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.
This vehicle has several issues. I had an oil change and within 1 week they had to add 1.3 quarts. Car had 23,767 miles. In just over a month I have had to add almost 4 quarts of synthetic oil and spent close to $100 for the oil. The car is an automatic with a manual option and I am also haveing problems where the gears won't change in auto nor manual operation. It revs the engine and I have to stop, turn it off then restart. It happens all the time but the dealer said there is nothing wrong with it..there is also an issue with vibration of the steering wheel all the time and the brakes don't want to catch all the time. Should not have to pump the brakes 2 or 3 times to get them to engage.
This car consumes oil. It's been a consistent problem since turning 25K, we have had 3 oil consumption tests and Subaru states that losing between 1.1qts between service intervals is normal. This is not normal. These engines are flawed. No modern car should consume/lose oil. Having owned a 2009 Subaru Outback impreza sport and knowing others with Subaru Outbacks w/out this problem it is clearly a manufacturing defect that Subaru does not want to assume responsibility for. I urge the NHTSA to investigate these complaints and force Subaru to recall the effected engines.
Engine is burning oil into atmosphere. Getting less than 800 miles before oil light comes on. Consumes over a quart of synthetic motor oil every two weeks. Subaru has been replacing motors for only when people complain and only if they are in warranty, I was outside of warranty when I experienced this, thankfully I bought some extended insurance, however they only replace the motor with a junkyard motor, which may fail again, I already suspect I am burning oil and am indeed facing the same issue after only 4 weeks. Subaru needs to take ownership of this mfgr. Defect. They are polluting the atmosphere and doing as little as possible to resolve. This issue appears to affect a good portion of these cars as evidenced by all of the online chatter about it. They are fully aware of the issue. I only found out about this issue upon noticing lack of power and having my catalytic converter replaced due to it being clogged. I am already noticing this same issue there too. When I bought this car, the issue was already known to Subaru. Yet they did not to resolve the polluting issue. Please look into this to prevent any worse damage to the environment. I am in the process of getting rid of this vehicle, but someone else may be stuck with the same issue. This happens during all driving situations.. eg: Highway or on local roads.
Severe burning oil issue. Releasing toxic smoke into atmosphere. This is a wide spread issue with Subaru 2.5 motors. They are only offering a fix for anyone in warrantee. This is preventing many vehicles from being repaired due to cost of repair. This happens mainly on highway driving for me. I had my engine replaced out of warranty and now the junkyard motor they gave me is doing the same thing. Subaru needs to take ownership of this issue, and needs to fix all of these affected motors.
Check engine light has been activated seven times since the beginning of this summer (2015). Low on oil at first. Dealer changed PCV valve and topped off oil at the time of first engine light activation. Now, just had $1200 of maintenance on it at different dealer. Including change of temp sensor on Nov 2. check engine light on again today, with difficulty starting. Difficulty starting with check engine light has been for check engine indications for last month. Dealer is confounded. I am very concerned with less than 71000 miles. Did purchase an extended warranty for 80000 miles. Did have dealer of original sale have hitch and rear view camera installed prior to delivery.
- Gladstone, MI, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on over two occasions where the failure was able to be replicated, but the failure was undetermined. In addition, the oil warning light randomly illuminated. The vehicle started hesitating and, as the failure progressed, caused the vehicle to stall several times. The contact was able to get the vehicle to restart, but the failure continued to progress. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.
Since 2013 we have made numerous trips to our local Subaru dealer complaining of 'engine knock'. the dealer has provided a wide array of potential 'fixes' to stop the knocking but none have worked. We have tried everything from valve adjustments to additives to chemical 'baths' for the engine but nothing has stopped the knocking. More than one service manager has said that 'knocking' is not good for the engine and needs to be addressed. However, for all their good intentions the problem has not be resolved. While we appreciate the dealer's efforts we did not pay cash (full price) to purchase a vehicle that does not perform to standard. Seeing that all 'fixes' by Subaru have failed we would like our money back for the original purchase price or have the car replaced with a new Subaru Outback.
Had an oil change done at the dealership in danvers March 2015. In Sept. 2015, after travelling 4,000 miles, engine light came on. Had to add 2 quarts of oil. This is not the first time that we needed to add oil between services. All service records are up to date and were done at the same dealership where car was purchased. The car was purchased brand new. At this present time the car has only 20,100 miles. Dealership keeps saying that this is normal for a car to go through this much oil. I have had five Subaru and never have had one that used oil like this one. The daily driver is 75 years old and does not race it or use it as a tow vehicle (there is no tow hitch). The engine is incredibly rough when starting and can hear it idling rough as well as feeling the vibrations in the cabin.
The engine oil light turned on. Stopped to check oil--was very low. Bought a quart to add to the car. Took to dealership and explained what had happened. It has occurred two times already--same ordeal where I have to add oil to the engine. When will NHTSA start investigating this? I have read and talked to other Outback owners with the same issue. Right now the dealership has put the car on a 1200 mile inspection test..... updated 09/30/15
After 28,000 miles and noticed at drive through locations the sickly sweet smell of antifreeze was noticed. I took car to dealer who pressure tested and inspected coolant system. Nothing unusual was noticed and no leaks were discovered. Drove car later in the day and smell returned, will drive more and if smell is noticed again will return to dealer. Could arise from oil changes and if leveling the fluid level the spill burnoff could be where the smell comes from... when starting car the engine revs at a high speed but that is normal from this particular vehicle so after starting I pause a bit before shifting and driving. Other than the antifreeze smell the car is a pleasure to drive.
My 2013 Subaru Outback premium 2.5 has a caution light in the instrument panel that illuminates as a reminder for the operator to check the engine oil. The owners manual states the light indicates low engine oil levels and recommends adding oil to prevent engine damage. I add a minimum 1 quart of oil, on a recurring cycle, to return the oil level to the full mark on the oil dipstick. My Subaru Outback requires adding approx. 1 quart of oil every 1800 miles between oil changes.
Oil consumption problem. Oil light comes on before recommended oil change. Did 1200 mile oil consumption test with no oil burned. At about 5,000 miles oil light comes on again. I believe there is a tsb out but I believe Subaru should fix problem regardless of expense. Still under warranty. Still working with dealer who have been very good about this problem so far.
On 1000 mile one way trip the oil light came on and it could checked out for another 100 miles. This was not too dangerous but my wife is 67 years old, doesn't understand car engines and was very frightened about what to do. They stopped the car immediately and called me, to ask what to do. For anyone, especially women stopped at the side of the interstate this creates a dangerous situation. I have been told that ntsb has been told of the excessive oil consumption of Subaru Outback, legacy and other Subaru models using a defective oil ring. It seems to me that this presents several dangers considering especially the cost of the repair. Because of this cost the repairs will probably go without correction. This situation could lead to severe loss of compression, power and a dangerous problem when acceleration is critical.
Excessive oil consumption: The vehicle was purchased new in December 2012. At mileage 4,682, the engine oil level warning light illuminated. I took it to the original dealer and they observed that the oil level was low and they topped it off. The next time the light illuminated, the dealer initiated an oil consumption test. According to the test parameters, the vehicle did not consume oil excessively during the test period. Following the first test, the engine oil level warning light illuminated on 2 other occasions and the dealer performed 2 modified oil consumption tests (see fb engine oil control ring tsb oil consumption test). Again both tests showed no oil consumption during the test interval. The second test was performed at 16,976 miles and the third test performed at 20,896 miles. The light would illuminate prior to the next schedule oil change (dealer recommends 5,550 miles) at approximately 3,500 miles. I submitted a warranty claim with Subaru North America and they authorized a short block replacement at 22,270 miles.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 5 mph and making a left turn, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and resumed normal operation. The failure occurred multiple times. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 7,500.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. While accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle lunged forward and stalled. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,500.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. While driving 60 mph, the oil change indicator illuminated. The contact adhered to the oil change schedule, but the failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.
After stopping at a stop sign, I attempted to drive off, but the car did not accelerate on application of the throttle pedal. The engine remained at idle, and the car rolled slowly into the intersection. Nothing I did corrected the problem until I placed the transmission in park, turned off the engine, then re-started the car. The car then performed normally until I reached the next stop sign, where the problem repeated. In all, the problem occurred seven (7) times on this day, apparently at random. That is, at some stops the car performed normally, and at other stops, the car failed to accelerate when the throttle pedal was depressed. The service department at my Subaru dealer was unable to replicate the problem and therefore performed no repairs. Two weeks later, the problem occurred again, three (3) times in two days. This is an extremely dangerous problem, because it can leave the car in a busy intersection without the ability to move until the driver turns off the car and then re-starts it. This problem has been noted by other Subaru Outback owners in online forums, and at least one other vehicle safety complaint has been filed regarding this problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Red House, WV, USA