This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I want to add my report of oil loss in the hope a recall is made. I found out after purchase that 2012-2014 or 2015 has a known problem with piston rings. With normal local driving I need to top off the oil every couple of weeks. With longer trips, say a couple hours of driving one way, the oil gets a quarter to half way down on the dipstick. I carry oil for all roadtrips and can't forget to keep checking the level. My understanding from many sources online is that Subaru is aware they put in bad piston rings and just call it good enough or within spec, but dumping so much oil isn't right. This isn't a wear and tear problem, although it can get worse over time and lead to other problems. The problem goes away when the rings and the engine block is replaced. Scotty Kilmer on Youtube tells a story of a customer that complained enough and after being persistent had it fixed for free (piston rings and block), and still has no oil loss issues after 60k miles. He also recommended reporting it here. This engine is used in various Subaru's, not just the Legacy.
The contact's son owns a 2013 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed and approaching a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. However, the failure reoccurred on two different occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that her son had added 10 quarts of oil in the vehicle within 2 weeks. The contact referenced Subaru Technical Service Bulletin Number: 02-157-14R. The contact also stated that the exhaust pipe was emitting black smoke. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle needed an engine compression test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 169,000. The consumer stated that they no longer have the vehicle.
Transmission failed. Began to make bad noises then failed to accelerate in an intersection. Was almost hit by another car. Dealer indicated that the Subaru transmissions were only lasting 90, 000 to 100,000 miles before requiring replacement. Contracted Subaru who said they had a voluntary fix, but we were not notified and were outside of the short time frame for the fix. We replaced transmission at cost of $10,000. Subaru offered 1000 off a new car but was not concerned about the safety issue and would not fix/replace the transmission for this known issue.
I received a recall letter about problem with the Engine, They did to Tess at 1200 miles each but the car runs out of oil between 25 and 3000 mile every time but they did nothing about
Oil is consumed excessively. I had an oil change done at around 120K miles and my oil light is popping on to let me know that I need another oil change. I have only driven it 2,000 miles since my last oil change and my oil level is low. Looking back at the Carfax, the previous owner had oil changed every 2,000-3,000 miles, but the owner's manual states that oil should be changed every 5,000 miles. It seems this is a safety hazard and possible EPA violation.
- Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
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Extended crank issue - I've had an extended crank issue with my car for the last 10 months. The car has been taken to the Subaru dealership where it was purchased 3 time. The car spent 30 days in the shop due to this problem. The car is having a very hard time starting after it's been sitting for a few hours. And sometimes not starting at all, when it does eventually start it's cranking for an additional 10-30 seconds. One it does start the engine knocks and runs rough until it warm, then goes away. When the car was at the dealership, I was informed that the extended crank is a known issue for the year I have. I was told the computer system in the car needs to be replaced in order to fix the problem. I representative from Subaru came out to the dealership to look at my car and 2 others same year make and model that were having the same problem. The representative deemed it "normal" he said " nothing I can do until a recall gets approved" and "Subaru needs to fix bugs in the system". he also said that while the car has the extended crank issue it is putting more wear and tear on the engine and it would soon need to be replaced. I was then sent on my way because, they couldn't do anything for me. Needless to say the car is still having issues because of the extended crank, nothing has been resolved.
#1 since the vehicle was purchased I had to add at least one quart of oil to the engine between each recommended oil change. I informed the dealer who had me return approx 1300 miles after my last oil change, which I did. The dealer indicated to me that the oil level was fine. By 3,700 miles the oil warning light came on and I had to add a quart of oil. #2 since the vehicle was purchased I had to turn the rotors or purchase new rotors every 6 month. When you try to stop the braking system has extensive shaking when braking. It makes the car hard to stop when the shaking occurs. When you turn the rotors the shaking goes away but will return in about 4 to 6 months.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph, when the oil warning indicator illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle home and added a quart of oil. The contact also stated that the oil consumption on the vehicle had been an issue for approximately a year, a quart of oil had to be added every 3,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.
I am on my third engine due to the oil consumption issues. I just had a the third engine put in and the light came on at 2300 miles. I also had to replace the catalytic converter and the clutch. I am still having issues with the clutch as well. It's a 2013 Subaru Legacy 2.5L manual transmission and Subaru won't make things right. I spent 80% of my time that I owned it performing oil consumption checks.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Legacy. While driving 40 mph, the oil indicator illuminated without warning. The contact stated that 30 ounces of oil were added to the vehicle and the vehicle consumed 11 ounces of oil every 1,000 miles. The vehicle was not diagnosed, but was tested for an oil consumption failure at the ruge dealer. The results have not yet been determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000.
The car intermittently loses power when accelerating from a stopped position. Most often happens when I am turning left. Subaru says there are no computer codes in the check engine history. Cause unknown but speculation advanced about neural network learning of the computer (seems worst after recent engine rebuild until car was driven for a couple of days where frequency of power loss diminished but not go away). Also proposed: 87 octane gas-should use 92, if not 97 only from oil company stations, not fred meyer or costco even though car is rated to accept 87 octane gas. Other hypotheses: Full gas tank vs 1/2 or less, fuel starvation causes power drop (note: Engine doesn't fully die & can be coaxed back to life by pumping the accelerator), electronic ignition system perhaps the culprit. This problem is dangerous because of the random & sudden (without warning) loss of power which any driver immediately behind my car would not be expecting & thereby cause a rear-end collision. Also, dangerous when entering a lane of traffic & suddenly the power is gone just when you need acceleration in order to merge at traffic speed into your lane. Sometimes problem occurs when going up a low angle incline (est. 10-15 degrees?) but not necessarily. When leaving a stopped position, if left foot is on the brake & right is slightly accelerating in order to pull away more rapidly from stopped position, the controlling computer will sometimes provide zero power to the accelerator but this happens only occasionally & often will work just fine to give the extra acceleration needed. Subaru says this confuses their computer & it will shut down but I have found that this happens about 1/3 of the time, in my experience. Danger comes from losing power during the time you need it the most esp. Left turns which cross traffic lanes before you can merge and driving completely normally.
Oil consumption. I continue to have a problem with this car. Consumes a quart of full synthetic oil every 3000 miles. I received paperwork about a clas action lawsuit which outlines the problem. It's ridiculous; they expect me to produce every receipt for the oil I've purchased over the last 3 years if I want to be reimbursed! dealer still says it's "normal"; I have never had any car burn a quart of oil every 3000 miles regardless of make, age or condition. Naturally, every time this happens I'm on the road any from home so I have to add oil to ensure that I get home ok. Really getting perturbed with the lack of action from the dealer. Noticed you have info about the problem on your site but I have never heard anything about a recall from my dealer.
Issue: Sudden unintended acceleration. 2013 Subaru Legacy. First occurrence when slowly pulling into driveway. Car surged forward with high engine revs. Dealer applied software update, but problem occurred again one month later when slowly driving up to a mail box at the post office. This latest time, car was slowly moving forward - and then 3 high engine revs and surged forward before I turned off the ignition. When I restarted the car, the same thing happened - with the high engine revs and surging forward. After letting the car sit for a few minutes, I was able to start the car and drive the car normally. If there had been another car in front of me, I would have plowed into that car. This is a very unsafe condition. Dealer now has the car and is attempting to re-create the problem.
Since the vehicle was purchased I had to add at least one quart of oil to the engine between each recommended oil change. I informed the dealer who had me return approx 1300 miles after my last oil change, which I did. The dealer indicated to me that the oil level was fine. By 3,700 miles the oil warning light came on and I had to add a quart of oil. The Subaru has approx 24,550 miles. I have never owned a vehicle where I had to add oil prior to scheduled oil change.
The vehicle has a cvt transmission. While driving the vehicle when the speed has stabilized above 40 mph the engine RPM runs at 1750 -1800. Mileage was in the area of 37-40 mpg. I noticed mileage dropping and the engine RPM was settling about 2000-2100. After some research I found out the the only way I could get the RPM to drop into the normal range was to turn off the heater fan or turn the temp to the coldest setting and the RPM would drop from the 2000 range to normal about 1750. There was no other way to make the RPM drop to this range. Contact Subaru and they advised this was normal. I asked the contact person if this was your vehicle would you consider this normal. She said no. So I have been pursing this through Subaru with no results. Its dangerous to have to shift the vehicle with the heater controls. I need help in this matter.
In 2012 December, I purchased a Subaru Legacy,2013, from rye Ford & Subaru. The car has been burning oil in the engine. I have brought my car to the Subaru Legacy dealership many times in an effort to prevent the car from burning oil. At the dealership they changed the block and piston rings, and at the last oil change they reported that every 1000 miles 3 ounces of oil burns. They advised me to carry couple of quarts of oil in the car each time I drive. This problem continues to persist, each time I drive my car. I called the main office in New Jersey and demanded a new car or re-fund for the car I purchased. The main office stated that they would not be able to provide a refund for my car. Within the past two years the dealership has repaired my car several times, but the problem still continues. I have been carrying the additional quarts of oil with me while I drive, but it is not the experience I was looking for when I purchased my Subaru vehicle. I expect to be comfortable and secure when driving my car and my experience with this car has been anything but that. It is very dangerous and I feel unsafe driving this vehicle because it burns oil. My question here is, what good is it to continue to repair a car, when the car has some basic engine trouble, which the dealership cannot diagnose? the problem still remains and my safety is at risk. I am also not comfortable opening the hood, pouring the oil, and watching the odometer all the time to see the mileage on the car. That is not the purpose of buying a new car. The customer should not be put in a position of constantly going back and forth to a car dealership especially when the dealership has already tried to solve this issue and failed to do so. Please understand my situation and please advise the Subaru company to give me a new car with their gold warranty, or refund the purchase price. Updated 4/7/2016
Low oil warning light came on. Took vehicle to dealer. They told me it was normal. At 10,500 miles, same thing happened. Like clockwork, every 3,000 miles the light goes on and I'm down at least a quart of oil. This has happened every 3,000 miles since then. I've been driving for 50+ years and have never had any vehicle, foreign or domestic, use a quart of oil every 3,000 miles no matter how old or new the car was. Being told this is "normal" is ridiculous. There must be flaw in the 2.5L boxer engine produced by Subaru.
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- Wellington, CO, USA