2008-2010 2.5ltr Engine Failures
25 August 2016, 09:09 PM
#1803
Scooby Regular
Without looking through the whole thread are there any reports on the reliability of the newer 2.5 sti''s from the last 2/3 years?...are mappers still hesitant to run higher boost/more power through the stock units compared to the old 2.0 sti lumps. Was just wondering if Subaru address the problems or not as it's obvious it's a great motor when built right. Just curious.
02 September 2016, 12:01 PM
#1805
Scooby Regular
12 October 2016, 03:46 PM
#1812
Higher mileage engines don't mean they are immune to the potential issues, it just means the problems haven't presented themselves yet. The design & build faults are still present and the potential is very much there for failure on any of the 2.5 engines.
12 October 2016, 03:52 PM
#1813
Never said it did, but you always make out they every single 2.5 is going to fail at some point, which is definitely not the case or true, especially with standard engines running with a decent map. After 2008-2010 
Last edited by bioforger; 12 October 2016 at 03:53 PM.
12 October 2016, 04:06 PM
#1814
I don't always make out that every single 2.5 is going to fail and as a multiple 2.5 owner I have always loved the 2.5 engines. I would have them time and time again, but will always be cautious of the potential 2.5 issues rather than being blinkered by them.
My 06 WRX 2.5 (that I owned since it was a year old) was amazing and massively over-serviced by me throughout it's life by only the best engineers. I always drove it with a massive amount of mechanical sympathy as I always do my cars. When I sold it back to Subaru at 75k miles this year, it too demonstrated the early signs of head gasket failure. Thankfully my dealership were also well aware of the issues and prepared to look into it and sort it out.
No matter how careful you are there is still a chance of failure. I'm not saying every engine will fail, because they won't. But the potential is there without a doubt.
That said, I'm still driving a 2.5 and I still love them just as much!
My 06 WRX 2.5 (that I owned since it was a year old) was amazing and massively over-serviced by me throughout it's life by only the best engineers. I always drove it with a massive amount of mechanical sympathy as I always do my cars. When I sold it back to Subaru at 75k miles this year, it too demonstrated the early signs of head gasket failure. Thankfully my dealership were also well aware of the issues and prepared to look into it and sort it out.
No matter how careful you are there is still a chance of failure. I'm not saying every engine will fail, because they won't. But the potential is there without a doubt.
That said, I'm still driving a 2.5 and I still love them just as much!
12 October 2016, 04:11 PM
#1815
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The 2.5 was a step too far in reality, they all have a tendency to crack across cylinders, the oil pick up pipe and head gaskets are also worth mentioning, and its on both the EJ257 AND EJ255.
Of course it doesn't mean they will all fail, but it does mean the failure rate will probably be considerably higher than expected of this type of engine.
12 October 2016, 04:23 PM
#1816
Yea well any engine has the potential to fail at some point Most manufacturers have issues of some sort or another.
Blinkered not at all, but if you take everything written on the net to heart, you would never drive a post 2006 subaru ever again. This site especially is prone to blowing (no pun intended) the problems way out of proportion.
Yup 2006, i'm not surprised, i think subaru definitely cleared up some of the manufacturing issues, especially for the HG bolt problems though after 2010, i guess it depends on who you speak to about that and what you are willing to believe.
To put it into perspective every single car i've owned has either blown its HG or warped the head or worse. But none of the Subarus i've owned (including an '06 sti briefly) ever have... must be good luck
Most manufacturers have issues of some sort or another.Blinkered
not at all, but if you take everything written on the net to heart, you would never drive a post 2006 subaru ever again. This site especially is prone to blowing (no pun intended) the problems way out of proportion.Yup 2006, i'm not surprised, i think subaru definitely cleared up some of the manufacturing issues, especially for the HG bolt problems though after 2010, i guess it depends on who you speak to about that and what you are willing to believe.
To put it into perspective every single car i've owned has either blown its HG or warped the head or worse. But none of the Subarus i've owned (including an '06 sti briefly) ever have... must be good luck
12 October 2016, 04:24 PM
#1817
Even after 2010 the map wasn't great and the inherent issues built into the engine are still there which are potential failures waiting to happen.
The 2.5 was a step too far in reality, they all have a tendency to crack across cylinders, the oil pick up pipe and head gaskets are also worth mentioning, and its on both the EJ257 AND EJ255.
Of course it doesn't mean they will all fail, but it does mean the failure rate will probably be considerably higher than expected of this type of engine.
The 2.5 was a step too far in reality, they all have a tendency to crack across cylinders, the oil pick up pipe and head gaskets are also worth mentioning, and its on both the EJ257 AND EJ255.
Of course it doesn't mean they will all fail, but it does mean the failure rate will probably be considerably higher than expected of this type of engine.
12 October 2016, 04:34 PM
#1818
Yea well any engine has the potential to fail at some point Most manufacturers have issues of some sort or another.
Blinkered not at all, but if you take everything written on the net to heart, you would never drive a post 2006 subaru ever again. This site especially is prone to blowing (no pun intended) the problems way out of proportion.
Yup 2006, i'm not surprised, i think subaru definitely cleared up some of the manufacturing issues, especially for the HG bolt problems though after 2010, i guess it depends on who you speak to about that and what you are willing to believe.
To put it into perspective every single car i've owned has either blown its HG or warped the head or worse. But none of the Subarus i've owned (including an '06 sti briefly) ever have... must be good luck
Most manufacturers have issues of some sort or another.Blinkered
not at all, but if you take everything written on the net to heart, you would never drive a post 2006 subaru ever again. This site especially is prone to blowing (no pun intended) the problems way out of proportion.Yup 2006, i'm not surprised, i think subaru definitely cleared up some of the manufacturing issues, especially for the HG bolt problems though after 2010, i guess it depends on who you speak to about that and what you are willing to believe.
To put it into perspective every single car i've owned has either blown its HG or warped the head or worse. But none of the Subarus i've owned (including an '06 sti briefly) ever have... must be good luck
I've owned 2.5 Subaru's, rotary RX8's high powered rotary RX7's, SR20DET Pulsar GTI-R's which are supposedly prone to bottom end failure and many more on the "worry list". It always makes me laugh and it's never put me off buying or driving any of these cars daily. Realistically the Subaru 2.5 problems may put off a few people as it's very well documented now, but most will just grit their teeth and buy one anyhow hoping it doesn't fail like I do!
If it fails, rebuild it stronger, better and faster!
absolutely and if it does fail for me then i can fallback on my 3rd party 5yr warranty. Although that isn't worth the paper its printed on either if you believe the forums 
22 October 2016, 11:21 PM
#1820
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Well I'm so glad I've decided to look on here again
Had a 2005 wrx and loved it
Now been looking at a 2015 wrx sti
But this engine problem seems a big put off
Had a 2005 wrx and loved it
Now been looking at a 2015 wrx sti
But this engine problem seems a big put off
23 October 2016, 08:23 AM
#1821
Scooby Senior
23 October 2016, 09:20 AM
#1822
I have an engine here now from a 7800 mile 2015 STI with ringland failure on cylinders 2 & 4, car is not mapped & is OE std, also know of a late 2015 car that suffered bearing failure & the car was rejected by the owner & Subaru bought it back.
24 October 2016, 06:58 AM
#1823
Scooby Senior
will that be fix on a Warranty claim with Subaru?
24 October 2016, 10:29 AM
#1827
Yea but the bearing failure one must have been due to a feckup in the factory build. You could argue the same for the one he mentioned that failed at 8K, also you don't know how it was treated by the owner. Too many variables. On the other hand it could have failed due to a defect as you mention, but you don't know.
24 October 2016, 11:24 AM
#1828
Yea but the bearing failure one must have been due to a feckup in the factory build. You could argue the same for the one he mentioned that failed at 8K, also you don't know how it was treated by the owner. Too many variables. On the other hand it could have failed due to a defect as you mention, but you don't know.
Not really. You can't say that ringland failure is due to a factory build issue. It's a weakness in the piston structure and design that causes that particular failure which is very often promoted by a poor Subaru map.
