2007 Subaru Outback Subaru Outback 2007

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2007 Subaru Outback repairs by problem area

Engine (38%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (16%)

Brakes and Traction Control (7%)

Suspension and Steering (25%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (10%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (2%)

Other (3%)

Chart based on 276 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2007 Subaru Outback.

2007 Subaru Outback engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (11%)

$1000 - $2499 (15%)

$500 - $999 (17%)

$100 - $499 (29%)

< $100 (28%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 95 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2007 Subaru Outback

Engine not specified

43000 mi

US $2000
Head gasket failure. Ridiculous. Not buying one of these again! 

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2007 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon

turbocharged 243hp 2.5L H4 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD

81000 mi

US $450
The radiator needs to be replaced 
49900 mi

US $660
Turbo wastegate hose blocked, causing serious lack of power and surging. Ten hours required for diagnosis and repair. 
39000 mi Rough idle and occasional Check Engine Light during periods of below-freezing temperatures. Dealer diagnosed issue as a leaking intake gasket. Ordered part. 
39000 mi Parts ordered during previous trip were installed. 
110000 mi Adjusted new belts to relieve squealing sound on vehicle start; also state inspection, oil change, and air filter replacement 

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2007 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon

turbocharged 243hp 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

71700 mi

US $80
Engine would very occasionally not start when hot. After cooling down, no issue. Shop replaced a relay but admit it was not a definitive root cause 
82300 mi

US $325
Oil Cooler O-ring leaking : had it replaced.rnHad oil pan re-sealed. Car was losing oil. 
134000 mi

US $435
Radiator hose sprung a leak, detected due to steam coming from under the hood. Hose was replaced and fluids topped off gasket failed on air intake manifold to turbocharger. Resulted in loud roaring noise when turbo boost kicked in. Took dealership quite a bit of trouble-shooting to narrow down the failure. On replacing the gasket, the pipe connecting turbo air intake to main air filter intake cracked and had to be replaced too. No issues with turbo itself 
138000 mi Shop made a mistake on previous repair to turbo : they forgot to attach a clamp connecting the high pressure turbo hose to the throttle body. Resulted in a whining sound on turbo boost and some loss of power. Simple fix to get a new hose and clamp and reattach 
143000 mi

US $667
Radiator top tank had crack, entire radiator replaced 
172000 mi

US $3500
Timing belt replaced - preventative maintenance while engine was out. Head gaskets replaced - preventative maintenance while engine was out. Engine reseal project : all pipes, hoses, o-rings and gaskets throughout entire engine replaced to address oil leaks. New oil pan fitted 
180000 mi

US $6500
Rod bearing failure in engine. Replaced Short block with brand new short block from factory. Heads and valves machined. New oil pump ( quad cam STI style ). 
69000 mi

US $1700
Clutch replacement. Brought in due to stiffening clutch. Lining wore out. They recommended changing out the entire thing (flywheel, pressure plate, etc.) and I did it. 

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2007 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon

245-horsepower 3.0L H6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD

109000 mi

US $250
Belt pulley tensioner broke, leading to loss of power steering and alternator charging. Car was towed to dealer, where one pulley was found broken and another "squeaky." Both tensioners replaced. 
108500 mi

C $50
Idler pulley failure. Lost all the ball bearings and was just dangling there. No power steering or brakes. Dealer closed, so I performed the repair myself.  
133300 mi

C $750
Exhaust system replaced 
66000 mi Fan belt, pulley, etc. 
96100 mi

C $171
Check engine light was on but source was inconclusive so it was reset by the mechanic. 
107260 mi

C $800
One muffler (H6 has 2) and the Y pipe in the rear. 
107660 mi

C $800
Y at the end of pipe had to be replaced 
109740 mi

C $250
Serpertine belt and two pulleys had to be replaced. Regular maintenance for a car of that age. 
117800 mi

C $340
A radiator hose punctured because of poor design. Overtime, direction part rubbed on hose causing a puncture. 

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2007 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon

175-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

62000 mi Heat shield on exhaust was falling off 
82000 mi

US $580
Oil leak. Oil pressure sensor leak 
91000 mi Cylinder heads needed replaced, timing belt, idler pulleys 
86800 mi

US $2729
head gasket, and things associated with its removal. water pump, thermostat, hoses, oil, plugs. 
154000 mi another set of failed head gaskets. 3 years and 25k miles should not require another repair. 
113000 mi

US $135
Check engine light came on - code read that is was either the #1 spark plug, wire or ignition coil pack. Turns out the spark plug wire was arching to the ignition coil pack (I found that out after replacing the coil pack thinking it was the oldest part of my car.) Car working after that for a week now check engine light back on again. 
58000 mi

US $385
I brought the car in to have the inner axle boots replaced (nears the trans.) and it was discovered that the head gaskets were leaking oil externally. Head gaskets and timing belt changed under warranty while the axle boots were replaced. 
80000 mi

US $3200
Head gaskets replaced, 100000 mile maintenance performed 
49380 mi

A $1100
cylinder head gasket replaced 
53320 mi

A $155
The radiator upper hose was cut by the fan, not fan belt. Not much separation between the hose and fan, and with time, the hose moved to contact the fan. 
55380 mi

A $1100
gasket cylinder head replaced 
73160 mi

A $400
replaced radiator hose 
76260 mi

A $500
top radiator tank pipe split, top radiator replaced timing belt tensioner leaking oil - replaced 
83700 mi

A $1000
Replacement of clutch. Had been slipping for a while. 
38000 mi Thermostat stuck, probably due to sitting out in sub-zero temps. Needle on temp gauge started rising on trip from Salt Lake to Boise. Shut car down, called Roadside Assistance. Car towed back to dealer in SLC on Sunday, part replaced on Monday. 
64200 mi

US $150
Radiator cap failed during long trip, car started to overheat and was shut down. Towed to nearest dealer and replaced under warranty. 
45000 mi Cooling system became overpressurized during a long trip. Third time this happened, previous times the dealer said it was a faulty radiator cap. This time, a block test was done, and both head gaskets had to be replaced. 

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2007 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon

175-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed shiftable automatic AWD

175000 mi

US $900
I got CEL for engine solenoid. Subie botched repair. Started to leak oil at solenoid. They tightened it twice then said it was a distorted head at the lip. Needed head replacement, $1500. Subaru paid $300. That would be the 5 Th head gasket replacement. 
120000 mi

US $600
One cylinder misfired error,  
144000 mi

US $3434
CEL for engine camshaft seal leak. Replaced gasket, belt cover, radiator cap, valve cover gaskets. Rodent damage to wiring repaired. 
164300 mi

C $4000
Engine seized while driving on highway. Very common problem. Dealer sees this all the time. Subaru has a new/warranty short block fix for $1,500 (part #10103AB820) Still need gasket set and labor. ALL NEWER SUBARUs BURN OIL 
132000 mi

US $900
Head gaskets replaced 
90700 mi

US $170
Plastic header tank on radiator developed leak at seam. Replaced radiator. 
129200 mi Slow leak between lower radiator hose and thermostat housing. Removed hose and discovered aluminum housing had corroded. Polished off corrosion and re-attached hose. 
135000 mi

US $1600
Blown head gasket. Also replaced water pump, timing belt, idlers, and spark plug wires as part of 'routine' maintenance. 
90000 mi

US $112
Check-engine light on, cruise light flashing, no cruise control. Fault code P0037. Tested O2 sensor and found it faulty. Did not repair - need part. 
101827 mi

US $1527
Timing belt and associated parts 
120000 mi Check engine light is on. Evap code is set. Fuel tank is visibly leaking. Cruise control does not work when CEL is lit. Cost to replace tank is estimated at $715 at the outside. 
128000 mi

US $250
Rodents built nest on top of fuel tank, which eventually caused the tank to rust through. Replaced fuel tank and gas cap. Fuel pressure vent solenoid in fuel tank was faulty, setting check engine light. Replaced with new solenoid. Updated June of 2018: We've had no problems with stalling or refusing to start since the solenoids were replaced. Despite all of the problems we've encountered with this car, the vehicle performs spectacularly in snow and mud. So much so that we would purchase another. Bad catalytic converter. Replaced two front CATs. 
128000 mi

US $150
Check engine light is still coming on, although we have discovered that keeping the fuel tank more than 3/4 full will prevent the OBD II test from being run and the light will not come on. Code found for Fuel Pressure Relief Solenoid on engine manifold. Car will not start and idle after fill ups and stalls in intersections when the weather is over 70 degrees. Technician at the local shop says new3 solenoid will probably fix it. 
129300 mi

US $59
We had the Pressure Relief Solenoid replaced yesterday. Bought the part for $59 on eBay and my mechanic felt sorry for me and installed it for free. We think we might have the stalling issue solved but we won't know until next summer, as it only happened with the outside temperature in the 80s and 90s. 
100000 mi

US $300
center section exhaust pipe. 
107500 mi

US $750
All drive belts,water pump, related parts. 
119000 mi

US $100
Exhaust Mid Pipe 
128960 mi

C $258
Broken oil pressure sensor caused catastrophic oil leak. Replaced both left and right side sensors. Check engine light would come on intermittently at cooler temp or wet conditions, apparently a symptom of failing sensor. 
132060 mi

C $370
Leaking valve cover gaskets caused spark plug misfire- valve cover, rocker cover and spark plug gaskets replaced. 
145700 mi

C $170
cracked porcelain insulator on spark plug, caused misfire 
170300 mi

C $4655
persistent low-oil problem caused by leaking sensors caused catastrophic engine failure. Engine had to be replaced. 
153140 mi timing belt broke (wrong one for engine), bent 3 valves 
170500 mi

C $860
Problem manifested as 2-cylinder misfire when engine was hot. Module was deemed faulty & replaced, did not correct. Slight adjustment to valve clearance resolved it. Very difficult to diagnose since it had to be hot to show up. 
176700 mi

C $400
2-cyl intermittent misfire continues, dealer was unable to determine the cause and deemed it irreparable. 
176700 mi Chronic engine misfire deemed to be undiagnosable. Car is not reliably driveable and has been parked since Nov 2016. Will likely require rebuild or replacement. 
84500 mi

US $2350
Head Gasket leak 
91000 mi

US $1500
Head gaskets leaking 
38750 mi Check engine light:P0028 - Intake valve control solenoid circuit performance bank 2. The valve was leaking oil. The valve on the left side was leaking oil too, but was not giving any codes. Dealer replaced both of them on warranty. 
49600 mi

C $85
Both accessoty belts were cracked, had gouges and were very dry. They supposed to last to 100000km, but i had to replace them at 80000km. 
60760 mi did spark plug replacemen. Whn i removed the spark plugs, discovered there was lots of oil coming from the head gusket in two spark plags well. The other two were ok. Too expansive to fix. Install new spark plugs and did nothing else. 
75840 mi

C $1500
While repairing brakes the mechanic noticed cracks on the timing belt-accessory belts, timing belt, pump was replaced. 
96100 mi

C $4000
Clanking noise when putting the car in reverse. The transmission rubber mounts were bad and needed to be replaced.  The Y split and the mufflers were replaced because they started rattling inside that is the baffles were rusting away. 
35960 mi

C $2550
Noticed oil leak. Mechanic determined problem was head gasket. Replaced gasket ($2100) & timing belt ($300). Missed warranty period on this by 4 months! 
50220 mi CEL light came on after a 4500 mile trip. May have been bad gas. CEL reset and has not come back on. Husky gas used for first time. Gas is known to have hight ethanol content. 
53940 mi

C $800
Replace plugs and wires 
57660 mi

C $150
CEL 0420 catalytic converter recommended replacement, I declined and will replace oxygen sensors. 
57760 mi

C $65
cel 0420 again. Cleared but reappeared after 500 km highway use. Filled with high test and CEL has gone out. 
58900 mi

C $60
CEL 420 Shop recommended cat replacement. This should be covered by Subaru warranty will take it to dealer. 
60700 mi Catalytic convertor replaced under warranty. 
63240 mi

C $70
Oil pressure sensor replaced as the old one was leaking. 
68200 mi

C $300
cat heat shield 
74400 mi

C $500
Replace distributor 
111900 mi Cold air blowing from right dashboard vents when heat on. Flushed heater core. 
116300 mi Oil leak oil pump and or oil pan. tightened oil pan bolts. 
53000 mi

US $400
On picking up car after axle replacement, noise and vibration at idle and while driving. Shop kept car to diagnose. Finally decided problem was transmission mount. Mount replaced. Guess that it was going bad and axle work caused failure. 
64000 mi

US $250
Took car in for 60k service. While replacing spark plugs they noticed valve cover gaskets leaking oil. Replaced gaskets. Also noticed oil leak at head gasket, will have to replace those in future. 
66000 mi

US $1300
Replaced head gaskets that were leaking oil. Machined heads and replaced timing belt, water pump, etc (not included in $1300 price) while they were at it.  At the end of repair, they found a leak from the radiator, they replaced at no charge. 
81000 mi

US $225
Coolant level low. Radiator that was replaced last year is leaking already. Parts covered under warranty. Had to pay labor. 
70500 mi

US $83
cracked exhaust pipe just upstream from cat 
94000 mi Rusted exhaust pipe from cat to mufflers. Welded crotch of the Y to the two mufflers. 
95200 mi

US $500
Replacement of major parts of exhaust system 
104000 mi

US $425
Upstream O2 sensor failed. Check engine light on. 
106500 mi

US $1640
Worn belt tensioner/idlers; worn belts, $700 
113000 mi

US $2450
Head gasket oil leak 
61380 mi

C $1200
Valve cover gaskets leaking. 

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2007 Subaru Outback 4dr Sedan

245-horsepower 3.0L H6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD

144000 mi

US $3900
blown head gasket resulting in over heating 

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2007 Subaru Outback Engine Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2007 Subaru Outback problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.