Subaru Class Action Lawsuit for oil consumption

[LeeH]

An Outback has been on my list of possible next cars for a while. Anybody here having oil consumption problems with their Subies?

Subaru sued over vehicles' oil burning

[Rick V]

The percentage of vehicles in my shop is small. We have replaced three engine for oil consumption in the last year

[RANDY P]

my old Cougar had an 02 Legacy Outback that drank oil at 97K like no tomorrow . She never abused the car but it was constantly using oil, roughly under a quart /1K. My brother's Forrester has same engine, drinks well over a quart every 1K. Never abused or overheated, he owned it since it had 13K on it. He brought it to my attention and he's not a car guy. I googled if that was common, and boy was that an eye-opener.

If you look, oil consumption is a common problem on Subaru flat 4 engines-usually before 100K. Not exactly confidence-inspiring. They are kind of like rotary engines..

[Bugsinrugs]

My 04 wrx leaks more oil than it burns and that is with over200,000 miles.

[pavulon]

'08 Outback 2.5 at 76K miles. Runs M1 and uses/leaks none.

[ZAMIRZ]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

my old Cougar had an 02 Legacy Outback that drank oil at 97K like no tomorrow . She never abused the car but it was constantly using oil, roughly under a quart /1K. My brother's Forrester has same engine, drinks well over a quart every 1K. Never abused or overheated, he owned it since it had 13K on it. He brought it to my attention and he's not a car guy. I googled if that was common, and boy was that an eye-opener.

If you look, oil consumption is a common problem on Subaru flat 4 engines-usually before 100K. Not exactly confidence-inspiring. They are kind of like rotary engines..

I read the first line about 5 times until I figured out what was going on.

I thought you had somehow mated a Mercury Cougar with the engine of an '02 Subaru.

[wdfifteen]

I didn't buy an Outback in 2010 because of an intractable steering wheel shake issue. It's a shame, because Subaru is one of the few vehicles that aren't cookie cutter cars. I looked up who owns Subaru and it was an eye-opener.

Car Brands | Who Owns Which Cars Brands? - Consumer Reports

[TimT]

Another reason why tort reform is needed asap!

There is a large percentage of the population who don't do the most routine checks and preventative maintenance on their vehicles. How often when you are refueling do you see someone with the hood up... checking fluids?

How often while driving down the street do you see someone checking out simple things on their vehicle.... Readers of this board are hard core DIY people so we don't count in the above observations..

My brother has owned multiple Subarus since the around 1995 when he got married... I cant recall him ever mentioning a problem of any sort ( he is a DIY guy)

I'm a first time owner of an '08 WRX it has been bullet proof until last week..... at 157K the seals on the power steering valve body started to leak a bit...

This class action will be a tough one to win.... The language regarding oil consumption in the owners manual states "if oil consumption exceeds 1 quart in 1200 miles contact SUBARU"

Other disclaimers in the oil consumption statement concern operating conditions.. and the frequency oil should be checked while operating the vehicle in severe conditions...

I expect this class action to fail...

[Rick V]

Before a vehicle is determined to be an excessive consumer it has to be certified as such by the dealer.
We do oil consumption tests all the time, and Subaru is very very good at helping out the consumer, even with out of warranty repairs.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by ZAMIRZ

I read the first line about 5 times until I figured out what was going on.

I thought you had somehow mated a Mercury Cougar with the engine of an '02 Subaru.

Oh I mated that Cougar allright... also my 1st experience really working with a Scoobie. She wasn't too happy when I pointed out the oil consumption.

I also learned the hard way that the visible drain plug underneath a boxer is ATF, not Oil. Duh on me.

rjp

[Nickshu]

YES!! I had two 3.6L Outbacks, a 2012 and a 2013. Both used oil at an alarming rate, like an entire quart between oil changes. Both were purchased new and started doing this immediately, continued to 15K miles when I traded both of them (not at the same time, but about the same mileage). Dealer said it was "normal" but that's a lot of oil use for a brand new engine IMHO.
I recall reading that at least the 3.6L motor was built with only two piston rings to reduce friction and may be why more oil gets by?

[Steve Carlton]

What is it with Subaru? I used to think they were on a par with Toyota, Honda, and Mazda, but I don't think so anymore. I have a 2007 Legacy with the 2.5L non-turbo and just found out both of the head gaskets and the oil pan gasket are leaking. The dealer wants $3,200 for it all, so I called Subaru customer assistance and asked for some goodwill love. They said they needed a week to get back to me and took two. They offered me $500 towards the repairs, so I called back, asked for a supervisor and got it up to $1,500. Still not reasonable for a failure that should never happen at 71K miles, in my opinion. I do appreciate the help, but I'm going to wholesale the car and move on. I just don't feel like putting $1,700 into a car for something it shouldn't need. And I'm done with Subaru as well. I had a 2004 WRX which was fine, but this Legacy had trouble right after the 36K warranty ran out as well, and has a weak clutch that generates a burning smell with a bit of a slip. Subaru helped me with the clutch at the time, but I still had to pay a good bit. Looking online I see that head gasket problems have plagued Subaru for many years and a lot of customers have been burned by it. I realize no manufacturer is problem-free, but this just isn't in keeping with Subaru's rather sterling reputation which seems undeserved to me.

[aschen]

I was literally headed out the door this afternoon with my checkbook to buy my wife a new Forrester when I started digging in to this. It sounds like a relatively uncommon thing but these engines are pretty new. I need to get her a car in the next few days. Now I'm torn between sticking with the fossie or getting a Mazda CX 5.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

What is it with Subaru? I used to think they were on a par with Toyota, Honda, and Mazda, but I don't think so anymore.

Unfortunately none of those automakers are what they used to be. Both Honda and Toyota have had major problems in the last ten years. Sludging engines, bad transmissions, and Toyota was hauled before Congress not too long ago. I guess it's Subarus turn.

[LeeH]

I can't imagine oil consumption like that! I put 90K miles on my '06 Mazda5, my current 5, a 2009, has 84K. My wife's 2006 Mazda3 had 130K on it when we traded it in. None of these cars EVER had to have a drop of oil added between changes. All of these cars ran 5000-7500 miles between changes, mostly using Motorcraft synthetic blend. I was just thinking the other day that I am completely out of the habit of checking the oil in my cars because they've never shown below full on the dip stick when it's time for the next oil change. Sure hope this doesn't come back to bite me some day!

[Jeff Higgins]

My wife has been driving her Outback with the four cylinder since we bought it new in 2005. No excessive consumption, no leakage, no burning of oil. It has over 150,000 miles on it.

We bring it to the dealer for all oil changes and other such routine stuff. When she comes home with a "squawk list" of things the dealer found that will need attention, I do them. Brake pads, hoses, belts, etc. This has worked out well for us; the dealer tells her what they think it needs, I verify and repair/replace as required.

Well, the last big squawk was a leaky head gasket. I took a good look, and all looked pretty darn dry underneath. So I did a compression check - good. Hmm... no water in the oil, no oil in the water. Hmm... I got really diligent about checking oil and water, and under the car. Nuthin'. It has now been a year since they told her it needed a head gasket, and it still shows no indication of such. Now I can't decide if they were taking advantage of a woman who might of heard of this "common problem" on the interwebs or what. It certainly didn't need one...

Our next car for her will be another Outback. One of the best cars she has ever owned. She kinda needs an AWD, since her job sends her over the Cascades every month or so, even through winter. The Outback suits her well and has been trouble free for us.

[TimT]

Of course Porsche indicates if consumption exceeds 1.6 qt/ 622 miles an analysis of oil consumption should be performed at the dealer..

Subarus level to take note is 1 qt /1200 miles....

Just love the USA Today"lite" doesn't say what consumption amounts to excessive consumption. One of the premier auto manufacturers specs thats warrants action is 3 times the action level of the maker of everyday cars...

[supdaf]

I am working on my 5th subaru. The first four 95 or 96 legacy wagons. Over 300k miles on a total of 12K outlay. Yes, they were all used. Yes, one of those was bought ($700) as purely a parts car only. Yes, I have subaru parts all over the garage. The most recent, bought this month, a 2006 Legacy GT.

I have a self imposed 1000 mile fluid check. It includes all fluids but the rear diff. I have routinely added a quart of engine oil about every 2k miles. The all run/ran good and always passed emisions.

The question. Would I buy another one? Seems obvious.

[bri450sl]

I have a 2011 Outback 4 cylinder. It has 40k on it already and has been trouble free. No excessive oil burning, nothing. My wife's vehicle and she drives it all over. We do follow the manufacturers maintence plan. I even talked my sister-in-law into getting a new 2013 impreza. So far, she has not experience any excessive oil consumption. This is the first I've heard of this.