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If you've owned an older Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, or Impreza, you know some models burn oil between changes. Some owners report they check the vehicle's dipstick and add a quart of oil every 1000-2000 miles. While it's not normal, some older Subaru engines have had excessive oil consumption issues.
Consumer Reports has identified which automakers, engines, and model years that owners report adding at least a quart of oil between oil changes. Subaru's 2.0-liter engine in the Crosstrek and Impreza, the 2.5-liter engine in the Forester, and the 3.6-liter engine in the Outback are on the list.
Which Subaru models and years burn the most oil?
Owners report the 2013-2014 Subaru Forester model years have oil consumption issues. Some 2012-2013 Subaru Crosstrek and Impreza owners say its engine burns oil between changes.
The 2010-2012 Subaru Outback 3.6-liter 6-cylinder engine is also listed as an engine that burns excessive oil. Subaru discontinued the 3.6R model in the Outback and Legacy for the 2020 model year and introduced the all-new 2.4-liter turbocharged Boxer engine. There have been no problems with the new engine.
Do some Subaru vehicles have an oil consumption problem?
Torque News has documented Subaru's oil consumption problem in certain engines. The vehicles affected most seem to be 2011-2014 Forester (2.5-liter engine), 2013 Legacy (2.5-liter engine) 2013 Outback (2.5-liter engine) 2012-2013 Impreza (2.0-liter engine) and 2013 XV Crosstrek (2.0-liter engine).
Why do some older Subaru models burn oil?
The CR report says oil consumption issues surfaced after federal fuel-economy standards became more demanding. The mandates forced automakers to make trade-offs in engine design that would increase fuel efficiency but, in some cases, had an adverse effect on durability.
Using transmissions that keep the engine in the optimal higher RPM range is also a contributing factor. Subaru uses a Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission (CVT) that steps up engine RPMs and helps maximize fuel efficiency.
In the wake of an oil consumption class-action lawsuit, documented by Torque News, Subaru extended the factory warranty on some models (previously five years or 60,000 miles) to eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Read the full class-action lawsuit report here.
Has Subaru corrected the oil consumption issue?
According to Consumer Reports, there were significant improvements in the three Subaru engines listed above after the 2014 model year. Owners reported they were not adding oil between regular service appointments in 2015 and newer models.
Reports say the Japanese automaker redesigned the 2.5-liter engine in the Forester and Outback in 2012 and has fixed the problem. Some 2012 Subaru Forester models could still have the older engine design before the automaker changed over to the next-generation 2.5-liter Boxer engine.
In Consumer Reports annual surveys, owners now report zero problems in 2019 and newer Subaru models. New car shoppers will find the 2021 Subaru Forester and Outback 2.5-liter engine and Crosstrek and Impreza 2.0-liter engines are fuel-efficient and reliable.
You Might Also Like: The Newly-Refreshed 2022 Subaru Forester Update - 5 New Details Revealed Before The U.S. Debut
Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Comments
Bought a new 2021 Crosstrek
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Bought a new 2021 Crosstrek with the 2.0 liter. It started out using about 1 quart between changes. By the time it reached 20,000 miles it was using 2 quarts between changes. I started complaining at that point. By the time I hit about 30,000 miles it was consuming 4 quarts between changes. The dealership did an oil consumption test. It failed miserably. They have no clue where a gallon of oil is going between oil changes. They ordered a new engine under warranty and will give me a loaner vehicle while mine is down for the engine switch. No complaints from me…
never knew about the class
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never knew about the class action lawsuit and my 2013 Outback burns oil like crazy, 2-3 quarts between changes and unfortunately my Outback has 110,000 now, I just missed out on basically a new car. My luck is only bad...
I’ve seen this issue a lot ,
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I’ve seen this issue a lot , even after Subaru did oil consumption test , the dealer refuses to acknowledge the problem. Now I’m losing oil every 2k miles . I’ve 2012 Limited Forester model at 133K runs like beast but the oil changes are become too often . Seeking a electric car soon ! Love Subaru though
My 2013 XV (70,000kms on the
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My 2013 XV (70,000kms on the clock) usually needs a litre of oil between services .
I now carry 1 Litre for when I see the oil light come on!
I have a 2013 Forester long
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I have a 2013 Forester long story short we had the oil troubles like so many on this site. Regular oil changes but between the oil was disappearing. Our oil engine light never came on to warn us. Well even though we took all the precautions we could ,while on vacation in Florida the engineer died. We ended up putting in a new engine and are still driving the car with no more oil problems. We bought the car because my husband had a base model Subaru Legacy L that never burned an ounce of oil even with 395,000 miles so we thought the quality would be passed down through the years.
2012forester was an oil
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2012forester was an oil burner,it seized up aexiting the interstate.bought 2014 and it’s an oil burner also.my wife loves her car and wants to know if they will ever correct this problem.I,myself will discourage her from ever buying one again. Starlyn
Hmm, I complained to my
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Hmm, I complained to my Subaru dealer several times that I was getting low oil warnings on my 2014 Forester well before I hit 100k and they told me everything was fine. Does this mean I was hosed out of getting Subaru to fix the problem as a result?
Have a 2015 Subaru Forester
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Have a 2015 Subaru Forester which started burning oil at about 55,000 miles between oil changes. I now have 84,000 miles and burns a quart of oil between 3500-4000 miles. Had oil consumption test done which they had to add a quart of oil when the light came on after 3800 miles. Their reply was there is nothing wrong and they will do nothing about it. Subaru states they are #1 in customer satisfaction but according to all the problems people are having, they refuse to acknowledge it.
Have a 2015 Subaru Forester
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Have a 2015 Subaru Forester which started burning oil at about 55,000 miles between oil changes. I now have 84,000 miles and burns a quart of oil between 3500-4000 miles. Had oil consumption test done which they had to add a quart of oil when the light came on after 3800 miles. Their reply was there is nothing wrong and they will do nothing about it. Subaru states they are #1 in customer satisfaction but according to all the problems people are having, they refuse to acknowledge it.
We have owned two Subaru
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We have owned two Subaru Outbacks and both have burned a quart of oil between oil changes. Our newest is a 2019 Outback and it does burn a quart of oil after about 4000 miles. We have had the oil light come on whenever we’ve been on a trip and have driven several hundred miles at highway speeds constantly. This should not happen.
2013 Legacy burns at least
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2013 Legacy burns at least one quart between oil changes. Car has about 150,000 k on it. Seems to be getting worse over time. Was thinking about using 5w30 instead of the 0w20 to see if it helps. Like the Subarus but this really sucks with a quart of oil being $7- 8dollars.
I have a 2017 outback that is
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I have a 2017 outback that is having an oil consumption issue. Had a test last year and it passed. The low oil light had come on around the time of my expected oil change. No issue on the last oil change. Just had the light go on with 2 months to go to oil change and 2500 miles Down 3 qts and will be doing a second oil consumption test. I'm a normal around town driver so this is totally unexpected. No long trips. Maybe a couple long idles but nothing I would consider serious.
The problem in my 2019
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The problem in my 2019 Outback is not fixed my car is using oil between oil changes and they told me that is normal on cold mornings when I start my car you can hear the Pistons scraping in the motor and my car has 66,000 miles on it and they are telling me this is normal it is not normal Subaru is a piece of crab I thought this was supposed to be a good car but it is not
My 2017 Outback with 2.5i
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My 2017 Outback with 2.5i burns around 0.75 quarts per 5k miles.
I have 2018 Subaru Outback.
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I have 2018 Subaru Outback. Consumes at least 1 quart before 5000 mile oil change. Never seen this type of problem of all the cars I owned for 50 years. Brought to the dealer, and they did test. Every time they told us they cannot identify problem. Certainly Outback has problem. I will never buy Subaru Outback.
My 2013 Legacy 2.5 Liter 4
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My 2013 Legacy 2.5 Liter 4 cylinder goes through a quart in about 2000 miles. Tried going to a thicker oil (5-20) and it seems to help a little. Car has 150,000 miles on it but it has done this all if it's life.
While it is "not normal" to
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While it is "not normal" to use a quart between oil changes it is inexcusable and should not be tolerated! Now that there is 10,000 mile oils being used if adding two quarts is the "norm" Subaru better get their crap together! I LOVED by Subaru but when I got away from it to a new vehicle by another maker I had no idea the amount of BS it is to check your oil EVERY TIME YOU FUEL UP YOUR CAR!
I have a 2018 Subaru outback
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I have a 2018 Subaru outback and it's burning oil that I have to add oil every time 200 miles. I replaced my catalytic converter twice and it's costing me a lot. I hope they have a solution for this. I contacted Subaru and they don't want to help me because my milage went over 100000 miles. I'm very disappointed with my engine and warranty. I do not recommend buying a Subaru but I already paid it and try to keep it as possible and not using it for long driving. I wish I can change my engine to Toyota. Even I changed my catalytic converter it's still smoking in my tailpipe very soon I have to replace my catalytic converter again. Too much problem having this car. Save the headache and avoid buying Subaru. That is my advice.
I just bought a used 2013…
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I just bought a used 2013 Subaru Outback last May and I have filled 3 quarts of oil even when it has fresh oil change when I bought it.I set the mileage after filling 2 qts and it only run 1000 miles or less when the low oil warning light shows up.I check the dipstick and put 1qt again and in about 700-800 miles it's low again.It looks like I have to put a qt every 800 miles.I hope this will help some future buyers not to buy this cars.
My 2003 outback burns oil a…
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My 2003 outback burns oil a lot around a gallon per calendar year. I check oil every couple of weeks just to make sure it doesn’t go below low mark. My family loves Subarus and i just keep adding oil until my kids learn to drive before switching to new car, but i am afraid to buy new with 0w20 oil because by the time it reaches 60k miles it will burn more oil than my old car. It is almost guaranteed.
Wife took 2015 Forster in…
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Wife took 2015 Forster in for check engine light. She came home with a $4,000 bill which included total engine reseal! Car has 71k on Speedo! Anybody else in this category?
I'm just glad we can't turn…
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I'm just glad we can't turn off, by default, the auto-stop feature at red lights. Therefore, we can limit this oil from burning out the tail pipe. This also promotes jobs across the world as ocean vessles bring the raw parts. The starters have to: have raw parts manufactured by employees that drove to work; be shipped by employees that drive to work; be manufactured into starters by employees that drove to work; shipped to dealerships and parts houses by employees that drove to work; sold by employees that drove to work; and installed by employees that drove to work. Heck, I bet the girl that hands you your invoice at the dealerships drove to work also. Finally, all the other professions that make this possible by also driving to work, in a car, that does not consume oil between changes, and does not die at red lights to save ½ gallon of gas per year.