2013 Subaru Outback Engine Problems

Your parked 2013 Subaru Outback caught fire while sitting in your driveway, with smoke coming from under the hood. The fire department had to respond and extinguish the blaze, and your vehicle was deemed a total loss. The cause of the engine fire hasn't been determined, and Subaru was not notified of the incident. Determining the root cause will likely require an inspection by a qualified mechanic or engineer to examine the engine bay for electrical shorts, fuel leaks, or other fire sources.

Your engine is burning through oil much faster than normal due to defective piston rings, which caused the engine to seize at 150,000 miles. Piston rings help seal the combustion chamber and prevent oil from entering the cylinders. Fixing this will likely require engine rebuild or replacement and new piston rings.

Your engine cradle — the metal structure that supports your engine — has developed severe corrosion and needs to be replaced. Both your mechanic and Subaru confirmed the corrosion is significant, but Subaru refused to cover the repair under warranty since your car is 12 years old. You'll likely need to pay out-of-pocket to have the corroded engine cradle removed and replaced with a new one.

Your engine is burning excessive oil between oil changes—starting at about half to three-quarters of a quart and increasing to over 1.5 quarts as the car aged. You've had to replace the oxygen sensor and catalytic converter due to related codes, and found thick oil buildup caked inside the intake manifold and valve components. The owner believes this should have been covered under a class action lawsuit but their vehicle's serial number wasn't included in the recall.

I had 2 dealerships look at my vehicle and both gave me an answer that is blowing me off. As now I have seen it’s a major issue with a lot of people. Oil consumption progressively increased until it was 2 burning 2 quarts of oil for every fill up. That’s ridiculous especially when I was very religious about taking care of my vehicle. I cannot understand how a manufacturer can get away with not issuing a recall to fix their major known problem. It took me awhile to complain and the vehicle has been sitting for awhile now. It only has 145,000 miles on it. I bought a Subaru with taking care of it, keeping up with maintenance and it should have lasted in my opinion at least 200,000 miles. When you pay good money for a product and take care of it you certainly hope it lasts longer than it did. I hope others complain enough that they are forced to do something about it. I am not going to hold my breath. I am sure will not be made to take care of their issues. Know this, I’ll NEVER waste my money on another subraru EVER again! Thanks for letting me vent.

Engine failure due to oil leakage. No “oil light” warning light ever turned on. Engine confirmed failed by repair shop and replaced.

Head gasket leak with 87,000 miles. All recommended service with the dealer except for routine oil changes. This is a safety issue due to the rapid overheating. Luckily for me it happened a few blocks from the dealership, but this could be deadly if I was driving in the desert.

Valve spring broke dropping a valve into the engine and causing engine to seize. This is the same problem as the recall that was issued for other 2013 Subaru models, but it doesn't cover the Outback at this time. Instead, there's only a TSB (#10154425) that they've changed specifications for the valve springs.

AT 95,000 SUBARU REPLACED MY TRANSMISSION WHICH WAS COVERED UNDER AN "EXTENDED WARRANTY". IT IS NOW 1.5 YEARS LATER, I HAVE 117,000 MILES AND THEY SAY I NEED ANOTHER NEW TRANSMISSION BUT BECAUSE IT IS OVER 100,000 MILES THEY WILL NOT COVER IT. I HAVE SINCE FOUND COUNTLESS OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM

THE MOTOR BLEW ON MY 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK WITH ONLY 78K MILES ON IT. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG JUST STOPPED WORKING AND SHUT DOWN. THE 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK HAS KNOWN ISSUES AND HAD MULTIPLE RECALLS. THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN ON A VEHICLE THAT WAS FULLY MAINTAINED AND HAD LESS THEN 100K MILES ON IT.

ON A FREEZING DAY IN NOVEMBER 2019, WHILE RUNNING AN ERRAND FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, MY 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK REVVED AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE WHEN I WAS DRIVING THAT I HAD TO PUSH THE BRAKES DOWN ALL THE WAY TO CONTROL THE SPEED. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL WHILE PULLING UP TO A STOPLIGHT. IT QUIT REVVING SO MUCH, SO WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I PUT BACK IN DRIVE AND WAS CONTROLLABLE. I LET THE CAR SIT FOR AN HOUR AND DROVE AGAIN TOWARDS OUR LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP. WHILE EN ROUTE, IT REVVED AND ACCELERATED AS BEFORE. I WAS ABLE TO PUT IN NEUTRAL AND IT QUIT REVVING. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP, THE CAR WASN'T REVVING ANY MORE. THE SERVICE TECH SAID UNLESS IT WAS DOING IT WHEN I BROUGHT IN, THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY. THE CAR HAS NOT REVVED SINCE. HOWEVER, I READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN OTHER YEAR OUTBACKS AND WANTED TO MAKE THE NHTSA AWARE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT A RED LIGHT, THE ENGINE REVVED UP. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE TO THE RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND LATER WAS TOWED TO SCHUMACHER SUBARU LOCATED AT (3021 OKEECHOBEE BLVD, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33409) AND WAS DIAGNOSED HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 87,145.

FOR THE LAST 50K MILES, OIL CONSUMPTION HAS GOTTEN WORSE AND WORSE. NOW IT NEEDS A QT OF OIL EVERY 600 MILES.

THIS CAR IS AN EXTREME OIL BURNER. WE HAVE TO ADD OIL EVERY 1,000 MILES. THERE WAS A LAWSUIT AND SUBARU IS OFFERING TO REPLACE THE ENGINE BLOCK, BUT OUR DEALERSHIP SAYS THE CAR CONTINUES TO PASS THE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. ALSO, THE CLUTCH JUST WENT OUT AT 58,000 MILES. AFTER AN ONLINE SEARCH, I AM SEEING THIS IS TYPICAL OF THIS CAR.

DATE OF EVENT: 01/11/2020 TIME OF EVENT: 14:00 WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ONTO INTERSTATE 84 OUR 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK CHUGGED THEN COMPLETELY STALLED, REQUIRING AN EMERGENCY LANE SHIFT ONTO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID ENTERING THE BUSY FREEWAY WITH NO ENGINE POWER. LUCKILY THE CAR STARTED UP AGAIN (ALBEIT VERY ROUGHLY) AND WE WERE ABLE TO LIMP IT TO THE NEXT EXIT TO A LOCATION TO BE TOWED. THIS WAS A VERY INTENSE AND SCARY SITUATION THAT THANKFULLY ENDED IN NO INCIDENT. UPON RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM IT APPEARS THIS STALLING ISSUE IS NOT UNCOMMON YET SUBARU DOES NOTHING TO CORRECT IT. THIS WAS A NEAR MISS THAT I ATTRIBUTE TO A RECALL THAT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED VOLUNTARILY BY THE OEM.

I NEED TO PUT A QUART OF OIL EVERY 250 MILES. I DID AN OIL CHECK WITH GRAYSON SUBARU KNOXVILLE TN, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE CAR WAS FINE.

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE CAR GOES THROUGH A QUART OF OIL ABOUT EVERY 700-800 MILES DESPITE REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND MAINTAINCE

THE CAR LOOSES POWER TO THE POINT WHERE IT OCCASIONALLY STALLS WHEN I DECELERATE AND COME TO A STOP OR JUST BEFORE THE STOP. I REPLACED THE BATTERY AS IT WAS ON ITS WAY OUT ANYWAY AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. I DON'T THINK IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ALTERNATOR AND I HAVEN'T BROUGHT THE CAR TO A DEALER OR MECHANIC YET. BUT WANT TO RAISE THE FLAG ON THE ISSUE I'M HAVING BECAUSE I'VE SEEN LOTS OF FORUMS WHERE OTHER FOLKS ARE EXPERIENCING A SIMILAR ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CONSUMED AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL AND ADDITIONAL OIL HAD TO BE ADDED BY THE CONTACT. IN ADDITION, THE LOW OIL WARNING INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTONATION SUBARU ARAPAHOE (9955 E ARAPAHOE RD, CENTENNIAL, CO 80112, (303) 578-6119) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST AND OIL CHANGE WERE NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1-35088528581. THE MANUFACTURER REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30,000.

OIL WAS LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. SUBARU OF AMERICA AUTHORIZED SUBARU OF SONORA, CA TO REPLACE THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS AND RELATED ITEMS/PARTS. THE WORK WAS STARTED ON 8/2/17 AND COMPLETED ON 8/29/17 WITH 95,007 MILES ON THE CAR. THIS REPAIR WORK WAS COMPLETED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. I HAVE A 3 PAGE RECEIPT FROM SUBARU OF SONORA FOR THIS WORK.

WHILE GOING UP OVER THE GRAPEVINE ON I-5 SOUTHBOUND, I NOTICED THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTED CREEPING UPWARD. WHEN I GOT TO THE TOP, EVERYTHING RETURNED TO NORMAL, BUT I WAS CONCERNED. AFTER RETURNING HOME FROM SO. CA, AND AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BY SUBARU OF SONORA TO RECTIFY OUR REPAIR COSTS ISSUE, IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I CALL SUBARU OF AMERICA IN NEW JERSEY. LATER THAT DAY, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL OFFERING A 50/50 COST COVERAGE OF THE $3,636 REPAIR BILL. IN OTHER WORDS, I WOULD PAY HALF AND HALF WOULD BE PAID BY SUBARU OF AMERICA IN NJ. SOA THEN AUTHORIZED SUBARU OF SONORA, CA TO REPLACE THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS ONCE AGAIN (FIRST REPLACED AT 95,000 MILES) AND RELATED ITEMS/PARTS. THE WORK WAS STARTED ON 7/15/19 AND COMPLETED ON 9/3/19 WITH 133,336 MILES ON THE CAR. I HAVE A 2 PAGE RECEIPT FROM SUBARU OF SONORA FOR THIS WORK, ALONG WITH AN EMAIL FROM SOA.

VEHICLE USES OIL EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL AND THIS YEAR OF OUTBACK HAS HAD RECALLS BUT SAID VIN # HAS NOT HAD A RECALL FOR EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION.

LEAKING SEAL ON ENGINE

THE ENGINE MAKES A PINGING TYPE NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX. I GUESSING ITS A POSSIBLE BAD VALVE SPRING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED AND APPROACHING A STOP, THE ENGINE STALLED. UPON ACCELERATING, IT TOOK THREE TO FIVE SECONDS FOR THE VEHICLE TO MOVE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION, OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATES EVERY 3000 MILES INSTEAD OF PURPORTED 7500 MILES. PROBLEMS STARTED IN 2016 AT ABOUT 70,000 MILES. DEALERSHIP DID TEST , CONFIRMED EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION AND IS REPLACING SHORT BLOCK IN VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP STATES EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS PROBLEM.

EVER SINCE WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE, ABOUT EVERY 2,000 MILES THE ENGINE OIL SEEMS TO VANISH, AND I HAVE TO ADD ABOUT A QUART. I RUN THROUGH ABOUT 7 QUARTS A YEAR. WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR, I ASKED THE DEALER WHY THE OIL DIPSTICK INDICATED THE OIL LEVEL WAS WAY ABOVE THE FULL LEVEL. THE DEALER JUST SAID IT MUST HAVE BEEN FILLED TOO MUCH IN THE LAST OIL CHANGE. I THINK IT WAS OVER FILLED SO I WOULDN'T NOTICE IT LEAKING OUT UNTIL A FEW MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR. I HAVE TO KEEP A SPARE QUART IN THE CAR AT ALL TIMES. IF THE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT EVER FAILS, I'M WORRIED I COULD SEIZE THE ENGINE.

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE STALLED, AS IN THE ENGINE DIED. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. USUALLY IT HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED, THE ENGINE WILL DIE, THIS WILL HAPPEN 2-3 TIMES ON EACH OCCURRENCE. IT DOES EVENTUALLY START AND RUN CORRECTLY. A SIMILAR ISSUE OCCURS WHEN COMING TO A STOP. THE ENGINE WILL "FLUTTER" ALMOST DIE AND THEN RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. SO FAR IT HAS NOT LEFT US STRANDED, HOWEVER, I AM CONCERNED AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE AND AT WHAT POINT WILL IT STALL AND NOT START AGAIN. I PLAN ON TAKING IT TO MY DEALERSHIP AND HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT, HOWEVER, THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS NOT COME ON SO I DON'T EXPECT THE COMPUTER HAS STORED ANY CODES FOR THE MECHANIC TO BE ABLE TO TROUBLESHOOT.

2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEMS AFTER REPLACEMENT OF OIL SENDING UNIT. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION, BEFORE THE OIL SENDING UNIT WAS REPLACED. OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THE OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED AT AN INCREASING RATE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO MASK THE PROBLEM BY OVER-FILLING THE RESERVOIR, TELLING THE AMOUNT OF OIL CONSUMER WAS NORMAL, ETC.*JB

VIN: [XXX] YEAR: 2013 VEHICLE: OUTBACK MODEL: 2.5I PREMIUM VEHICLE PURCHASE DATE 08/05/2013 AUGUST 2013 (LESS THAN 2500 MILES IN THE CAR) RETURNING FROM A TRIP PEMBROKE PINES, FL TO CLIFTON, NJ TO PEMBROKE PINES, FL. ON RETURNING TRIP SATURDAY, 11:00 AM OR SO. SOUTHBOUND ON I-95 BEFORE JACKSONVILLE, FL, OIL LIGHT TURN ON. SUBARU ROAD ASSISTANCE RECOMMENDED SUBARU OF JACKSONVILLE, FL. WENT THERE AND THEY POUR SOME OIL AND SAID EVERYTHING WAS FINE. AUGUST 31ST, 2015, STARTED TO TRAVEL TO JACKSONVILLE, TALLAHASSEE AND GAINESVILLE, FL. MORE THAN 3 SIMILAR INCIDENTS IN 2015. JANUARY 2016 SITUATION INCREASES. BETWEEN DEC 2015 AND JAN 2016, CAR REPEATED THE LOW OIL LEVEL SITUATION 3 TIMES. JAN 25, 2016, SUBARU OF JAX RAN A 1200 MILES OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. RESULT WAS NEGATIVE. MISSING OIL WAS BETWEEN SUBARU STANDARDS. WEEKEND ON FRI, 04/08/2016 7:30 PM, DRIVING FROM JAX TO PEMBROKE PINES, FL, LOW OIL LEVEL LIGHT CAME BACK ON. TRIED TO RESET IT SEVERAL TIMES, TURNING THE CAR OFF AND ON. ONLY BY FORT LAUDERDALE LIGHT WENT OFF COMPLETELY. OIL LEVEL CHECKED NEXT DAY 04/09/2016. OIL MISSING ON THE STICK. 2/3 OF QTR. OIL ADDED. MON, 04/11/2016, VISITED SUBARU OF JAX AND REGISTER THE OCCURRENCE. FRI, 05/06/ 2016, FROM JAX TO PEMBROKE PINES, FL AND BACK ON SUN, 05/08/2016. LOW OIL LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON SEVERAL TIMES. NEXT GAS STATION, PURCHASED MOST COMPATIBLE FULL SYNTHETIC QUARTER OIL AND POUR HALF OF THE BOTTLE. LIGHT WENT OFF FOR THE REST OF TRIP. THU, 05/12/2016, WENT TO SUBARU OF JAX TO REPORT PROBLEM EXPERIENCED AND TO MAKE OIL CHANGE AT 49,702 MILES. AGREED WITH SERVICE MANAGER TO USE OIL WITH MORE VISCOSITY, 5W30 INSTEAD OF SUBARU RECOMMENDED 0W20. THEY CHECK OIL LEVEL AND DETERMINE THAT 3/4 OF A QUARTER OF OIL WAS MISSING. SO WE ARE TALKING OF QUARTER OR MORE OF TOTAL OIL MISSING BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. I DIDN'T LIKE THAT. 'INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

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.

TL* 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.

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.

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 SUBARUS 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*BF

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.

OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND HAD TO ADD 1 QUART OF OIL AFTER ABOUT 4000 MILES SINCE PREVIOUS OIL CHANGE. THE CAR TAKES SYNTHETIC OIL AND IS SUPPOSED TO GO 7500 MILES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE HAD TO ADD OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES SEVERAL TIMES, APPROXIMATELY 1-2 QUARTS EVERY 1500 TO 3000 MILES. SUBARU DEALER SAYS THIS IS NORMAL; HOWEVER, WE HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE MOTOR BY THIS CONTINUING TO HAPPEN. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW AND ONLY HAS 23,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

WE ARE EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE OIL LOSS (OVER A QUART) FROM A BRAND NEW CAR. A QUART OF OIL MAGICALLY DISAPPEARING. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

TL* 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.

TL* 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.