Like the title says, '96 Legacy with 2.2L, the plastic radiator started coming apart.  Found a leak in the upper radiator hose, pulled the hose off to replace it, and found a ring inside the hose!  I looked at the neck the hose clamped to, and found that the ring was the outer half of the neck.  Got a new radiator from Napa, and all is well again for now.  Hope this one lasts 26 years like the last one. 

Picture of the busted bit attached.

Very common on any plastic radiator.  Highly unlikely for aftermarket to be made of as high quality plastics, but I haven't seen any failures of them yet and have installed a couple dozen. 

Had that happen to an aftermarket radiator in our 95 RHD Legacy. The OE started loosing the fins between the tubes at the bottom of the radiator.

We are already seeing this on 2011's and 2012's. 10 years is about the useful life of a plastic radiator - especially with the new OAT blue coolant. Seems to be causing softening of the plastics. We just saw a lower tank failure on a 2014 a few months ago. We are now telling people 6-8 years is time for replacement. 

Also we are now mandating all plastic cam sprockets be replaced if we touch them. All are now 10 years old and we have had a few just come apart. One flew apart and bent 8 valves in a 2010 Forester about 11 months after a head gasket replacement. The plastic sheared off of the steel sprocket it was molded around. No appearance of cracks or damage on the remaining "ring" of the sprocket. Had a 25D sprocket explode a few years ago also - found all the pieces and nothing missing or chipped.

Welcome to plastic.

GD

already replaced the rad on my 06 WRX - under 80K miles. slow leak at top tank crimp.

Pretty common. You’re lucky you got it before the side tank blew out and took out the HGs or engine with it. 

That was my introduction to plastic end tanks. 

Then the best yet came - blew two heater cores in the middle of summer. That was fun. All of this was in my L series. 

Cheers 

Bennie