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Suspension & brakes

Wheel bearing failure, especially the rears

The rear hub bearings on 2005–2006 cars fail early and howl at speed; fronts go too, later. The repair is a bolt-in hub unit on the rear, and prices run from a DIY hub to $300–350 per corner at a dealer.

Very commonSeverity: ModerateApplicability: Direct

Frequency basis: Number-three 2005 Outback complaint on CarComplaints ($1,000 average at 75,000 miles), 5 on subarucomplaints.com, 13 of 273 NHTSA narratives, listed in the 2005 XT known-issues thread with a mention of a warranty extension, and "notoriously bad on the 05-06s" in buying-advice threads. Owners report failures from 70k miles.

Symptoms

  • Howl or hum that rises with road speed and changes when swerving left or right
  • Play when rocking the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock
  • Reported at about 70k and 97k miles on the rear, later on the front

Causes found

  • Under-sized rear hub bearings on the early BP cars (member consensus; Subaru extended the warranty on some)
  • Seal failure letting water and salt into the bearing
  • Impact damage from potholes

Check in this order

  • Highway test drive and listen for a speed-dependent howl; swerve gently to load each side
  • Lift the car and check for play and roughness at each wheel
  • Rule out tyre cupping and a dragging brake before replacing a bearing

What fixed it

  • Rear: replace the hub unit (28473AG00A); front: press a new bearing into the knuckle or fit a hub
  • Dealer price about $300–350 per corner; aftermarket hubs considerably less
  • Replace in pairs only if both are noisy; they do not fail together

References on this site

OEM parts

  • 28473AG00AWheel hub unit complete, rear
  • 28373AG00AHub complete, front axle

Sources

Forum threads are owner reports, not factory findings. Counts are from the threads and complaint records read for this page; read the sources before buying parts.

  1. 1.
    2005 Subaru Outback problems

    carcomplaints.com · Complaint aggregator · #3 wheel bearing failure, $1,000 average, 75,000 miles

  2. 2.
    4th Generation (2004-2009) Outback Problems

    subarucomplaints.com · Complaint aggregator · wheel bearing failure, 2005 Outback, 5 complaints

  3. 3.
    Known Issues with 2005 Outback XT Limited???

    subaruoutback.org · Forum thread · premature failures; a warranty extension existed

  4. 4.
    Buying an 06-07 Subaru Outback

    forums.anandtech.com · Forum thread · "rear wheel bearings are notoriously bad on the 05-06's"; $300–350 at a dealer

  5. 5.
    NHTSA complaints, 2005 Subaru Outback

    nhtsa.gov · NHTSA · 13 of 273 narratives mention wheel bearings