Why Subaru’s excessive oil consumption issue could spoil their party

It pays to research vehicles that you plan to purchase, in this case I wanted to buy a 2016 Forester. Now after having read this thread on the oil consumption problem that Subaru is having I am forced to look elsewhere. Thanks to all who have posted, and to Torque News for making it possible.

I have been talking with my dealer concerning my oil consumption. for the last 3 oil changes. After the oil light came on for the 2nd time i took it to a garage to have it top off. they put 1 1/2 quarts in it & told me about the class action suit. At this time I contacted the dealership. the said they would do a consumption test for the cost of an oil change. After further discussion they agreed to do it for free. After they completed it they said the problem was a bad valve & replaced it. 1200 miles they said it was okay. 3500 mi after my oil change the light came on. I added a quart. I then called the dealer with concerns. They told me to call the manufacturer. long discussion...Was told the owners manual stated the consumption guide lines. Who reads the manual before buying a car. Not happy with Subaru. This is not good.

I have a 2008 Subaru Forester and bought it with 45k miles. it has burned a quart of oil every 2000-2500 miles ever since I have owned it. Before my Forester I owned a 2004 Ford Focus and I never needed to add oil to it. Even after 153k miles. A Focus is an inexpensive car too.

I recently got rid of my 2008 Outback which has been the worst car I ever owned including some 80's Chryslers. I bought the Outback brand new and maintained perfectly. The car had everything that could possibly go bad on a Subaru. I spent over $12,000 beyond normal maintenance. Five wheel bearings, bad heat shields, 2 ballpoints, air bag electrical problem, incorrectly assembled front suspension and the nail in the coffin bad head gaskets all before 80,000 miles. So much for Japanese quality. I actually blasted Consumer reports consistently recommended the Subaru. I actually spoke with the chief Consumer reports Engineer who suggested I file lemon law lawsuit. Except that it does not meet the criteria for lawsuit since the problems occurred over a 8 year period not in a short time frame that would qualify for the lemon law. Subaru has had these problems dating back to the early 2000's but never did anything to correct the design flaws. Subaru has a tremendous marketing department which is their strength not their Engineering skills. I recently traded in the Outback for a Buick Encore AWD. which got good ratings. All of my relatives who a huge Honda owners couldn't believe that I would abandon the Foreign cars. Well, we will see if they are correct. They blasted me for years for driving a 2005 Saturn Ion that currently has 115,000 miles on it and has been totally restore. They wanted me to fix the Outback which would have cost me about $6,000 to get in reliable shape. By after reading on-line the owners have done 2 or more head gaskets replacements before 150,000 miles I decided to cut my losses and purchase the Encore which a German design built in South Korea. Doing internet research this car seems to have few problems and it is so much nicer than the Outback as far as luxury ride and amenities. Time will tell.

This problem is still ongoing for 2015 and 2016 models. This is my second Subaru, I also own a 2015 Outback that does not have this issue. I have a 2015 Legacy and within 15k miles of owning the vehicle, it consumed so much oil between one of my last oil changes that my oil light came on while I was driving on a highway in the middle of nowhere. I had to find the nearest subaru dealer to find out what happened. They topped my vehicle off with fresh oil and told me to go to the purchasing dealer and perform an oil consumption test.

When I took it to the dealer I purchased the vehicle from, they gave me a hard time and told me it's normal to burn 1 quart in 1200 miles. I called them out on it and told them about the lawsuits. They finally agreed to give me a consumption test but when I got the vehicle back from them I went outside to see the oil dipstick and it was OVERFILLED by at least 1/2 a quart. I couldn't even tell where the line was. I asked them why they filled it so high and they said that it doesn't matter because they're going to weigh the oil when I return. (What a bunch of malarkey!)

I went to another dealer who immediately agreed to do the consumption test and also agreed to set the oil level EXACTLY at the top line, nothing more. This is so frustrating and quite frankly I'm tired of people posting online (especially mechanics that think they know everything) explaining how it's "normal" for engines to burn this much oil. There's a major flaw with that argument - "What about the same Subaru engines that ARENT burning ANY oil?" Are they an anomaly?? Why is there only about 10% of Subaru owners who are complaining about this and the company says it's normal when the remaining 80% are saying they're not burning oil???

I have a 2011 Forester with 75,000 miles. Close to zero oil consumption between oil changes. Crossing my fingers. But this problem did influence my decision to buy a 2016 Mazda CX-5 instead of a 2016 Forester. I do own a 1998 Subaru Outback as well and it is still running with no problems.

I have a 2011 Forester with 75,000 miles. Close to zero oil consumption between oil changes. Crossing my fingers. But this problem did influence my decision to buy a 2016 Mazda CX-5 instead of a 2016 Forester. I do own a 1998 Subaru Outback as well and it is still running with no problems.

We thought that Subaru had fixed the problem back in 2014 with a different ring set. So we bought a brand new 2016 Outback. It has used 2 quarts of oil in 1600 miles.

In 2013 we bought a new Subaru Outback Premium 4 cylinder and since the first time I took it in to the dealership to have the oil changed, it burned over 1-2 quarts of oil between oil changes. First time I brought the car in, it was over 1 quart low and that was on a new car. I mentioned it to the service manager who said it was normal and handed me a tech sheet stating it. That left me with a bad taste for Subaru since this was my first one.
Fast forward to 2016 and the car has 68,000 miles on it... it's been burning almost 2 quarts or more between oil changes and I received a notice in the mail that Subaru is being sued for this vary issue.
I took it in to get the oil consumption test down, so they chnaged the oil, but when I looked to see what they did under the hood they had put tape around the dipstick. That seemed curious to me, so I removed it and checked the oil level. This was their test, mind you... they had filled it 1/2 quart over the full line on the dipstick! If I drove it without checking their work, then it would have passed their test since it already had 1/2 quart too much. I then took it back to the dealership and had them fix it correctly and verify it in front of me.
Not only is Subaru selling cars that burn oil, but this dealership isn't being honest when doing the testing.
Not wanting a car with a rebuilt motor or having the morons at the dealership, who can't even do a proper oil change, I traded the Subaru in.
Never again will I buy another Subaru.
My sister-in-law took her Forester in to get service and an oil change only to be told that she barely had oil in her engine too. This is completely unacceptable.
The engine burned oil, they were dishonest, the car uses cheap quality plastic on the interior (cracking door molding from shutting the rear door), window seals where hard and cracking withing 3 years and the windshield wiper blades literally disintegrated within 3 years. The cars look nice and are marketed well, but total garbage, in my opinion. Never again.

have a 2014 out back uses qt 2300 they will do nothing because of subru have set the standard for comusion test 1200 mils if use qt should get new block and if use qt in `1700 mile is ok , which is a buck of BS, never had a car use that much even in the 60's . Shame on subru but they are no different that the mfg groups know a days , they new they had the problem but who care maybe we get 20% back that ok,

my advice to all owner of 2013-14 out back and foresters get rid of them before the 100,000 mark what will happen the rings will wear the wall and after that the rings will break some time deffenely after 100,00 and you will be stuck with a junker again shame on subru the standards they set are a laugh. and to think i hv owned 5 subru and never had a problem and never had a tail pipe u put your finger in come out black that means using oil.

I have a 2007 Impreza Hatchback with the non-turbo charged engine with 130,000 well maintained miles.
The oil consumption is about 1/2 qt. every 1,000 miles. I changed over to high mileage 10W/30 conventional grade motor oil which reduced the consumption by a 1/4 of a quart.
There is a very good article in Consumer Reports Magazine about the oil consumption issue with several manufacturers. In brief it comes down to engine design. In an effort to get better fuel economy the piston its self and the piston rings are designed to reduce friction which leads to some oil consumption. The article in Consumer Reports from either 2015 or 2016. Check with your local library.

Briwest: I asked about heavier oil (my 2014 Forester is drinking 0w20) and the ser rep at the dealership told me that the engine wasn't designed for heavier and that it wouldn't drain into the pan quick enough. I guess he was wrong if it is working for you.
BTW Recently Subaru has replaced my engine block after 3 consumption tests. Hopefully this is fixed at last but I haven't driven it enough to tell yet.
If you haven't heard, the class action suit is settled and Subaru will replace the engine block if it burns more than a third of a quart in 1200 miles.

My 2015 2.5L Outback Premium with 22.9K miles on it is burning about a 1/2 qt. of oil between the two most recent oil changes (at 6K, earlier than recommended). Low oil light seems to come on at about 4 to 4.5K. This is my third Subaru. I've never had this problem before and find it completely unacceptable given the low mileage and newness of this car. I'm taking it into the dealer in about a week to request an oil consumption test. I've also written to Subaru of America to report the problem.

I have a 2012 impreza and a 2013 forester> the 2013 forester will not make it to a five thousand mile oil change without four more quarts of oil added. its sickening. I wanted a safe dependable vehicle for my daughter and grand kids. then subaru gives the reigns to its dealers to check your car for excessive oil consumption. thats like giving the lamb to the wolf. who do the dealers work for? Not me. I know my engine is bad. I know they are looking for a way out. If in fact your car is using excessive oil> (The oil light should never come on between oil changes.) Period. The 2013 forester does not even have a low oil warning light. low oil pressure yes but not low oil> thats because its not supposed to use enough oil to cause issues. Sorry we all got S...... :( I am going to get a lawyer. I will also file on the lemon law. You know whether your car that you paid for with your hard earned cash is using to much oil. It is a safety issue. Carfax is going to show your car is a lemon if and when you try to sell. So lets all decide to fight for our rights. Get your own lawyer. The guys that filed the suit already got paid off. lawyers.

Subaru is back in the drivers seat of your car. If in the end you do not get satisfaction. Then spread the word every chance you get. That will cost them much more than installing a new short block in your vehicle. New rings will not work unless they bore out the cylinders. the bore on the cylinders where drilled oblong. Good Luck to all of you.

Hi,

I was just test driving both the 2017 OB and Forester yesterday, 09/03/16 and was leaning heavily toward a Subaru. I told Subaru there were still a couple other SUVs I wanted to check out.

At the time that I was at Subaru I didn't know there had been a big lawsuit for 'excessive oil consumption'. I don't know if the 2017 vehicles will have this issue so not sure what to do as right now I am driving a 2003 Nissan Altima and just found out that my floorboards are corroded and that my car is burning oil. I only have 77,500 miles on the car and from reading many forums this has also been a known issue with Nissan - especially the Altimas.

My mechanic said these problems would be more expensive to fix than my car is worth and recommended I replace my car so it was rejected at inspection time; I'm running out of time with my current car since I have a rejection sticker so with all the research I'm doing on so many cars and the different manufacturers I don't know who you can trust at this point. All the car manufacturers seem to be aware of serious problems and either they're embroiled in lawsuits, recalls or many documented complaints that the manufacturers are aware of but won't acknowledge and I really don't know what to do. It seems that all auto manufacturers are just greedy crooks and don't care about their products or their customers.

Very dismayed about what type of vehicle to go with at this point.

Subaru dealerships all sticking to the "normal consumption" line. I've owned clunkers back in the 60's which probably used less oil than our 2013 Outback. Lawsuit results in NJ were pitiful. Who actually kept receipts for every extra qt of oil they had to buy. Looks like these oil burners will need at least 1 qt and possibly 2 extra quarts of oil between changes. My wife is not going to check the oil every time she fuels up. She is not going to buy another Subaru.

I've had a 2016 outback 6 cylinder and 16,000 and haven't use a drop of oil. I got a 4 cylinder outback 2017 for my wife and one of the first things I check is engine oil level, tire pressure etc. way over filled the oil by around a quart to much. We will see if the 4 cylinder uses oil

We also have 2013 Legacy that uses too much oil. After having 3 GM vehicles that I put over 300K miles ,each, and none used more than a quart of oil between changes . Changing at 5000 mile intervals. Is there a suite that we can join?

I have a 2010 Forester and same problem. Engine blew and need to spend $7000 to replace the short block. No engine light came on, and only 71k miles. Kept doing regular oil changes. Not sure what to do. The dealer's mechanic said nothing about this excessive oil consumption issue. We are not covered by class action since it is a 2010. We called the Subaru customer service at 800-782-2783 to complain. Also, we will try calling the class action law firm. Girard Gibbs, to see if they can do anything.

I never got a chance to do the consumption test. The check engine light came on about 3 weeks ago and started running poorly. The mechanic at the dealership tore the motor apart and said it is unrepairable and needed a new motor or traded off. He said the broken rod has nothing to do with the suit against Subaru because consumption is not what caused this problem. I was using a quart of oil per week.

Our 2014 Outback, which we bought new, also has oil consumption problems. While it's not a quart in 1200 miles, it is a quart every 3000 miles. When I asked the dealer if conventional oil could used instead of the 0-20 synthetic 'water' they said no. An 'O' ring was changed and we are waiting to see if it caused any improvement. This car has used more oil in it's 54,000 miles than my last 3 cars combined. I'm surprised the EPA hasn't stepped in.

Our problem was fixed when the mechanic hooked me up with a 2014 used motor. I ended up spending about 2,400.00 all together in the ordeal, but now the old/new motor is not using oil, better gas mileage and I had my car back in 5 days. I could have fought for a brand new motor, but the time just was not worth it and the expense of a rental car would have been outrageous. I am happy with my decision to keep the car and get the other motor.

2014 SUBARU OUTBACK WITH EYE SIGHT UNDER 45.000 K. MOSTLY. H W . UNDER 5.000 MILES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES , ONLY SUBARU OIL FILTERS AND 0 W20 OIL USED .THREE QUARTS OF OIL ADDED ON 5836 MILES .MY FIRST SUBARU AND MY LAST .TO QUESTION A SUBARU MECHANIC ON LINE ,IT WOULD COST ME $26 NO THANKS .I ALREADY GOT MANY ANSWERS TO MY PROBLEM BUT NO SOLUTION .SHOULD I TRADE IN WITH A LOSS ?IF NOT CONSIDERED A SAFTY ISSUE DONT THINK SUBARU WILL DO ANYTHING ABOUTH IT, REGARDLESS OF THE LAWSUIT.

My 2013 6 cylinder Subaru Legacy has consistently burned a half a quart every 1000 miles. Since this is in the "normal" range the dealer told me to change the oil every 3000 miles and put in an extra quart of oil (7 quarts instead of 6). That way it burns it 1.5 quarts between oil changes - and carries enough extra oil so the light does not come on. Not acceptable but that is what I am struck with. My GM turbo 4 with 160,000 miles still does not burn any oil and that is normal for a GM motor. I should have stuck with GM.

We bought our 2013 Subaru outback from my brother in law with 70k miles on it for my wife (his sister).We don't drive the car much, one day she call me and said the light came on, she took a pic to show me which light. I told her how to check the oil and it was low 1/2 quart after I changed the oil at a 1000 miles. Good thing her brother bought the extended warranty, I ask him about the oil light and my brother in law said yeah I usually add 1 quart every 1000 miles or so. I took the car to the dealer and they said oh its normal to lose some oil my reply to the service writer its synthetic oil and should be change minimum 5k-and max 9k miles like Toyota or German cars if every 1000 mile I have to add 1 quart of synthetic and its 7-9$ quart in 5000 miles I pay 35$ plus the cost of oil change and you can do the math over the years. She said we'll do an oil change and consumption test and we'll go from there. After the oil change I pulled the dipstick to see how much oil the mechanic put in and it was almost at the top line, can't argue with him about that but at 3200 miles the oil level light comes on I called the dealer and they said bring it back to let them see, so I took it back the next day and they said well it failed the test and they ordered a new short block and said they would let me know when its here.
I am no shade tree mechanic. I am a mechanic. If we don't have the warranty I would have replaced the piston rings. But after burning the oil and going through catalytic converter, that will clog it later. How about the new short block? Will it will have the same problem?? !!!!!

I have a 2016 outback 6 cylinder. Getting close to 30,000 miles I do my own oil changes with synthetic oil. Somfar hasn't used a noticeable amount. Same spot on the dip stick a few thousand miles later as when I adjusted when I changed. My wife has a 17 outback 4 cylinder. Same thing. Hasn't used a noticeable amount since I changed. Hopefully that means subaru caught on and realized people don't like significant oil usage in their new vehicles. A quart every thousand miles is execessive. There are vehicles that have over 200,000 miles that use way less oil than that.

I am EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED AND DISAPPOINTED IN SUBARU. My first time owning what I thought would be such a great reliable car and it has nothing but made my life hell for 3 years. Subaru needs to do their GOODWILL FOR US WHO SUFFER BECAUSE OF THE OIL CONSUMPTIONS. I understand you settled the lawsuits and extended warranties and replaced small blocks but after my cars third engine and my oil light comes in within the first 2300 miles on the new small block and you want me to complete more consumption testing!? You can't make a lemon into a peach!?

Ever since I bought my Subaru Legacy in 2014 at Ciocca Subaru in Allentown Pa, I had issues with the oil burning. They replaced the engine 7mths later June 2015 and it lasted until October 2016 when my light kept coming on around 2k miles. They made me perform several oil consumption tests some which they didn't document correctly for Subaru and had to "redo" it. They mixed my car up and showed me the oil level on another car, then the catalytic converter went and I paid to replace that in Jan 2017 and they kept telling me it's low but it's boarder line of what Subaru now accepts and it's probably because I drive a lot. I took it to another local dealer and they said I didn't have the "improved" short block. So It took from October 2016 to June of 2017 to finally have a new engine put in. I took it to a new dealer by my new house, Mathews Subaru in Vestal NY, and they did one Oil Consumption check and said it absolutely failed and they replaced in July 2017.. they scheduled me a month and a half out bc they said they had several others to replace. I was under 100k miles when they completed the the oil consumption check. Now I have 2300 miles on the new small block and my oil light is on and Subaru wants me to bring it in for an oil consumption check and told me not to add any oil. The dealer can't get me in this week and said possibly next week so I have to continue to drive it even tho it smells of burning oil. I also had the clutch replaced during the new small block install and it's still making noises after being back once to have it looked at and fixed. I can't win.

How long do I have to keep doing this? This is my first Subaru and it's been an absolute horrible experience. I've been in contact with Subaru Company since I owned it. They need to make this!

I have a 2013 Impreza and have been dealing with this oil consumption problem since I've owned the vehicle. I have had numerous consumption test every 1200 miles where they need to add oil between oil changes. I am in Florida for the winter; I bought the car in Green Bay, but now the new dealer in Florida told me that the problem was in the sensor and they might be able to fix it. I called my dealer in Green Bay and he said they never heard of this fix. I am a single woman and wondering if this Florida dealer was just trying to do a fix to scam me. Has anyone heard of such a fix?