2nd new oil consumption lawsuit suddenly filed against Subaru

2014 forester 2.5 bought new now has 60,000 miles so its out of warranty has consumed extra oil since new usually 2 quarts between oil changes. I complained of this problem to Subaru dealership on scheduled oil changes,there answer was this is normal consumption. This is one of many new cars I have owned and the first to consume oil between oil changes.I now do my own oil changes within scheduled mileage. My personal experience is oil consumption is more severe on long trips driving at higher rpm's for extended periods.On start up's you can smell burning oil around the rear of vehicle near exhaust also inside of vehicle occasionally. I'm concerned about the longevity of this engine and possible very expensive repair cost in the future,also what is this doing to the spark plugs and the catalytic converter. I'm very disappointed with Subaru's lack of help with this problem and would not recommend this vehicle to anyone.

I purchased a new 2013 Outback 2.5 in October 2012. The first time the low oil light came on was at about 15k (just before next service was due), and I thought "that can't be, this is a new car", but it was down a qt. this has continued to happen about 1000 miles before each service (which I have done according to Subaru at the expensive dealership. After the 2nd quart of oil I started to ask the service department. The staff asked "have you ever owned a Subaru before?". I responded this was my first (probably last!!!) and they told me well this is normal, it's a different kind of engine. I'm now going through the oil consumption testing. What a painful process and such a time sink. I stand firm that I shouldn't have to add oil to my car when it's 10degrees out. This is our "family" car and I don't feel like it's reliable. As others have expressed, I would have never purchased this car if I had been told that it's normal to add oil between every oil change. Subaru is insulting our collective intelligence - this is not ok.

I own a 2011 Outback and LOVE it, But influenced at least 2 people to go with Subarus due to their track record of great performance. Now 2 of them have had this oil consumption problem and the dealerships tell them this is normal….such BS….I love my outback, but will seriously consider a different car in the future…I might not be a "Subaru Girl" any more…..they need to stand behind their products….once something to be proud of.

We bought a brand new car for the first time last year so we didn't have to worry about dependability and safety. As a woman driving home late at night from work on back country roads we thought a Suburu would be the answer. Four of our children have Suburus and love them. From the very beginning our 2014 Forester has had nothing but problems. It is very disconcerting to have the oil level light come on in the middle of the night. At first they tried to convince us that this level of consumption is normal. But we would NEVER have bought a car needing to be checked so often nor requiring an expensive quart every 1200 miles. Do you know how quickly you drive 1200 miles when you live in the country?!!
Finally, the dealership acknowledged the problem and re-ringed the engine at no charge. Alas, the problem was not solved. Last October they acknowledged that was NOT the answer, and said it was a design flaw due to their attempt to increase fuel efficiency. So they put a new short block in. Guess what? Only 3000 miles later the oil level light keeps coming on. So it went in AGAIN today (more than one quart low), and we start yet another consumption test! The dealership and corporate seem to be understanding, have not charged us, and now have given us top priority to resolve the problem or replace the car. But we have had to be tenacious. After many trips to the service department (our time wasted is certainly not compensated!), they are slowly acknowledging that they have a major issue with customer dissatisfaction . I told them that it is a bit ironic that the car all the environmentalists here in Seattle drive is burning that much oil to save gas!!!!

2012 Impreza, bought in Jan 2013 in NH, did all my own oil changes, went to dealership in July for Inspection and told them about it, same reply, "normal" consumption. I blew it off, lived with it, and now see the class action suit. guess I gotta get on the band wagon and sue them as well....I will call the dealership one more time and see if they negotiate, but doubt it......

I was going to trade my 2001 OBW on a new one and did an internet search and came across a whole range of complaints on CarGuru.com . This has definitely stopped me from going back to Subaru. If you really think about it:
1 Quart = 1/4 gallon
2 Quarts = 1/2 gallon
Next time you talk to someone and say you drove 3000 miles and had to add 1/2 gallon of oil, just watch their face. It's strange that state AG has not stepped in.....

What! Say it's not so! Ive owned a 1999 Impreza OBS 115k and 14 years, and looking to 2012 Impreza OBS or XV Crosstrek, but whoooooaaaa! WTH, what years are safe?? 2014 XV Crosstrek? 2015? So dissapointed, and I thought the CVT's were going to be an issue. Come on Subaru! Fix the issue or lose loyal Subaru owners. Ugh.

I bought a brand new 2014 Crosstrek. Within driving the first 2000 km - the oil light came on. When I checked, the engine was down a liter and a half. When I phoned my Subaru dealer, their reply was "it is within acceptable manufactures standards". Every 1500-2000 km, I had to replace a liter to a liter and a half of oil. I began going to an independent shop to have a third party document the oil consumption. Every time I replaced oil, I phoned dealer to complain - got the same mantra - "within acceptable manufacture's standards". I told them to raise their standards because this is completely unacceptable for a new car. Finally the dealer asked me to bring the car in. Told me they replaced the engine. Within driving 2000km on a new engine....same issue. Oil light came on. I was livid. Currently going to arbitration to get them to buy back car. Subaru Canada wants to replace the engine - AGAIN! Third engine in a car that isn't even a year old yet. My advice to anyone considering buying a Subaru....DON'T DO IT!

Purchased my first 2013 Subaru Outback in October 2012. After only 19000 miles my oil light came on while traveling on a road-trip. Upon my return I brought the car into a mechanic as I was 100 miles away from the closest Subaru dealer, and they told me my oil was down 3-4 quarts!!! Excessive Oil Consumption, known by Subaru of America and authorized dealers for certain models, including my 2013 Subaru Outback. They will not fix the problem; but will only offer to test the vehicle for any problem every 1200 miles driven.
When I called to complain, the service department told me I should be checking my oil level every 1200 miles driven, but to bring it in and have it checked for a leak. I’ve never heard of having to check your oil between oil changes unless there is an issue with it. I started an "Oil Consumption Test", brought it back in, and they found no oil leak, or excessive consumption. (Real surprise there!) During another road trip this past December, 2014 (mileage at 21000), the oil light came on again. The mechanic had to put another quart of oil in at 3800 from the time since the synthetic oil change or my first OC Test, or 2600 miles since the completion of the Test. The mechanic agreed that this should not be happening with no evidence of a leak, and that I should notify the dealer of the problem.
My research has found that there are many complaints and even law suits being filed for various models of Subaru. Subaru is failing to notify owners of this problem, therefore, causing excessive costs to the consumer to repair. This potentially creates a safety hazard as the engine could fail at any time.
I have contacted Subaru Headquarters to see if they would take any further action, and their answer is exactly the same as the dealers are offering…do OC Tests every 1200 miles to see IF they find a consumption issue. Then they would (finally) fix the problem by replacing the short block and piston rings as I have a 3 year/36 mile standard warranty, and a lifetime power-train warranty with the local dealer.
After talking with the dealer again, they only offered to continue with Oil Consumption Tests or I could have them take the engine out for additional diagnostics at my expense. This is NOT an acceptable plan as this “testing” could takes months to put the miles on the car, inconvenience for me to continually bring it in for “testing”, hours of my time wasted, and potentially my warranty would run out before they find a “problem”. Thanks Subaru for nothing!

I have had all the same problems with our 2014 Forester. At least 12 times in the shop in less than 2 years. Fortunately our dealership has been very helpful. They finally admitted that it is excessive oil consumption and said corporate recommended re-ringing which they did. Light back on again, more excessive use. Then they said they were no longer doing re-rings but were authorized to do a short block. This was done in November. Oil light on again in less than 2000 miles! They are now replacing the car! Hoping that the next one is better (I would have switched to Toyota, but Suburu will only replace with another Forester) We too have argued that it is unreasonable to expect people to check their oil every other fill up. Also it does not make sense to design a GAS-saving engine that in turn burns OIL!!!!

looking for advice, I just bought a used 2012 impreza, and just found out, after 45 day of driving the car has this problem. the dealership is stating it is not a safety issue, so they won't cover the cost, and the car has 80,000 miles on it, so Subaru is stating they won't cover it either. am I screwed here? I haven't even made my first payment on the car. burned 1 quart of oil in less than 1000 miles!!

Wow I am so thankful for my friend putting me on to this site! Next weekend I was going to trade my car in for a 2015 Forester. Changed my mind for sure. I can't see throwing that kind of money and time into it. Thanks for all of the input here. Back to shopping around.

I have a 2014 crosstrek that has 11,000 miles on it. I drive quite a bit...about 500 miles a week. So far so good. I check the oil regularly as I've always done with my vehicles and it's never needed oil. I'm hoping it stays that way. After hearing about this issue I purchased the extended warranty for 6 years or 100,000. It gives me a peace of mind and I figured it will help sell the car when I want to get rid of it. I'm disappointed to hear that Subaru is not owning up to the problem. It will make me think twice about buying another even though mine doesn't seem to be affected by the issue. I think a car company should stand behind their product and not pretend that it doesn't exist.

I own a 2008 Impreza & 2010 Legacy and they BOTH burn through about 3 quarts between oil changes. Its absurd! I check them every week now that I discovered this & check/top them off weekly now. NEVER had this problem with any other non-Subaru vehicles for over 20 years.

I might be southern but certainly not dumb...We have taken our 2013 Impreza to the local dealership due to the oil light illuminating. They dutifully assured us that this is perfectly normal however...the cars they sell (by their words) are not showing such issues. (we bought ours at a competing dealership in the next city over) This dealership implemented a consumption test by changing the oil and OVERFILLING it by exactly one quart.We took the car to a lube place and had the overfilled level documented to prove that they had indeed put too much oil in the engine. I guess they were planning to show us at the end of the mileage test that it hadn't used any oil at all.....DUH!
We now have contacted the dealership we bought it from and have an appointment tomorrow to have them conduct another test. We spoke with them on the phone and some slick told us that the consumption is "perfectly normal." They told us that the test will be conducted three times at 1500 miles each. If we go along with this, this will put us at the end of the warranty and I am sure that this is their plan. I will never do business with Subaru again as now two dealerships have indicated that they are less than honest. I want in on the class action lawsuit plus...I have close friends in TV and they are going to do a story...He who laughs last, laughs best!

My 2007 Forester had what I thought was unusual oil consumption, by the time I got 207K miles on it it was burning about 1 qt per 1,000 miles. Then it got totaled by a young jackass obviously paying more attention to his smartphone....the folks who change my oil said it was "normal" for a Subaru. The older ones were notorious for leaking oil like a sieve, but I hadn't heard newer ones burn oil like that. Still, for winter driving here in AKw here it is really and literally winter 6 mos a year, the AWD was indispensible. Not nearly as many other competing AWD on the roads here, either hype or real, not sure, but I sure like them.

I have a 2015 Subaru Outback, it should called an Outlaw, that would better describe the Subaru Corporation. They do not stand behind their POS vehicles. I'd crawl through 500 miles of ground glass on my belly before I would buy another Subaru product.

I was in the market to buy an Outback too until I did my research and ran across a forum about the oil problems. That killed my interest in buying any Subaru models due to the corporation handling of the problems.

My 2012 forester just had the short lock replaced because it was burning more than a quart in 1200 miles. Wonder if it will do it again? I was thinking of upgrading to a 2015 forester... Wonder if these are having the same oil consumption issues?

I've owned two Subarus in the past 2 yrs. Forester (2012 - which I LOVED So much!) purchased in 2013 - Ran completely OUT of oil (dip stick was silver!). No "low oil indicator" light. Took it in to dealership I purchased from - complained to no avail. "Oh it just needed an oil change". Next oil change - AGAIN - ran completely out of oil. It was like 50 First Dates. I complained, their response "Oh it just needed an oil change". As it had No warranty, I assumed I had a lemon. I traded at another dealership for a 2014 Crosstrek as that's what they had on the lot and I was scared I was going to blow a pin in the Forester. SAME FRICKIN' ISSUES!!! Brand new car - within 1,500 mi from driving off the lot, low oil indicator light came on. I couldn't Believe it. Took it back to the dealer - they checked and sure enough, I was down a quart. This lovely oil experience has been consistent. I have to carry a quart of oil with me at all times. I have a friend who has a 2013 Impreza and she has to do the same thing. At least my Crosstrek is covered under warranty if anything major should happen. I just don't have the energy to fight. Today am going to test drive Nissans, Fords and Jeeps. No one should have to carry quarts of oil in their car. Shame on Subaru for not owning this problem. I will spread the word.

I bought a certified preowned 2013 crosstrek and have same oil issue as listed above. Bought at dealership in Newton nj. They gave me the bs about needing to check oil every other fill up!!! I freaked out and now after second oil consumption test failure are going to change the engin block?? If this doesn't fix it will see if my lawyer suggests joining in the class action law suit? I did talk to corporate and the guy there seemed pretty nice... So disappointing...crosstrek did great in past winter and stick shift handles great. But this is irritating to be told burning oil is normal and that it is in the manual??? Had read nothing about this in reviews and their ads certainly make it seem like the subaru is the best...may go back to jeep and court if the engine bloc change doesn't fix it..thanks for all of the above info. At least makes me feel like I am not the crazy one..thanks

Man I was shopping around for a Forester or Outback. I thought Subaru was an awesome car maker who puts consumer interest first to build fun family vehicles. After going through this site, I can say I changed my mind. Any car company that steps up against consumers in a form of lawyers in a nice suit deserves a tag for a poor business model. I am glad I ended up in this site. After reading how Subaru handles its customer complaints, I decided not to purchase or promote their product, ever.

I bought a preowned Forrester . I love the car except that it uses a quart of oil every 1000 miles. Never owned a vehicle that used oil before.

Wow. I'm glad I heard about this information. I 'WAS' going to buy a Subaru impreza, but now I'm going to get a much more 'boring' Corolla instead. They use an old engine design in the Corolla and have not made any changes to that engine since 2003, so I know they are good and won't burn oil. But be an old engine in the Corolla but at least it won't give problems.

I've been contemplating the purchase of a Crosstrek XV for a couple years now, waiting for the 2016 model; or am I? I have a friend who's driven Subies for years and years, I'l have to see what sort of OIL issues he's had. I own a Focus 2012 and go 10,000 miles without an oil change and ZERO consumption; using Synthetic oil. Can't recall the last time (or ever) that I had a vehicle that used more than a quart between oil changes of no less than 5000 miles. That includes cars built going back to 1970 that had over 100,000 miles on them. My 1978 Subaru barely consumed oil, maybe 1/2 quart in 5000 miles. It was purchased new in 1978.

I bought a 2014 Certified Pre-Owned Forrester about 8 weeks ago, because I've owned multiple Subarus. I love my wife's 3.6 Outback, so this seemed like an easy decision. HUGE mistake.

The SUV had 11K miles on it, but within 1000 miles of leaving the dealership, the low oil light pop on. No problem, I just assumed they had forgotten to change the oil before I bought it. I took it to my local mechanic, and he told me it was down a quart, so I had the oil changed. 90 bucks.

Within 1200 miles, the oil light came on again. I took to the shop, and ribbed Mike about trying to cheat me after my loyal 15 years of business. He topped it off for free, since it was down 1.5 quarts.

Within another 1000 miles, the lights on again. So I added a quart, called the dealership, and took the Forrester in. They have changed the oil and will do the 120 mile Oil Consumption Test. I'll post the outcome when I'm finished, but after reading all the comments, I can't ever see buying my 7th Subaru. I liked dealing with a company that built and supported good cars. That's not THIS Subaru.