At 1200 miles my new Foresters' oil light came on and it was a quart+ low. I added the required 0-W-20 oil and immediately called the dealer for an appt. By the time I could secure an appt. the odometer was at 1332 miles. The dealer drained the oil and filled it up again and asked that I perform a consumption test and return immediately when the car has completed 1200 miles on the oil change or the oil light comes on again; which ever is first. Currently I've driven a total 1962 miles; 630 miles since the consumption test was initiated and the dipstick is showing about 4/10 of a quart loss.

I am a little nervous that others with this problem are hearing from their dealers that a quart loss is NORMAL in so few miles. I'm awaiting my dealer's opinion after the consumption test; somewhat anxiously I might add. This is our families' seventh Subaru and we've never experienced such oil use/loss. I also own a 2013 Subaru BRZ which requires 0-W-20 synthetic oil. At its' last oil change, about 26,000 miles, it was only about a half quart low after 6,000 miles. Many manufacturers are now recommending the lighter synthetic in an effort to increase gas mileage on their vehicles. This problem may only be partly due to the new recommendation. As one poster has noted; this oil is expensive and with a 6000 mile change interval, we'll be using a lot of oil between scheduled oil changes. Others on the web have suggested that their dealers' have rebuilt their engines and installed new piston rings in an attempt to FIX the oil consumption.

Update from Sep 5, 2015: The dealer, Van Bortel, Subaru agreed that the consumption exceeded the allowable limits and they installed a short-block as a free fix. At 1300 miles the engine has consumed about 1/2 quart. I suspect this oil loss is due to a leak since I smell hot oil after the vehicle is standing. No oil is reaching the pavement however. I am completely satisfied with my dealer thus far. I'll have them check for oil leaks after I have a better handle on the new oil losses.

I'm really just trying to follow up on this as I just heard about the potential for problems with excessive oil consumption with 2015 Subaru Foresters.

What I've read seems to indicate the problem surfaces relatively quickly. We've had ours for almost a year and took it in for its first service at 4280 miles (a bit early, I know).

They did an oil change, etc. There was no indication there was an issue with this; no oil light ever came on, etc.

But now I'm freaked out as I'm about ready to take it on a road trip.

We're only at roughly 5700 miles now; hoping all will be ok!

I bought a brand NEW 2015 Subaru Forester 2.5i, manual transmission in July of 2014. It started to eat oil from the beginning but the dealer said it was normal until the engine breaks in. So I continued to drive it and the oil consumption got worse. I was going through a quart every 1500 miles and the dealer said that's NORMAL for this type of car.(BULLS*#T) Now at 20,000mi and I'm burning a quart every 2000 miles. I should NOT need to add 3 quarts of oil between changes. I have spoke to several experienced mechanics and they agree this much oil consumption is NOT NORMAL. I'm going to go to a different dealer for the "consumption test". Can't wait to here what they say about this. Will keep you folks posted.

I did much research on SUV type cars before picking the 2015 Subaru Forester. The mileage for gas is what sold me and also I loved the style of the car. I have heard many positive shares form others that have owned Subarus as well, so I was feeling pretty confident on getting a good quality car for my money. I truly do love the car it just has some issues that I feel are pretty serious.

The car makes a pinging noise and when I brought it in they did a software update and said one of their technicians took it for a ride and it was not an "abnormal" ping. I'm sorry, but any brand new car that makes a pinging sound should be abnormal in my book!

Then as I was just getting to 3,000 miles the add oil light came on. I looked this up in the owners manual and it said this could be due to the break in period of the motor and to add oil. I added a quart as the dipstick seemed like it had nothing on it. I was hoping this was a one time happening but it has happened 4-6 more times since always after an oil change as I am nearing the 3,000 mile mark. This oil is supposed to last 6000 miles and it is EXPENSIVE!!

I called my service center and they told me they would have to do an oil consumption test, bring it in have oil changed, drive 1200 miles, bring it back in, drive 1200 miles etc until they find when it was using oil. I haven't done that yet but in the meantime I was sent a Survey and honestly expressed my concerns. I thought this survey went to my local dealer but to my surprise it went to Subaru of America. They called my local dealer and told them to contact me and get the car in there. I just literally got off the phone with them and made an appointment for Wednesday. I will keep you all informed but I am elated that Subaru of America takes their customers seriously and it seems they are attempting to make things right.

If they take care of this issue with me I will be supporting and promoting and buying Subaru for the rest of my life. In today's world many companies could care less about their customers once a sale is made. I respect Subaru even for the little they have done so far. I will keep you all posted!!

I purchased a brand new 2015 Forester recently. At 1148 miles the check oil light came on. We checked the oil repeatedly, waiting for the oil to fully drop down. The oil level was at the very bottom of the dipstick, only a few millimeters from the bottom. This is way more than a quart low. We estimate about 1 and 3/4 quarts assuming an even relationship between the distance on the stick and the amount of oil burned.

After, much complaining about this and then pursuing an oil consumption test, I find out online that oil burning is a problem with Subaru's. I can't believe the problem is noted and not fixed.

We are still doing an oil consumption test. However, this is a brand new car and I didn't expect to be in the mechanics shop before I even got my plates.

According to the Subaru service head mechanic, burning 1 quart of oil in 3000 miles is considered ~normal!. This means that it is considered normal to add 2 quarts of oil between oil changes. And this oil is not easy to find, so it's best to carry it with you, especially for trips.

Isn't burning oil hard on the engine? The Subaru service guy says that it is only things like engine misfiring that affect the catalytic converter to go bad.

The car smells like my older truck that had a bad engine and was burning oil too. That truck had a reason to smell bad. And that truck didn't smell bad when I bought it new.

I feel I am not being taken seriously. Everyone says they will "take care of me" But then I find out that just means to tell me it is normal. Or perhaps to take it in for oil ring replacements. But didn't they identify this problem already? Is it something else?

If I had known about the oil burning, I would not have bought the car.

The Subaru mechanic says the burning of one quart per 3000 miles (more than my car does) is NORMAL, which I can't believe.

Update from Sep 1, 2014: I brought it to the nearest Subaru dealer, a Ladin Subaru for an engine oil consumption test. I also complained about minor but intermittent loss of power (in terms of I would be driving and suddenly feel like the engine wasn't able to push for a split second....just like I used to feel sometimes when I had a car with piston problems...as I was driving. For split second here and there several times a minute, and then would go away for hours. ) They indicated this may have been due to the low engine oil levels, as the computer would adjust based on oil pressure.

After filling with oil, and driving for a few days, I noticed the intermittent power loss was still there, so it wasn't due to low oil levels or pressure.

I should note that when the oil light came on originally, it also came on with an insistent beeping sound and a check oil levels light. My partner was driving and he indicates not only the yellow oil level indicator light came on, but also the red oil pressure indicator light came on. He pulled over right away and I only heard the beeping and the sign on the central screen to check oil levels, but did not see the yellow or red dash lights, since he turned the car off immediately to prevent damage to the car.

We were told to check the oil regularly on a cold engine. So I would wait an hour after arriving somewhere and then check oil. Or check the oil before gong somewhere. The oil levels were dropping quickly. Wanting independent confirmation, I asked my boyfriend to check the oil after the car had been sitting for over an hour. He came up with well over half a quart low -- assuming 1 quart between the top and bottom marks. The oil level was less than half way up.) This was six days after starting the engine oil consumption test, and was the about the same as what I had been measuring over the last day or two. I checked the oil level again in a few days and found it was even lower. We were only 800 or so miles into our oil consumption test, but I thought it best to bring it in to get measured, so that we wouldn't be getting the check oil light on again during the weekend when the shop was closed.
So I brought it back in to Ladin Subaru, where the front service guy made a point of checking it himself. He told me the level was right below the top line. And he waited, checked again, and then told me had had to add only 1 oz of oil. I asked how much an ounce was, was it a weight ounce or a fluid ounce. He said he didn't know and just indicated the amount with his hands.

This made absolutely no sense. I didn't know who would take my word over a mechanic's so I held my peace. I was worried that he had overfilled it perhaps, so I had a friend very experienced with cars check my oil level to be sure he had filled it to the top again. She said it was good. (that was a thursday)

The following MOnday (after weekend trip), she checked again, and the levels were nearly half a quart low. I decided this time I would ask to be present when the oil levels were read. This is a brand new car and I didn't want to be putting extra miles on the car waiting to figure out if there is a problem, when i BOUGHT the car like this and wanted it addressed before it got too many miles on it. I didn't think anyone would believe me over a mechanic which was why I decided I needed lots of people to check the oil for me to get independent confirmation.

In less than one week (Sunday afternoon), the oil light comes on again. THis time there wasn't the same repeated beeping, and the light seems to come on or go off depending on whether we are going downhill or pointing up, respectively. We are near Kirby Subaru, so we drive over and get the sales guys to look at the oil level so we have confirmation. It is almost a quart low. They offer to fill it with oil. Since it's above the low level, and we need to have confirmation that the car is actually burning oil, we ask them for advice. They suggest taking a quart of oil with us in case we need to add it, and trying to make it to Tuesday, the first day the shop will be open, for the oil consumption test reading.

The problem is continuing. We are using up a lot of oil.

When I called the dealer earlier to request some action, even if it meant having him call Subaru on my behalf or asking to speak to the owner or manager, he suggested instead I talk to the head mechanic. He said it was a mechanical issue, not a sales issue. But isn't is dishonest not to admit there is a problem with oil burning with some of the vehicles? (duh, I know, not a lot of cars will get sold that way ) I would certainly have thought twice, and it probably would not have.

I did speak the the Kirby Subaru head service guy for over an hour.

The Kirby Subaru mechanic didn't exactly call it a problem, and tried to soothe me and convice me it was normal and good for my engine to burn oil. He said the technical service bulletins were only for oil rings for the Forester, and not for other models of Subaru and only for certain years, certainly not mine. He told me that with increased desire for fuel efficiency, engine design was changing such that engines burned oil now. He said to look in teh owner's manual for the allowable levels of oil consumption in a Forester. I did, and it was 1.1 quarts in 1200 miles. Since oil changes are every 6000 miles for the Forester, this means Subaru thinks it is okay to consume up to 5 quarts of oil between oil changes!! That's a lot of oil to carry around. Especially for a BRAND NEW CAR!!! I know we are trying to have more fuel efficient cars, but burning this much oil is ridiculous and expensive and problematic.

I also disagree that it is normal, since I know other forester owners who do not have any issues with their Forester's burning oil. It seems that this is an error in some engines and not others, but Subaru is sweeping those cars under the rug that do have the problem and saying those cars are just like the cars that don't burn oil, all normal and good.

I will bring the car in tomorrow to get the oil level read officially.

There have been no fixes offered. One mechanic did say, based on teh results of the test, that they might have to take the engine apart to change something (I can't remember what) and that it was a large project that would take a minimum of 4 to 5 days.

What worries me most is the effect of this oil burning on the longevity of my engine and other parts sensitive to the effects of burning oil rather than gasoline. Was the car specifically DESIGNED to burn oil? Has anyone had problems with passing smog tests due to high consumption of oil?

I

Folks need to understand that Subaru recommends oil changes every 6,000 miles using SYNTHETIC motor oil. Needless to say, this is expensive. I thought the purpose of synthetic motor oil was it performed much better and LASTER MUCH LONGER than regular motor oil. It kind of defeats the purpose if you have to replace synthetic motor oil every 6,000 miles in order to maintain your warranty.

Update from Sep 19, 2014: I just had my first service at 6,000 miles. I checked the oil level before I took it to the dealer. It looked good to me with no appreciable decrease. I see where someone else in this forum has complained about their Forester burning oil. All cars burn oil, but geez, yours seem excessive regardless of whether or not is within Subaru's mechanical/maintenance tolerances. Good luck.