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2005 Subaru Outback repairs by problem area
Engine (29%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (19%)
Brakes and Traction Control (2%)
Suspension and Steering (29%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (16%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (2%)
Other (2%)
Select a problem area
Chart based on 484 repairs.
2005 Subaru Outback suspension repair cost distribution
$2500+ (1%)
$1000 - $2499 (12%)
$500 - $999 (21%)
$100 - $499 (39%)
< $100 (28%)
Chart based on 127 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2005 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 250hp 2.5L H4 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 58000 mi | CPV boot broke, during sliding incident in snowy weather. Subaru covered it under the 60k/mile warranty. |
| 70800 mi US $658 |
wheel bearings in driver's side rear wheel were busted, replaced. driver's side front inner cv boot was cracked, replaced. |
| 97340 mi C $280 |
Finally got around to replacing the left rear wheel bearing that was howling. Last fall I replaced the right rear bearing a CV/rear axle and also the front, left CV joint that was "clicking". Now all is good. Stupidly broke the wheel rotation sensor since I forgot to remove it before replacing the bearing. I live it that I didn't have to take apart the rear emergency brake shoes to do the job... everything fit inside the hole. Biggest problem... getting the axle nut of in 2 out of 3 of the cases !!!! I love my Subie... |
| 75000 mi US $550 |
Replaced front control arms due to cracked bushings |
| 81000 mi | replaced right rear wheel bearing under mfg extended warranty |
| 92000 mi US $750 |
Leaking power steering pump replaced |
| 86300 mi US $910 |
Replaced both front sway bar end links (split boots and movement in joints) |
| 95000 mi US $900 |
Replaced leaking front struts |
| 106000 mi US $1100 |
replaced front struts, bushings on rear control arms, and aligned wheels. |
| 116000 mi US $1075 |
rear control arms were cracked and needed replacing |
| 94500 mi US $600 |
Front control arm bushings replaced |
| 124500 mi US $2050 |
power steering pump leaking from pulley bearing, replace. Sway bar links and bushing replaced, front and rear due to noise. |
| 92000 mi US $1100 |
Front struts leaking |
| 53000 mi | Rear strut leaking. |
| 79994 mi US $250 |
Mechanic also wanted to replace control arms. Upon research, learned that torn bushings are ok to drive with if not torn entirely through. Many people recommend just replacing the bushings instead of entire lower control arm, and with aftermarket parts. Front-right CV boot was ripped and was replaced. Mechanic said this is a common problem on this model Subaru. He also noticed that the lower control arm bushings were ripped and recommended replacing both lower control arms. Will replace just bushings. |
| 79694 mi US $350 |
Lower control arm bushings were ripped. Subaru said most rips do not affect function of car. However, mine were ripped half-way so I decided to replace them with after-market bushings instead of the OEM ones which only last 30,000 miles. |
| 107000 mi US $700 |
Rear control arm bushings replaced |
| 112000 mi US $150 |
Had the left rear wheel bearing go bad again (it was replaced under warranty previously). Replaced both left rear hub/bearing assemblies. |
| 126000 mi US $135 |
I replaced the power steering pump, as it has been giving me trouble for quite some time. |
| 133000 mi US $180 |
During a rear brake job a few months ago, upon jacking up the right-hand side noticed that there was oil all over the rear shock. Replaced both rear shocks, bumpers, covers, nuts and the bottom mounting bolt (it was a bear to get off.) |
2005 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 250hp 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD
| 54000 mi | Front wheel bearing replacement - Covered under 60K drivetrain warranty |
| 176000 mi US $2400 |
Replaced all 4 struts |
| 62000 mi | Right wheel bearing replaced. Rear wheel bearing replaced. TSB Warranty issue |
| 65000 mi | Loud sound increasing with acceleration. Determined to be left rear wheel bearing, which was replaced under Subaru factory warranty that has been extended to 80,000 miles because of a TSB. |
| 67000 mi US $180 |
Noticed grease on exhaust manifold causing burning smell when car gets warm. Inner passenger CV boot cracked, needed replacement |
| 84200 mi US $300 |
Leaky rear strut. Replaced as a set. DIY and saved 300 in labor Went in for alignment after struts replaced. Camber? Bolt was seized and had to be replaced in rear. Extra labor and parts beyond original alignment quote |
| 103000 mi | Noticed an occasional grinding/humming noise that got progressively louder over 1k miles of driving. 8yr/100k TSB warranty on wheel bearings, Subaru offered to pay even though just past warranty. |
| 109000 mi US $325 |
Front driver side wheel bearing. |
| 91000 mi US $100 |
Replaced rear driver side wheel bearing due to excessive noise |
| 140000 mi US $400 |
Noise from front of car. Replaced worn Passenger side Wheel bearing and ball joint |
| 86700 mi US $800 |
Right front wheel bearing |
2005 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon
250-horsepower 3.0L H6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 112000 mi US $200 |
Wheel speed sensor failure caused by bad wheel bearing. Replaced both. Extended time required due to deterioration of bolts |
| 134000 mi US $81 |
Replaced a Subaru OEM factory replacement right rear wheel bearing after only 12,000 miles. Factory replacement bearing was obviously defective. Replaced with Eaton Japanese NTN brand wheel bearing. Subaru has a quality control issue. |
| 113000 mi US $350 |
Blown rear strut |
| 164920 mi C $813 |
Leaking steering rack. Solution: replaced steering rack. |
| 175760 mi C $407 |
Originally took car to Subaru dealer, incorrectly indicated that 2 bearings were bad. Trusted indep. mechanic indicated only 1, that which was making noise, needed to be replaced. Unimpressed with dealer, will not return for service. |
| 186000 mi | Steering rack is leaking again. This happened two years ago and it was replaced at a cost of $600. The leak is slow, as before, and due to the problem consistently reoccurring in OBs and the mileage of the vehicle I am not repairing it. |
| 187240 mi | Steering rack slowly leaking. |
| 74500 mi US $400 |
power steering boot |
| 101060 mi C $523 |
rubber bushings had to be replace on front stabilizer bar, were really worn. Had the rear bushings and the stab bar link kit replace at the same time since they showed signs of wear and would be due within a few months. |
| 110360 mi C $1730 |
the front end link kit needed to be replace (link kit for the sway bar) and they also discovered that the homocinetic joints boots needed to be replace, they were cracked. |
| 92000 mi US $289 |
LR wheel bearings went bad after the RR wheel bearings went bad awhile back. Cant wait to buy a non Subaru car. Never had this many problems with any other car. |
| 39000 mi US $255 |
Clunking noise rear sway bar links replaced. |
| 70300 mi US $1080 |
Ball joints cracked, these days have to replace whole A Arm, they don't just press out and replace ball joint. Boots around CV joints cracked, had to be replaced. Front sway bar had to be replaced. |
| 82000 mi | Wheel bearing was making noise - was subject of recall, warranty for bearing was extended to 100K and 8 years. This failure was outside that, dealer said I was out of luck. Appealed to SOA, they reimbursed me $514 for repair with 0 hassle. |
| 62000 mi | Experienced infamous rear "ghostwalking" on icey road (detailed in a tread on SubaruOutback.org)Replacement of OEM rear shock absorbers - they were totally worn - for 2000-04 spec Kayabas and wheel alignment. Problem fixed. |
| 112000 mi US $550 |
Car was swaying, had the rear struts replaced |
| 150000 mi US $800 |
Rear wheel bearing noisy, Burning grease smell. Mechanic found failed Front passenger drive shaft boot, worn suspension bushing, worn discs & pads, cracked wheel hub + worn rear wheel bearing worn suspension bushing Cracked wheel hub when trying to replace worn bushing |
| 160000 mi US $602 |
Steering rack was leaking and had failed rubber boot |
| 167000 mi | Changed front shocks |
| 174000 mi | Replaced front driver Ball Joint. |
| 174000 mi US $200 |
Scraping noise from rear right wheel when turning right. Replaced hub assembly, probably unnecessarily. |
| 48980 mi | Numerous repairs. Needed a new power steering pump. Just took what we could get in trade. |
2005 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon
168-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD
| 92000 mi US $800 |
Replace rear stabilizers |
| 95000 mi US $1200 |
Replace both rear wheel bearings/axles |
| 120900 mi C $400 |
LR Wheel bearing |
| 143220 mi C $1200 |
RF ball joint had play, replaced. |
| 67000 mi | Left rear wheel bearing making loud noise, fixed for no charge by dealer under special extended warranty for this specific known problem. |
| 83300 mi | Rear wheel bearings replaced, again, under specifically lengthened warranty |
| 107000 mi US $250 |
Right strut bearing plate was failing, replaced. |
| 62000 mi US $300 |
Bearings worn in driver side rear. Clicking noise heard during wheel rotation. |
| 73000 mi | took car in for knocking noise heard in front right strut, told driver rear bearings had to be replaced. warrantied. |
| 66440 mi C $720 |
Sway bar bushings (front and left) worn out; estimated repair cost: $200 Rear suspension link worn out / corroded; estimated repair cost: $240 Trailing arm bushings damaged (tear), estimated repair cost: $335 Front link and table bushings worn out; estimated repair cost: $350 Sway bar bushings (front and right) replaced Trailing arm bushings replaced Front link and table bushings replaced |
| 115400 mi | rear wheel bearings |
| 125500 mi US $550 |
Rear struts |
| 76000 mi US $85 |
bearings in front passenger wheel |
| 117300 mi US $1 |
new struts |
| 128000 mi US $785 |
Left side bearings making noise. Had both replaced. |
| 135000 mi US $200 |
Ball joint replaced on front passenger side. |
| 144000 mi US $750 |
Right side ball joint replaced. |
| 150000 mi US $100 |
Replaced sway bar endlinks and bushings |
| 105000 mi US $195 |
Replaced front left wheel bearing, rotors, front brakes. |
| 121000 mi US $167 |
Power steering pump went out over the past few months. Replaced. |
| 129000 mi US $1500 |
Power steering pump and top o-rings replaced after noises and jerkiness in steering. Leaks in o-rings on inlet side of pump noticed, so o-rings replaced. |
| 148700 mi US $550 |
Right rear wheel bearing worn out and noisy. Replaced. |
| 59520 mi | ripped front right CV boot. Just bought car last week and she covered repair under 30 day warranty. They changed the right axle. Sounds like a typical issue. |
2005 Subaru Outback 4dr Wagon
168-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 64000 mi US $300 |
Rear wheel bearings. |
| 64000 mi US $500 |
Front lower control arm bushing. |
| 172000 mi US $322 |
Rear sway bar endlink replacement |
| 81000 mi US $350 |
Passenger side rear wheel bearing was very noisy and had to be replaced. |
| 78320 mi C $20 |
Power steering difficult. Replaced O-ring on power steering pump and replaced fluid. Had to wait 3 weeks for dealer to source O-ring. |
| 140000 mi US $678 |
replace sway bar and perform alignment |
| 193600 mi US $60 |
Stabilizer bar link on left side broke. Was rusted on too much to break loose. Needed to saw the bolt off before I could replace it. Used a small hack saw. Took a whole to saw it off. Replacement was easy after that. |
| 142100 mi | Noisy right rear wheel bearing. Causing vibration. I've heard 2005 Outbacks are known for this issue. |
| 154600 mi US $400 |
Ball Joint |
| 177000 mi US $400 |
Replace all four stabilizer links |
| 181000 mi | Lower control arm bushings replaced |
| 63320 mi C $150 |
Did not pass safety inspection, Front control arm rear bushing cracked and to much play Left and Right. Replaced with new bushings from dealer. |
| 67760 mi C $100 |
Front sway bar end links and rubber bushings. |
| 74400 mi C $430 |
Replaced front and rear struts and mounts |
| 93600 mi | Right rear wheel bearing began howling. There is a technical service bulletin about this and was covered by subaru extending the warranty to 8yrs/100k miles on the wheel bearing. |
| 114700 mi C $145 |
Top strut bearings left and right |
| 121800 mi C $27 |
Left lower ball joint |
| 140740 mi C $175 |
Drivers side rear wheel bearing howling. Replaced and serviced rear brakes since I was in there. |
| 148800 mi C $25 |
Left ball joint worn out. Replaced ball joint |
| 57700 mi US $1840 |
Replaced all four struts. |
| 90000 mi US $250 |
Steering pump was leaking. Replaced the steering pump and supply line, and added an inline steering fluid filter per the pump manufacturer's instructions. |
| 127000 mi US $250 |
Clunking noise in front end...replaced sway bar end links |
| 190000 mi US $400 |
Replaced front lower control arms, ball joints, and sway bar end links. |
| 80100 mi US $1000 |
Front rack replaced. |
| 117000 mi US $850 |
front axle bushings, rear hub bearings |
| 125000 mi US $300 |
REPLACED REAR RIGHT HUB BEARINGS, BUSHINGS ON FR STEERING ARMS |
| 37000 mi | Replaced rear wheel bearing on warranty extended to 100k miles by manufacturer. |
| 66000 mi US $600 |
Replaced cracked lower control arm bushings that caused excessive inner tire tread wear, new front tires and front end alignment. |
| 85000 mi | Noisy left rear wheel bearing replaced under extended warranty. |
| 99000 mi US $1000 |
Front struts replaced. Shop claims this is the reason for uneven tire wear on inside of front tires. |
| 106000 mi US $125 |
Replaced front passenger-side wheel bearing hub due to noise. |
| 176000 mi US $500 |
replace rear wheel hubs. third time on this car. |
| 98000 mi | Wheel bearing started to make a loud noise they claimed was not a failure, it was covered by a free service they extended to 100,000 miles. Both rear wheel bearing have now been changed and are quiet again. |
| 105000 mi US $300 |
rubber bushing tore and needed replaced |
| 110000 mi US $30 |
Clunk noise over bumps. Replaced sway bar end links. |
| 75000 mi | humming noise in rear of vehicle. Dealer replaced both rear wheel bearings under warranty extension |
| 110700 mi | Remove and replace rear sway bar links and bushings |
| 126900 mi US $342 |
Both side front stabilizer links and bushings. |
| 132000 mi US $720 |
Replaced rear trailing arm and bushings four wheel alignment. |
| 140200 mi US $94 |
Sway bar bushings replaced. |
| 130000 mi US $450 |
Right front wheel bearing. |
| 59000 mi US $10 |
car was making rattling noise in low gear, brought the car to local mechanic, he said he just needed to tighten up something underneath and charged $10. |
| 68000 mi US $500 |
noise from under the car, louder as car run faster. Dealer said bad rear wheel bearing. repair covered under the extended warrantee. |
| 88000 mi | replaced rear wheel bearing which was repaired less than a year ago. repair cost covered by the warrantee provided by the shop. |
| 83000 mi US $300 |
The front drivers side, and the rear passenger side wheel bearings both needed replacing. It is a common problem with this model of outback, there was even an extended manufacturer warranty on the matter. |
| 90000 mi US $1200 |
Found two torn bushings, replaced. |
| 155000 mi US $350 |
One rear wheel bearing going bad. Replaced it. |
| 169800 mi US $3000 |
Replaced one rear wheel bearing |
| 184000 mi US $1000 |
Back end was jumping around over bumps; struts replaced |
2005 Subaru Outback 4dr Sedan
250-horsepower 3.0L H6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 133000 mi US $268 |
Replaced lower control arm bushings and sway bar bushings to get rid of some noise. Some improvement but the dealer says I also need a front strut mount replaced to eliminate a persistent clank, which means I should go ahead and replace both front struts. |
| 105000 mi US $450 |
Replaced all four wheel hubs. Both back bearings were shot. |
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