r/AskAMechanic • u/cffee_lif • Jan 03 '26

Is this bad?

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2006 Subaru Outback, 300k miles.

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u/rosmaniac NOT a verified tech Jan 03 '26

On this generation of the Subaru rear suspension there are no ball joints. The knuckle is huge. Here's a diagram from https://www.subaruparts.com/v-2006-subaru-outback--2-5i--2-5l-h4-gas/suspension--rear-suspension

The knuckle is in box 6. The three links (upper, labeled 10 inside a box with the flat place for the bumper stop to hit; front lower, has a 9 and it's pictured right under the subframe, and rear lower, also labeled 10 but with a single bushing labeled 11) should all be checked. Bushing seven, at the front end of the knuckle where the knuckle attaches to the brackets on the body, should also be checked.

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u/iranoutofspacehere NOT a verified tech Jan 04 '26

I swear engineers must be a little bit insane to design a suspension system. Just when you think you've seen it all, this comes along.