making it a popular pre-emptive fix for some owners looking to solve non-turbo head gasket leaks before they happen. Still, some turbo models had a major pain point of their own.
Read the full article on CarBuzz
This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
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