Subaru Maintenance Costs Are the Highest Among Mainstream Car Brands, But Here’s What Consumer Reports Doesn’t Tell You

I find this report to be grossly ina curate. My 2015 outback went 165000 mile with the only maintenence for was oil changes every 6000 miles and tires. It ran and drove like a dream and didn't use oil. I was hit head on at 65mph and walked away from the accident with only a broken toe. Because of this I bought another outback (2017) with 22000 miles on it. I have 67000 on it now with no maintenence other that oil changes every 6000 miles.

Have a 2017 Legacy top of the line. At 40k the left front strut went out. Dealer wanted $500 I fought Subarus of America, and they ended up paying for it. At 55K the Satellite radio stopped working. No fix for it. At 70k another strut went out. I had to pay. At 85K the CVT transmission went bad. Subaru paid for it. at 100K the A/C compressor went out. Had to replace the compressor. Since then, nothing has gone wrong car has 137k miles. There is a place called Subiworks that only works on Subaru's and his pricing is very reasonable compared to the dealer and he knows his stuff. Would I buy another Subaru? No, why? Because of the crappy CVT Transmissons. Right now the car works great. Drives really well, and rides well and is comfortable.

I've had my 2017 Forester, bought new, for over 7 years now, and have 47+K miles on it and it has never been in the shop. I change the oil, filters (oil, engine and cabin) myself, and changed the front and rear differntials my self, and the the CVT fluid myself. The engine does not have to be running to change the CVT fluid, and the spark plugs can be changed without disturbing the engine. I will change the brake pads my self and the spark plugs (at 60K) myself. Like I said, the comments on this site about Subaru maintenance are utter bs.,

I'm not sure that the author is correct on most of these points. CVT fluid is expensive but it should only need to meet the standard set out by Subaru, not be supplied or branded by them. Spark plug replacement is a tight but pretty straightforward job, not uncommon in vehicles over the last couple of decades. The CVT needs to be warm to ensure the correct fluid level, that being said it can be done with floor jacks and jack stands or even on the ground if one is not too girthy.

Wow what an eye opener. The difficulty ofThe spark plug and the cvt fluid change services are ridiculous . If I knew I was getting married to the dealers service department I definitely would not have bought a Subaru . Thanks for your report. As if the direct injection carbon build up wasn't enough of a concern, now I have to overpay for service by thousands of dollars. What a world we live in where this isn't revealed until after you buy (invest in)a brand new car. I predict Subaru is going to go out of business because of this RIP OFF. These are far from luxury cars. We'll be unloading our 2 new cars before they need this kind of ridiculous maintenance and take it on the chin because of Subaru's deception. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention

I was an ardent Subaru fan. Still own two, and one needs big repairs. Extremely expensive and repeated failing after 100k miles.

I'm disappointed. I'm ready to switch my brand loyalty to Mazda, Toyota and Tesla.

I've been driving Subaru's for 9 Years now and have spent NOTHING but 60$ Year for oil changes..........Trade every 3 Years always getting 2000$ over book for trading in a flawless car...................Paul

This statement is true; on most Subaru models, changing spark plugs can be done without disconnecting or lifting the engine, as the spark plug access is readily available from the top of the engine bay without significant disassembly.
Key points to remember:
Accessibility:
Most Subaru models have a design that allows easy access to the spark plugs from the top of the engine bay.
No need to lift:
Unlike some car models where lifting the engine is required to reach the spark plugs, this is typically not necessary on Subarus.
Check your specific model:
While most Subarus allow for easy spark plug access, always consult your vehicle's service manual to confirm the exact procedure for your specific model.

Yep, they're absolutely horrifying, as the 64,000 mile marker usually sees broken axles, shredded differentials, and thrown rods. The warranty runs out at 60,000mi and totals the car. They are utter family killers, and they run on a platform of "love". We see it again, and again with these low class auto makers. They make a car look right, and then skimp on internals and do it so badly no one knows where to start complaining. I've never seen a door as thin as a modern Subaru, and even the 2010 outback will "break a drivetrain" and require engine, transmission, differentials, axles, AND hubs and it's always a $10,000.00 affair out of warranty. Here is an idea: don't use clutch pack differentials and weak metal. That way you don't ruin people. Oh, and your turbos explode into the engine..it's called a "conceptual flaw"

In late 2021 bought a used 2019 Outback with 49k miles at the local dealer when finding a new car was rare due to the post-pandemic conditions. Drove it 45k before buying a new 2025 Outback this past July. Had all the recommended 6k mile oil & filter changes & tire rotations done at the dealer. The only big issue I ever had was when one of the Subaru oil filters had leaked at the fitting into the surrounding filter catch basin by the time I drove it home. Immediately drove it back to the dealer to complain about someone not properly installing the filter. It was then that the service manager told me Subaru was having the recurring problem from their filter supplier and that they were changing suppliers. (However, having known that, the service department still wasn’t checking closely for oil filters leaking before returning cars to the customer.) After this one incident I never had another Subby filter leak. (In my 40+ years of previously changing all my vehicles’ oil and filter myself, I NEVER had any Autolite or Fram filter develop such a leak!!)

Bought 2009 Forester new. Now has 203K miles.
Total costs of repairs, maintenance (oil changes, several sets of tires, etc..) 19141.84
Yikes. Includes expensive head gaskets, hub, wheel bearing, catalytic converter, bush arm stabilizer, and a few other odds and ends. I've done the oil and filter changes.

For my 2019 Forester (owned since 2021 at 12K) now with 55K, about $1K total which includes a set of tires, battery and scheduled oil and filters. Much better, so far...