I recently purchased a '99 legacy wagon with 70,000 miles. I just noticed that when I am turning at a slow speed in a tight radius there is a profound ratcheting effect in the steering. This occurs equally on the right and left, as well as going forward or in reverse. Is this an idiosyncratic feature of all 4WD subarus? Thanks for any education on this.

Do a search on the term "torque bind". If you have questions afterward, let us know.