The 2005 Legacy GT pairs Subaru's excellent chassis with the EJ255 turbo boxer—a strong performer but notoriously fragile when modified or poorly maintained. Head gaskets, ringland failures, and transmission cooling issues dominate the problem list.
Ringland Failure / Piston #4 Cracking
Common · high severity
Typical onset: 80,000-140,000 mi
Symptoms: sudden misfire on cylinder 4, white/blue smoke at startup, loss of compression, Check Engine Light with P0304, knocking or rattling from engine
Fix: EJ255 engines crack the ringlands on piston #4 due to detonation, poor-quality fuel, or aggressive tuning. Fix requires complete short block replacement or engine rebuild with forged pistons. Budget 20-30 labor hours for R&R and reassembly. Many shops recommend full rebuild over single-piston replacement due to collateral bearing wear.
Estimated cost: $4,500-8,000
Head Gasket Failure (External Leaks)
Common · medium severity
Typical onset: 100,000-150,000 mi
Symptoms: oil seepage from head/block junction, coolant weeping externally, slight burning smell, no overheating in most cases
Fix: Classic Subaru issue—multi-layer steel gaskets eventually weep oil or coolant externally. Turbo models less prone to internal combustion-gas leaks than NA engines but still fail. Requires engine removal or lifting, both heads resurfaced, timing components replaced. 16-20 hours labor. Always do timing belt, water pump, and all seals while you're in there.
Estimated cost: $2,200-3,500
Transmission Oil Cooler Line Failure
Common · high severity
Typical onset: any mileage
Symptoms: transmission fluid leaking near radiator, pink fluid puddles under car, transmission slipping or delayed engagement, milky transmission fluid (coolant cross-contamination)
Fix: The transmission cooler lines rust through or the internal cooler in the radiator fails, mixing ATF and coolant. If coolant enters the transmission, the entire unit is toast—requires transmission replacement. Caught early, replace lines and flush system. 2-4 hours for lines; 12-18 hours if transmission is contaminated and needs replacement.
Symptoms: loud whining or grinding from engine bay, blue smoke on acceleration, loss of boost pressure, oil consumption increases, Check Engine Light with underboost codes
Fix: IHI VF40 turbo fails from oil starvation (clogged banjo bolt filter), poor oil change intervals, or shaft bearing wear. Requires turbo replacement, oil feed line cleaning, and inspection of up-pipe for cracks. 6-8 hours labor. OEM turbos are $1,200+; quality aftermarket units run $600-1,000.
Estimated cost: $1,800-3,200
Banjo Bolt Filter Clogging (Turbo Oil Feed)
Common · medium severity
Typical onset: 60,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: turbo whine increases, oil consumption rises, turbo lag worsens, eventual turbo failure if ignored
Fix: The tiny mesh filter in the turbo oil feed banjo bolt clogs with debris, starving the turbo bearings. Preventive removal of this filter or frequent inspection is critical. Takes 1 hour to pull the banjo bolt, clean or remove filter, reinstall. Many techs pull it permanently and rely on clean oil changes.
Estimated cost: $100-200 (if caught early)
Transmission Mount Collapse
Common · low severity
Typical onset: 80,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: clunking on hard shifts, excessive driveline movement, vibration at idle, shifter slop increases
Fix: Rear transmission mount separates internally, allowing excessive drivetrain movement. Replace with OEM or upgraded polyurethane mount. 1.5-2 hours labor.
Estimated cost: $250-450
Up-Pipe Cracking / Exhaust Leak Pre-Turbo
Occasional · medium severity
Typical onset: 100,000+ mi
Symptoms: ticking or hissing from engine bay, loss of low-end torque, Check Engine Light with O2 sensor codes, smell of exhaust in cabin
Fix: The up-pipe (connects headers to turbo) cracks at flex joints or welds due to heat cycling. Leaks reduce boost and throw O2 sensor codes. Requires up-pipe replacement—aftermarket catless versions are popular upgrades. 3-4 hours labor.
Estimated cost: $400-800
Owner tips
Change oil every 3,750 miles with quality synthetic—turbo longevity depends on it.
Remove or inspect the turbo banjo bolt filter at 60k miles to prevent oil starvation.
Always use 91+ octane fuel; detonation kills ringlands on these engines.
Check transmission cooler lines annually for rust; replace proactively if surface corrosion appears.
If buying used, compression-test all four cylinders—anything below 140 psi is a red flag for ringland failure.
Budget $1,500/year in preventive maintenance if you want to keep one past 150k miles.
Buy one only if you're handy, patient, and prepared for $5k+ engine work before 150k miles—great driving dynamics, but the EJ255 is a ticking time bomb without meticulous care.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.
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AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · 20V001000
2020-01-02 · EA15001
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A."
These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · 20V002000
2020-01-02 · EA15001
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B."
These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · 20V003000
2020-01-02 · EA15001
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."
These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH · 19V297000
2019-04-11
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Consequence: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · 15V323000
2015-05-28 · EA15001
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V-399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V-763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.
AIR BAGS · 14V763000
2014-12-01 · PE14016
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy and Outback vehicles, and 2003-2005 Baja vehicles sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Florida and adjacent counties in southern Georgia, as well as the coastal areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengers frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQP-51. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-471. This recall has been partially superseded by 15V-323. All 2005 model year Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles will now be repaired under recall 15V-323.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS · 14V311000
2014-06-10
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.
Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Consequence: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 2014 and second notifications will run through November 2014. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQK-47. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-110 which applied to certain 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback vehicles. Vehicles that were remedied under the previous campaign still need additional areas rust-proofed.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS · 13V110000
2013-03-27
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from December 2003, through April 2009 and currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.
Consequence: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQG-43.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW · 04V274000
2004-06-09
THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS IN CERTAIN VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN MAY NOT FULLY DEPLOY RAPIDLY ENOUGH WHEN ACTIVATED IN A SIDE IMPACT COLLISION. DURING A SIDE IMPACT TEST CONDUCTED BY THE INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY (IIHS), THE TEST RESULTS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE IIHS TEST RESULTS AND THE RESULT OF SIDE IMPACT TESTS CONDUCTED BY FHI.
Consequence: THIS MAY RESULT IN FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE INTENDED HEAD PROTECTION, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO A SEAT OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG MODULES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
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Performance
Horsepower
250hp
Torque
250lb-ft
0–60 mph
6.0sec
Quarter mile
14.5sec
Top speed
143mph
Capability & size
Towing capacity
2,000lb
Payload
1,050lb
Curb weight
3,505lb
Fuel economy figures are EPA data via fueleconomy.gov (median across matching trims). Performance figures are compiled estimates for the 2005 Subaru Legacy GT 2.5L Turbo H4 and can vary by trim.
🔧 Database maintained under the daily editorial review of Chris Hackleman · Master Technician · 20+ years and Jeff Moore · Master Lexus & Toyota Mechanic · 20+ years.