2009 Subaru Forester Head Gasket Failure (EJ25): What It Really Costs to Fix

The EJ25 head gasket is Subaru folklore made invoice. The first, double-overhead-cam version of the 2.5-liter boxer (roughly 1996 to 1999) tended to fail internally; the single-overhead-cam EJ251, EJ252 and EJ253 that followed, including the EJ253 in the 2009 and 2010 Forester 2.5X, weep externally instead: oil and coolant seep from the seam between block and heads, low on each side, and sometimes mix. Jalopnik's rundown of affected models includes the 1999 to 2010 Forester and puts typical failures at roughly 120,000 to 150,000 miles. Coolant-side leaks escalate toward overheating, oil-side ones toward smell and drips, and the repair, usually done with the engine out, prices the labor accordingly.

Subaru's own response for the single-cam engines was a coolant conditioner (part WWP-99) added to the cooling system, and multi-layer-steel (MLS) head gaskets arrived around 2010. A repair today normally uses MLS gaskets and is commonly bundled with a timing belt, water pump and seals while the access is paid for, which turns a failure into a renewal.

Used-market navigation splits on that job: gasket-done Foresters (MLS gaskets, bundled service, receipts) are the platform at its durable best, while original-gasket high-milers carry the invoice's shadow at whatever discount honesty sets. The underside inspection reads the seams directly, keeping this among the most verifiable major issues in the guide. The turbocharged 2.5XT uses a different engine and is outside this issue.