Consumer Reports shows engine major, engine minor and brakes as major issues for that year. I assume the poor engine repair ratings are related to head gasket and similar issues. Our 03 Legacy wagon was in the middle of the head gasket years, and we had no issues.
Only the four cylinder 2.5L was affected. I did use the Subaru Coolant Conditioner as recommended for our car. No head gasket issues for 153K miles, when it was totaled.