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Subaru has topped Lexus and Toyota in Consumer Reports’ 2025 assessment of new car reliability. However, an auto enthusiast who goes by Not a GSR on TikTok has some harsh words for the auto brand. That’s because he believes the car maker’s engineering practices leave much to be desired.
Although Subaru has swarms of devotees, his scathing social media post argues why this shouldn’t be the case.
The TikToker (@not.a.gsr) begins his clip by shouting directly into the camera’s lens. His disdain for the JDM brand is palpable as he decries the vehicle. Behind him is a green-screen photo of a Subaru vehicle with a popped open hood. “And y’all always wonder why I [curse] on Subarus,” he says at the top of the clip. Someone can be seen holding a grip of head gasket mounts in his hand while standing in front of the car.
According to the influencer, the picture is a screenshot of a Subaru driver boasting about the number of head gaskets he’s blown on his engine. He believes that due to the sheer number of wrecked gaskets, the driver’s motor is shot. “Look at this garbage…you went through like 12 motors. There’s no way, zero way, that you blew a head gasket this many times and did not warp the block once. There is zero shot that’s the original [curse] motor in that car,” he says.
Furthermore, he addresses the criticism he’s received for his diatribes against the Japanese automaker. The TikToker says that his Subaru slander isn’t rooted in personal bias. But rather his distaste for their engineering practices. “Y’all are always saying you’re the number one Subaru hater. Why the [curse] you think that I [curse] hate Subarus? Y’all understand, y’all [curse] must not work on cars.”
Moreover, he said that performing a head gasket replacement on Subaru vehicles is a frustrating process. “Do you understand how [curse] hard it is to do the head gaskets on a Subaru? Mind the…head gaskets even the spark plugs on this [curse]. Gotta raise the whole [curse] motor up. To do the head gaskets on a [curse] Subaru you have to pull the entire engine out of the car. So why the [curse] do you guys think that I hate these cars so passionately?” he asks into the camera.
Additionally, he remarks that holding up blown mounts for a photo isn’t something to be proud of. “I [curse] hate Subarus. This [curse] is not a flex, gang. Your car is about to explode at any given moment. How do you blow this many [curse] head gaskets? You know what’s crazy?”
Following this, he speculates that these destroyed gaskets are probably aftermarket parts. Ones that he assumes are more stalwart than the ones that Subarus are originally outfitted with. “And I bet you any amount of money, every single one of these is an upgraded head gasket. Not a stock one, not an OEM one. These are upgraded, probably triple [curse] layer metal head gaskets. Supposedly indestructible head gaskets. You need an…adamantium head gasket for this [curse] not to blow,” he yells.
“At this point, y’all should just consider welding the [curse] heads onto your blocks. That is the only way, that’s the only way at this point…[curse] Subarus,” he says, ending his invective.
He isn’t the only one who’s stated that blown head gaskets are a common issue with the Japanese cars. A Reddit user asked why the brand is commonly associated with this recurring problem. One Subaru BRZ owned penned in the comments section of the r/cars post that this was due to incompatible engine coolant. “For over a decade, Subaru’s head gaskets weren’t compatible with the engine coolant and would develop a leak,” they penned.
Further, they said “it was often an external leak. Coolant and oil would often leak out of the engine and not enter the combustion chambers or mix together like a typical blown head gasket.” The blog Car From Japan also addressed the “Subaru Head Gasket Problem,” in this write-up here.
According to the outlet, head gaskets on specific make and model years were primarily affected. Impreza, Forester, Legacy G.T. and Outback vehicles manufactured “between 1996 and 1999” purportedly suffered head gasket issues. Like the aforementioned Reddit thread, the Car From Japan post referenced coolant loss prompting head gasket leaks in these motors. Moreover, 2000 Legacy and Outback cars were also said to have this same problem.
As reported by the website, Subaru’s decision to use “a composite head gasket in some of their car models” was to blame. They went on to state that a recall for these components weren’t issued. But that a fix applied to cylinder heads and configurations of the camshaft, “only led to the coolant and oil leak at the external head gasket.”
A user on the Ultimate Subaru forum also echoed Not a GSR’s critiques of how to repair the automaker’s engines. “The right way to repair Subaru head gaskets is to remove the engine from the vehicle and put it on a stand,” they penned.
Some commenters rejected the TikToker’s harsh words directed at the brand. One penned: “Nah stock EJs last forever, it’s when people tune their car without improving any internals that they blow.”
While another simply wrote: “Did someone say unreliable?” They attached a photo of a Subaru odometer reading to their comment which indicates the car clocked 464,000 miles.
Another penned that they thought taking the engine out of the car really isn’t that big of a deal. “Taking the engine out of the Subarus is easy asf tho,” they said.
MotorBiscuit reached out to Not a GSR via TikTok comment about his experience in repairing Subaru engines.
Mustafa Gatollari is a MotorBiscuit Contributing Writer focused on practical buying advice for everyday drivers. He helps readers find reliable cars that won’t break the bank or leave them stranded, treating vehicles as a key part of daily life. Based in Northern New Jersey, Mustafa holds an MFA from Rutgers University–Newark. When he’s not writing about cars or viral media, he explores the paranormal through “Haunted Discoveries,” a series he created with his A&E “Ghost Hunters” colleague Brandon Alvis, and co-wrote Elements of a Haunting, published by Llewellyn Worldwide.

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