Just curious, why are you using a dealership for out-of-warranty service, and are you just taking their word for it? Were you getting any bearing noise? (because that's generally the only reason to get them replaced)

Anyway, looks to me like you're paying almost double what an independent shop would charge. I've had exactly one rear bearing replacement in 167k miles. It was getting noisy and I think I paid my local indie something in the $400-500 range to replace with Timken. If you search the forum you'll find that low-mileage bearing failures (typically only rears) have been reported on Gen 5s, but we have no way to know how common it really is. I had very few major repairs in the first 100k miles - so few that I would never have gotten any value out of a Subaru extended warranty. So, based on my anecdotal experience, DO buy a Subaru. And this is my second Subaru (both purchased new).

 

The wife took it into the dealer and the reason it went in the first place was there was a whirring noise. Car is scheduled to go to the local shop next week and they said normal price for wheel bearing would be around $500 per bearing. This car is a grocery getter so no off roading or modifications, so I was very surprised to hear that I needed 3 bearings replaced. We'll see what the indie shop says but I wouldn't be surprised if he confirmed it due to the noise, but maybe its only the fronts? It sounded like it was coming from the front passenger side so was also surprised that dealer said both front and one rear needed replacing. Either way its very disappointing that this Subaru needs 3 replaced in less than 45k mi for around town suburban driving.

 

Wheel bearings definitely give warning when they fail.

 

What did I know? LOL
2017 Outback 3.6R at around 45,000 miles.
So I thought the noise was from my new Michelin tires. It was loud! I owe Michelin an apology; the noise was the rear wheels bearings. Really. Drove it with the irritating noise for about 12,000 miles.
As soon as I had the rear hubs replaced the car was really quiet and smooth again. Subaru of North America gave me some kind of credit for this. What a world of scamification. Very sad.

 

Echoing the above comments, what symptoms did you have, if any, prior to this diagnosis and estimate? I too have had very few bearing replacements over the years across many different makes. The sign something was amiss in my situations were a groaning noise in sweeping curves, and an ABS light that would come on when you hit a bump. These were both high mileage Mercedes IIRC.

 

Told by who? Typically wheel bearings will manifest a noticeable problem. Normally dragging or grinding or groaning sounds especially when turning the wheel that freeway speeds. (Front ones)

Do you notice any symptoms while driving? I

 

i almost bought an outback with 58k miles 8 grand but was making a whine/Whir sound when going around turns. I DID NOT think to have them check the wheel bearings. but they had so many OTHER things wrong with the car i turned em down flat. They put new tires on it when the breaks were obviously worn to sandles rather than shoes

 

Told by who? Typically wheel bearings will manifest a noticeable problem. Normally dragging or grinding or groaning sounds especially when turning the wheel that freeway speeds. (Front ones)

Do you notice any symptoms while driving? I

yeah it was brought in cause of a whirring sound above 20 mph and it got more noticeable as the speed increased.

Wheel bearings definitely give warning when they fail.

The noise is the warning it gave i guess, but once you hear that noise I assume there is nothing that can be done to correct the issue and that is what I meant by it didn't give any warning of failing.

I was hoping SOA would have been able to help out a little bit more other than telling me I should have bought an extended warranty, so I'm disappointed with the car. The other issues I've had with the car is the driver seat developed a rip in the left hand side thigh bolster which I thought was supposed to be leather, but the bolsters are vinyl and I've had the head unit glitch out on me twice but that seems to have gone away. Doesn't give me too much confidence in the build quality.

 

yeah it was brought in cause of a whirring sound above 20 mph and it got more noticeable as the speed increased.



The noise is the warning it gave i guess, but once you hear that noise I assume there is nothing that can be done to correct the issue and that is what I meant by it didn't give any warning of failing.

I was hoping SOA would have been able to help out a little bit more other than telling me I should have bought an extended warranty, so I'm disappointed with the car. The other issues I've had with the car is the driver seat developed a rip in the left hand side thigh bolster which I thought was supposed to be leather, but the bolsters are vinyl and I've had the head unit glitch out on me twice but that seems to have gone away. Doesn't give me too much confidence in the build quality.

How long did the car sit without anyone driving it?

 

I will add that I just thought of this, my daughter's 2015 Audi A3 had what I suspected were bad bearings. Had a whirring noise that increased with speed. It was not there when she bought it. She traded it recently and we never had it looked into. Had 20,000 miles when she bought it in 2018, and only 40,000 miles when she traded it in 2024. She lives in SF CA so it was not driven much. Maybe low use / lack of use contributes to this issue?

 

I just was told that I have to get the 2 front wheel bearings and a right rear wheel bearing replaced due to them failing on my 2018 Outback. From what I know in my experience in owning multiple cars, 2 of which were at 170k mi and 2 other over 100k mi I have never had to replace even 1 wheel bearing. Subaru of America told me that I should have bought a gold extended warranty. They also said if it fell within the warranty period they would have replaced them but due to Covid I didn't drive much so I missed out on getting them replaced by SOA (Although not their fault). Also she said that since there were no other issues that were brought up in the past about the bearings that they wouldn't be able to help. I'm not sure but I don't think wheel bearings give warning signs of failing to be able to bring it to the dealership to have it noted on the official records.
The dealership told me that this is not a abnormal occurrence and they see wheel bearing replacements with this low mileage and even with less mileage. Not sure if they are blowing smoke up my rear to make me feel better or get me to service the car there.
Can anyone let me know if this is normal, or is it only normal for Subarus? The quote to get the three wheel bearings replaced and get an alignment was $1539.50 for both front bearings; $914.75 for one rear bearing; $159.95 for alignment.
Thats almost 10% of the cost of the car when I bought it new, and I should expect to do this again in another 44k mi?

I suggest you are being a bit too critical regarding automobile ownership. There is no such thing as a perfect machine and cars have MANY ways they can fail. I sure sounds as if you have allowed several bearings to go bad.

Are you aware, if a vehicle sits too long the brake-sliding-pins will stick and cause DRAGGING BRAKES? Dragging brakes will OVERHEAT the wheel-bearings and cook the grease out of them. BEARINGS WILL FAIL within a year after that.

I have owned a LOT of cars and (as you have said) replacing wheel-bearings is not unusual. The government has mandated efficiency and emissions standards which force automakers to make components as light and minimal as possible. .... wheel-bearings are a big part of reducing rolling-resistance.

Beyond warantee or recall-work, there is NO REASON to pay a dealer to perform mechanical work. Replacing wheel-bearings It is pretty standard stuff and your local TRUSTED shop can handle it far cheeper than dealership.

 

I suggest you are being a bit to critical regarding automobile ownership. There is no such thing as a perfect machine and cars have MANY ways they can fail. I sure sounds as if you have allowed several bearings to go bad.

Are you aware, if a vehicle sits too long the brake-sliding-pins will stick and cause DRAGGING BRAKES? Dragging brakes will OVERHEAT the wheel-bearings and cook the grease out of them. BEARINGS WILL FAIL within a year after that.

I have owned a LOT of cars and (as you have said) replacing wheel-bearings is not unusual. The government has mandated efficiency and emissions standards which force automakers to make components as light and minimal as possible. .... wheel-bearings are a big part of reducing rolling-resistance.

Beyond warantee or recall-work, there is NO REASON to pay a dealer to perform mechanical work. Replacing wheel-bearings It is pretty standard stuff and your local TRUSTED shop can handle it.

Thanks Brucep,
I didn't think it was usual, but rather it seemed to me that it was unusual to have to replace 3 wheel bearings at 44.5k mi. The dealership was who said it wasn't unusual to have to replace the wheel bearings that early. I might be a little critical because I'm a little shell shocked as its a lot of money to dole out, even with an independent shop changing based on a quote of $500 per bearing. That still is a lot of money, and if I can expect to have to do this again in another 45k mi its a little worrisome. But I understand that things happen and there is no perfect machine. Maybe if one bearing went out due to defect but to have to replace 3 seems excessive. I'm not a mechanic so I don't really have any other data points except what I've personally experienced so if this is normal then I guess I need to readjust my expectations.

 

You will know when the bearings fail they growl like no tomorrow.

I had 190K on my front before replacement
I still have the rear ones at 195K

I would ask SOA to cover that one as there is no way that those would fail at that mileage unless you hit the biggest pothole on the planet

 

Thanks, I did ask SOA for some help, but they said it was black and white that it was out of warranty and said I should have bought the gold extended warranty. I don't disagree that it is out of warranty and wasn't expecting them to pay for all of it, but I was hoping they would help out a little bit rather than telling me I should have bought their extended warranty.

 

Well I will agree with you that if your three wheel bearings do indeed need replaced at 40 something thousand mi. That is ridiculous... And really bad luck. Our 2015 needed the front driver side wheel bearing replaced at about 80k. We have 170k on it now with no further wheel bearing issues since that repair.

 

Thats almost 10% of the cost of the car when I bought it new, and I should expect to do this again in another 44k mi?

That still is a lot of money, and if I can expect to have to do this again in another 45k mi its a little worrisome.

I see where you are coming from.
I would expect that you NEVER EVER have to mess with wheel-bearings on that car ever again.

After new bearings are installed, keep an eye open for dragging-brakes and get them tended to ASAP.

 

I agree with what mot of the responses here have been and id like to echo the suggestion to take it to your local import mechanic, 3 wheel bearings and an alignment for $3000 is pretty steep. A local shop will likley charge shop hours and depending on if your in the rust belt or not its a pretty open and shut job that should end up costing you about 1/2 what the dealership is asking.

As for burning out wheel bearings at 45k I was a mechanic for about a decade and I saw almost new cars come in with bearings making noise and very old cars on their stuck bearings, it seems to be a function of how good the tolerances were on the day they were made and depending on the amount of heat a cars bearings see regularly from track driving, towing or driving up and down mountains seems to have more impact on the longevity than the OEM that made the bearings. That and bad brakes or dragging brakes can definitely dump heat into the wheel bearings and cause premature failure.

 

I agree with what mot of the responses here have been and id like to echo the suggestion to take it to your local import mechanic, 3 wheel bearings and an alignment for $3000 is pretty steep. A local shop will likley charge shop hours and depending on if your in the rust belt or not its a pretty open and shut job that should end up costing you about 1/2 what the dealership is asking.

As for burning out wheel bearings at 45k I was a mechanic for about a decade and I saw almost new cars come in with bearings making noise and very old cars on their stuck bearings, it seems to be a function of how good the tolerances were on the day they were made and depending on the amount of heat a cars bearings see regularly from track driving, towing or driving up and down mountains seems to have more impact on the longevity than the OEM that made the bearings. That and bad brakes or dragging brakes can definitely dump heat into the wheel bearings and cause premature failure.

Thanks for the insight HawkBait. I guess we'll see what the indie shop says next week.

 

Still on the original tires by any chance?
Tires can make a racket...
Looking forward to the second opinion...

 

Still on the original tires by any chance?
Tires can make a racket...
Looking forward to the second opinion...

Some tread-patterns can get EXTREMELY noisy as they wear down..... however, in this case, I would like to think the dealership is not just trying to sell bearings cuz they make more $$ than selling tires.

 

During a state inspection for my 08 OB, my dealer told me my radiator was leaking. I’d just done a coolant service and it was the 1st time the radiator cap had ever been removed. Turned out there was some crud on the rubber seal. After a quick rinse with water, problem solved.

I would expect bad wheel bearings to make a rumble, low frequency noises and not higher pitched whining.

Def get a 2nd opinion.

 

If you're at all handy, jack up the front and put both sides on stands. In neutral, you should be able to rotate each wheel (the opposite wheel will likely rotate in the opposite direction). With your hand on the coil spring, feel for vibration in the spring. Then you can do this with the rear, but AFAIK, you might be able to rotate one rear wheel without having both off the ground at the same time. Today I noticed that a rear rotation did not affect the other side, but all 4 wheels were off the ground because my car was on a hoist.

I see nothing in this thread that says wheel bearings are the real issue, especially when a dealer says you need 3 out of 4. Maybe the issue is driveshaft or its center hanger bearing. Wheel bearings don't "whine" as described, so much as they growl.

When you go for a second opinion, never start off by telling someone what the first diagnosis was. Just tell them what the symptoms are and see what they come back with. You don't want to influence anyone by planting ideas in their head.

EDIT - tell them what the other diagnosis was after they give you their assessment if it differs. If they're open minded they will reflect on that, but that doesn't mean they have to agree. Now you have a basis on which to get an explanation for the dissenting opinion.

 

2015 Outback;

55k: passenger rear
87k: driver front
219k: driver rear
219k - 394k, nothing.

Explain that. Car has been driven exact same way. Passenger front is still original.

 

2010 here 190K did both front as if one is going the other usually is not far behind, car at 195K rears are original. Driver side seat finally showing thread wear, got a leather cover for it.

 

Three wheel bearings bad at the same time? Seems unlikely to me. Unless maybe the car sat in a flood for a while and water got into the sealed bearings. In that case plan on replacing the fourth wheel bearing soon as well.

 

My 2011 had 108,000 on it at trade-in and never had a wheel bearing replaced.

 

if you are in MN twin cities area Alexander's import is the guy to use. He did my friends front bearings (L&R) for a labor charge of $130. I provided the OE bearings to my friend for $300

 

My 2015 did eat wheel bearings, but I live in the mountains and like corners, plus it saw a lot of off-pavement use. Even then, 3 at 44k seems extreme.

 

I had to Replace the rears on my 2016 last year just inside the remaining warranty coverage…. It seems this was a known issue with the later gen5 outback’s. btw, they went nearing the same mileage.

 

Still on the original tires by any chance?
Tires can make a racket...
Looking forward to the second opinion...

I was hoping it was tires at first maybe a rock stuck in tread (wishful thinking at the time) but I had just gotten the tires replaced less than 1k mi ago.

If you're at all handy, jack up the front and put both sides on stands. In neutral, you should be able to rotate each wheel (the opposite wheel will likely rotate in the opposite direction). With your hand on the coil spring, feel for vibration in the spring. Then you can do this with the rear, but AFAIK, you might be able to rotate one rear wheel without having both off the ground at the same time. Today I noticed that a rear rotation did not affect the other side, but all 4 wheels were off the ground because my car was on a hoist.

I did jack the car up and rotated but didn't touch the coil springs. I'll have to try that next time. I tried the side to side and up and down wiggle test but all seemed tight. The noise doesn't really start till above 20 mph.

Last rant from me hopefully, I have to say SOA Consumer Advocacy Dept did not feel like they were advocating for me. By them telling me that I should have bought the gold warranty after the fact really rubbed me the wrong way since it helps me out in no way for my current situation and made me feel like it was my fault that I have to pay for this now since I didn't buy it.
Anyway thanks for all the comments and opinions. It seems the consensus is that wheel bearings can go bad at low mileage but having 3 at the same time is unusual. I'll update once I bring it to the indie shop.

 

I tried the side to side and up and down wiggle test but all seemed tight.

AFAIK, these are ball bearings, which don't exhibit much of that sort of motion when they wear out. Tapered roller bearings do though. The reason for holding the coil spring is that the rough bearing transmits vibration into the spring that you should be able to feel when the wheel is turning.

 

Does anyone know if on the Gen 6 OB the whole "hub" has to be replaced, or can you just replace the bearings? Huge difference in cost, just curious. On the last bearings I did, a high miles Mercedes S Class, you could just replace the bearings and my local mom & pop tire shop did it for about $250 out the door for two wheels, using Carquest parts.

 

replacing the Hub is faster but no you do not have to do it.

This is how you get them out after you chock the car and jack stand the front or lift it on a lift

1. remove wheel
2. remove caliper and rotor
3. remove lower ball joint from lower control arm
4. remove axle
5. using a lisle hub tensioner apply tension to the hub
6. get an Astro THOR 498K air hammer
7. go behind hub and hammer around the bearing outside but do not hammer the top where the ABS sensor lives
8. repeat step 7 until bearing comes out. only my 2010 with 190K it took 30 seconds to get each one out.

9. replace hub

or

press hub out of old bearing and press hub into new bearing

10. clean hub mating surface
11 apply anti-seize around edge of bearing where it sits in knuckle. do the same for the knuckle where the bearing rests
12. using the 4 bolts, draw hub evenly back into knuckle, once drawn in torque to spec

reverse steps 1-4

 

Maybe you got an inexperienced CS rep but I'm not exactly surprised they took the opportunity to remind you that they offer extended warranties. We have numerous stories around here of Subaru at least helping out with the cost of a repair but this is a 7 year old vehicle that's well beyond the bumper-to-bumper. It's a little disappointing but not sure I can fault them given given the age.

 

Maybe I was lucky, but my '12 3.6R was running the original rear wheel bearings when we parted ways last April at 12 years ('11 in service date) old and 89k miles. Not a single roar, squeal, or noise indicating they were failing. I only sold it after my '23 Maverick Hybrid showed up. Loved the Outback, which had only a couple of very minor repairs outside normal maintenance in that time. (Fixed a cold weather zing from the starter, OCV sticking after the COVID lock-down in '20 an easy $28 repair, and tie-rod end-links).

Don't get me wrong, I really like my Maverick Hybrid, especially the gas mileage, but if Subaru should bring back a modern Baja, I'd take a really good look at it. Having that bed is super convenient, and I may now be a pick-up person. Even my wife likes us taking it on trips over her Crosstrek.

 

Unfortunately yes. I replaced all four by 80,000. They told me it was normal for the outback.