The 2006 Legacy GT shares the turbocharged EJ255 platform with the WRX, delivering strong performance but inheriting some fragility. The 5-speed automatic transmission is a known weak point, and engine internals can fail catastrophically if neglected or modified.
Automatic Transmission Failure (5EAT)
Common · high severity
Typical onset: 80,000-140,000 mi
Symptoms: Delayed or harsh 2-3 upshift, Shuddering during light acceleration, Burnt transmission fluid smell, Transmission goes into limp mode or fails to engage gears
Fix: The valve body is a common culprit, but many transmissions need full rebuild or replacement by this mileage. Valve body replacement alone is 8-12 hours labor; full rebuild or used replacement runs 16-24 hours. The transmission oil cooler line routing also causes premature fluid degradation.
Estimated cost: $2,800-5,500
Ringland Failure / Piston #4 Failure
Occasional · high severity
Typical onset: 60,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: Sudden loss of power and misfires on cylinder 4, White smoke from exhaust, Very high oil consumption (quart per 500-1000 miles), Check engine light with misfire codes P0304
Fix: The EJ255 is prone to cracked ringlands on piston #4, especially if driven hard, tuned, or suffering from detonation. Requires engine removal, full teardown, and short block replacement with forged pistons recommended. 24-32 hours labor for proper long block rebuild.
Estimated cost: $4,500-7,500
Head Gasket Failure
Occasional · high severity
Typical onset: 100,000-150,000 mi
Symptoms: External oil seepage from head gasket area, Overheating or inconsistent temperature, White exhaust smoke, Coolant loss with no visible leaks
Fix: While turbocharged EJ engines are less prone to head gasket failure than naturally aspirated models, it still happens. Requires heads off, resurfacing, and new multi-layer steel gaskets. With engine in car, 18-22 hours labor. Smart to do timing components, water pump, and all seals while apart.
Estimated cost: $2,200-3,800
Turbocharger Failure
Occasional · medium severity
Typical onset: 100,000-150,000 mi
Symptoms: Loud whining or grinding noise from engine bay, Blue smoke on acceleration, Loss of boost pressure, Oil consumption increases, Check engine light with boost control codes
Fix: The IHI VF40 turbo can fail from oil starvation, bearing wear, or compressor wheel damage. Requires turbo removal and replacement. Critical to address oil feed line banjo bolt filter clogging. 6-8 hours labor for turbo swap, plus diagnose oil system.
Estimated cost: $1,800-3,200
Banjo Bolt Filter Clogging
Common · high severity
Symptoms: Turbo noise or failure, Can lead to sudden catastrophic turbo or engine damage, Often no warning symptoms until failure
Fix: The turbo oil feed line uses a banjo bolt with a tiny internal screen that clogs with debris, starving the turbo of oil. This is a maintenance item that should be inspected every 30k miles or immediately if buying used. 1-2 hours labor to remove, inspect, and replace or install aftermarket banjo bolt without filter.
Estimated cost: $150-300
Transmission Mount Failure
Common · low severity
Typical onset: 60,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: Clunking when shifting from park to drive, Excessive drivetrain vibration, Visible engine movement under acceleration
Fix: The rear transmission mount deteriorates and causes excessive powertrain movement. Easy access from underneath. 1.5-2 hours labor.
Estimated cost: $250-450
Timing Belt and Water Pump
Common · high severity
Typical onset: 105,000 mi intervals
Symptoms: No symptoms until catastrophic failure, Preventive maintenance item per Subaru schedule
Fix: The EJ255 is an interference engine—timing belt failure destroys valves and pistons. Belt interval is 105k miles. Must remove engine or pull radiator for access. Do water pump, tensioners, idlers, and all seals at same time. 8-10 hours labor.
Estimated cost: $1,200-1,800
Control Arm Bushings and Ball Joints
Common · medium severity
Typical onset: 80,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: Clunking over bumps, Wandering steering or poor alignment retention, Uneven tire wear
Fix: Front lower control arm bushings wear out, causing alignment issues and handling degradation. Typical to replace both front lower control arms with ball joints. 3-4 hours labor plus alignment.
Estimated cost: $600-1,000
Owner tips
Change transmission fluid every 30k miles with Subaru ATF-HP or equivalent—not lifetime fluid despite what the manual says
Inspect and replace banjo bolt filter on turbo oil feed line immediately on purchase and every 30k miles
Use quality synthetic oil and change every 3,750 miles—these engines are sensitive to oil quality
Timing belt at 105k is non-negotiable; budget for it if buying high mileage
Avoid chipped or modified examples unless you can verify professional tuning and forged internals
Buy only with full service records and budget $3,000-5,000 for deferred maintenance or transmission work—manual transmission WRX is more durable if you want this platform.
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.
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.
Performance
Horsepower
250hp
Torque
250lb-ft
0–60 mph
5.9sec
Quarter mile
14.4sec
Top speed
143mph
Capability & size
Towing capacity
2,000lb
Payload
850lb
Curb weight
3,515lb
Fuel economy figures are EPA data via fueleconomy.gov (median across matching trims). Performance figures are compiled estimates for the 2006 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.