Drivers Upset Over Subaru Oil Consumption Issues
There is nothing more frustrating than having a light pop up on your dashboard illustrating that your car requires immediate service. It can happen at any place, any time. The oil light is one of those lights that is especially frustrating, especially if your car is not due for an oil change. You look at your dipstick to find that your car is low a half quart, a quart, even over a quart, and you have no idea why. We have represented a number of folks over the years with oil consumption issues, but we are seeing a specific increase in the number of folks complaining of Subaru oil consumption issues.
If you see that your oil light is on, and you are not due for a service, it is essential that you make an appointment with a Subaru authorized dealer at your earliest opportunity. When it comes to this problem, time is of the essence. Make sure that every time you are at the dealer, you receive a new invoice which illustrates that the problem is still existing. Chances are the dealer may start performing oil consumption tests and ask you to return every 500-1000 miles. Please follow the dealer’s directions carefully with the hope that they will be able to duplicate and fix the problem.
If you are in three or more times for Subaru oil consumption issues, it is important for you to look at your rights under State Lemon law and Federal Warranty law. You could possibly be entitled to significant recourse, including a new vehicle, a full repurchase or a partial refund and continued ownership of your car. If you are suffering with a Subaru oil consumption 
issue with any of the models including Forester, Legacy, Impreza, WRX, or Outback. fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form so we can assess the situation and see if/how we can help.
October 28th, 2013 at 5:28 pm
Keep talking to your dealer, I’m hearing rumours of a recall about to be issued (as of mid Oct 2013) for defective rings on some models of Subaru – including 2011 Foresters…
December 10th, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Finally traded our 2012 Impreza. Had brought it in 14 times in 25,000 miles for oil problems. I had equity on my loan and Kimmel and Silverman got me a cash settlement from Subaru. Glad to be rid of the headache
December 12th, 2013 at 4:03 pm
@Rob: I hope you filed a claim and received compensation first. Consumers are receiving thousands for the issue.
December 13th, 2013 at 5:57 pm
Love my 2013 Outback and how it handles.. Hate the oil consumption issues. My Outback just completed an engine oil consumption test, and had the recommended service performed which was to replace the engine oil piston rings. Now, 1400 miles later, the oil light is back on. What a freakin’ surprise. I asked Subaru Corporate for a new car, to which I received this reply, ‘Well, you’re not going to get a new car without a lawyer.”
I’m taking that as a recommendation.
They did reply that the new rings need 3000 miles to make a final determination if the fix worked. Possible, but disappointing.
February 17th, 2014 at 5:03 pm
I purchased a 2013 Impreza in November 12. I like the car so well I just bought my second Subaru. The car has about 22,000 miles. I’ve documented low oil (level, not pressure) lights twice (Last two service visits). I believe they’re documented as “customer states the oil light came on…” In both cases, the oil was down approximately 1 quart after about 7000 miles. The car uses a very lightweight synthetic oil, I believe it’s 0–20. My Powertrain warranty is good until 60,000 miles. My service interval is 7000 miles. I just purchased a new Forester for my wife, and they recommended bringing it in every 5000 miles. A friend of mine suggested that I should demand to have the oil consumption fixed, And after the third refusal I would be able to invoke the lemon law.
February 26th, 2014 at 3:33 pm
@Scott: First, you need to esbalish there is a problem before you can file a claim.
February 27th, 2014 at 11:28 am
As an update on my 2011 Forrester, Subaru Canada pulled the engine and put in a replacement short block. Oil consumption problem is gone. Thanks to Subaru for following through with this customer!!
John
March 1st, 2014 at 8:35 am
I am leasing (thank god) a 2012 Subari Impreza. I’ve had this same problem twice now. Unfortunately, I didn’t report it the first time. One of the dealer’s selling points was that, although the car uses synthetic oil that’s more expensive, I only have to come in 2-3 times a year since I can go 6,000 miles on 1 oil change. I got an oil change 04Nov13. I looked at the sticker inside my windshield in January and it said i was due for service in Feb14 after 3,000 miles. I looked at my receipt and it said Synthetic oil was used so I figured the mechanic made a mistake. Sure enough, 20Feb14 my oil light comes on. I check the oil and there’s barely anything on the dipstick. I contact them immediately inquiring if they may have put the wrong oil in. They assured me that they didn’t and that it was normal. “[We] Suggest you change oil ,even though it is synthetic,every 3,750 due the north east falls under severe driving
Conditions.outlined in your owners manual. Synthetic motor oil will break down after 3,000 miles of driving and the engine will burn oil off and eventually Trip the low oil light.” This is the exact email I received (punctuation and all). I replied that this had never happened to me before, especially last winter, and again inquired about why the sticker read 3,000k/3 months instead of 6,000k/6 months like it had in the past. My car is at @26K now. I also mentioned that after it snows my car shakes feverishly when I drive on the highway (60mph+). He replied by again avoiding talking about the sticker and suggested I come in for an oil consumption report that, undoubtedly, they will ask me to pay for. He also said that “In response to wheel vibration we have been getting a good amount of complaints about this issue. What is happening is snow builds up inside your vehicles rims and like a spin dry in your washer cloths stick to rim same happens with snow sticking to the inside of The rims on your car, then the snow freezes and becomes a giant wheel weight thus the vibration from an out of balanced wheel or Wheels.” I’ll see if my wheels need to be balanced (New England has a lot of potholes) but if the problem doesn’t resolve after that they should probably think about fixing their AWD vehicle that I now do not want to drive in the snow.
Anyways, long story short I suppose, how do I go about establishing and documenting this problem so that if this issue continues I can inact the Lemon Law and walk out of this lease without too much regret?
March 4th, 2014 at 12:35 pm
I purchased new a 2012 Impreza in March 2012. At 25,000 miles I started having issues with the oil light low light coming on every so often. At approx 33,000 miles I took it to the dealer to check for leaks or any other viable solution to the oil low light coming on. The leak test came back clean, but the car was down 2 quarts of oil after about 3000 miles since last oil change. Now at 34,800 miles my oil light has come on again. I called the dealer and they are asking that I come in and do an oil consumption test every 1000 miles. If the car does not pass the test, supposedly there is a TSB out that has the dealer tear apart the engine and rebuild it with new rings and such. I guess it goes without saying, to keep everything documented going forward. I am curious what are my options from a lemon law perspective? I’m not so sure I want to keep a car that is having the engine rebuilt after 34,000 miles, and Im certainly dont want to keep a car that burns through 2 quarts of oil every 2000 miles. Thanks so much, I look forward to hearing from you.
March 17th, 2014 at 4:59 pm
@Matt: I think we can help you. Call us at 1 800 LEMON LAW (1 800 536-6652).
March 17th, 2014 at 5:20 pm
Katrina, I’m not leasing, but I own.. My car went thru the oil consumption test, and the dealer may not have the authority to pay for the oil during these tests, or that’s what they’ll tell you. My suggestion is that you demand they pay for the oil during the consumption testing, and create a new case file with Subaru corporate. They can ask Corporate for reimbursement on the oil.
Doesn’t seem ethical to deliver a problem vehicle and then ask the consumer to spend their own time & money to help debug the problem.
April 16th, 2014 at 10:10 am
I have a 2013 Subaru Impreza that the oil light came on early. This was about a week after my fuel level droped 1/8 a tank every 3 miles or so (though not leaking fuel, just the sensor was messed up). I did the oil consumption test, coming back every 1000 miles for 4000 miles total. They told me that although I lost a little oil, just short of 1/4 quart, it didn’t fall within their levels of taking apart the engine or whatever to find a problem. Seriously, 3 days after that last visit, LIGHT CAME ON! Contacted the service people who told me I should be ok waiting until my next oil change, but to keep an eye on it. Being that I drive approximately 90 miles a day, it took about another 5/6 weeks until I was due for my oil change. They did the works for me (I’m at about 23k miles) checking brakes, rotation, fluids, etc. I hit about 1200 miles and TADA! There’s my oil light coming on! Now, the techs told me that this is “common” with Imprezas, and that the sensor is just extra sensitive and the light will go off even if it’s just 1/4 quart low. They said I can add more if I want, but then I was also told when I got my oil changed elsewhere one time, the car registered it as “overfilled”. I don’t feel qualified to pour some oil in knowing if it’s the right amount, and I’m not paying to have someone do that every 2 weeks! And I refuse to check my oil level EVERY MORNING for the next 5500 miles! (they get oil changes every 7000) Does my vehicle qualify under this lemon law, because I’m ready to trade mine in.
April 22nd, 2014 at 11:42 am
@Kristi: DO NOT TRADE IN. Call us at 1 800 LEMON LAW (1 800 536-6652) or send us info through https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html so we can review first. You may be losing out on thousands of dollars by doing nothing.
April 22nd, 2014 at 11:49 am
@LemonLaw, what about the cost of lawyers to handle this lemon law? It seems easier to just trade in after all I’ve been reading….
April 23rd, 2014 at 4:10 pm
@Kristi: There is no cost. Under the law, you are entitled to completely FREE help. Most people in your situaiton who have contacted 1 800 LEMON LAW have received thousands of dollars.
April 23rd, 2014 at 11:00 pm
Update to post #11
I have continued to be plagued by this oil low light, however it appears Subaru is doing what they can….
I finished the oil test just a couple of weeks ago. It’s no longer the, “bring it in every 1000 miles 4 times.” It’s now bring it in after 1200 miles. When they first began the oil test every thing was going smoothly. However, after 600 miles I decided to check the oil to see how much it had gone down. What did I find……The oil was OVER FILLED! I must have checked it 20 different times to confirm, in different scenarios (hot, cold, after driving a little, Ect.). Same result every time. I took the car back to Subaru and told them. To my surprise, they said “yep it’s overfilled by half a quart”. They then re-started the test. It’s hard for me to give them the benefit of a doubt on this, being it seems like a conspiracy to keep the oil from going to low, but I did. 1100 miles go by and there goes my oil light again. After taking it to the dealer they determined it used about one quart in 1200 miles. They currently have the car and are either going to replace the piston rings or the whole motor….not sure which one just yet. Either way I am very concerned about keeping a vehicle that has had its engine repaired or replaced after 36000 miles. Not sure what I will do with it yet, time will tell. But hey….At least they are doing something about it. Hope this helps….
And Kristi….don’t hesitate to call these folks at lemon law….they were very helpful to me and I look forward to discussing this matter further with them. Just simple advise from them….like….take a picture of the oil light and dipstick….made me appreciate what they are doing here
April 25th, 2014 at 2:53 pm
Thanks Matt. 🙂 That’s why we are here. Driving a lemon? Make the call to 1 800 LEMON LAW.
April 25th, 2014 at 3:19 pm
Matt, I unfortunately don’t qualify for the LemonLaw. I drive a very long distance to work, and unfortunately this didn’t all happen to me until I was out of the mileage range! It has to all be discovered under 12k miles. It wasn’t until about 15k miles this all started happening to me. But good luck to you! My car is bad luck. I was in 3 accidents (none were my fault) in a year, and this oil light thing. I’m ready to trade lol
April 26th, 2014 at 10:22 am
Bought a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek new from a local dealer. Had 2 oil changes done with no problems. Had the third one done and after about 2000 miles the oil light came on. I brought it back to the dealer and they changed the oil and said return it in 1200 miles. They said no problems come back when we should for our normal 4th oil change. We went about 2500 miles and the oil light is back on. They say it is normal. I have a 2002 Ford Ranger with 227000 miles on it that does not use a quart of oil in 2500 miles. They say it is due to the synthetic thin oil that makes this Crosstrek use the oil. If thats the case why use it.
May 2nd, 2014 at 4:06 pm
@Kristi: You qualify for Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, compensation to reflect the diminished value of the car as a result of your problem. Looking at thousands to reflect the diminished value of the car, plus you get to keep the car. This does not affect trade in value either and the legal help is free. To file a claim, visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html.
May 12th, 2014 at 7:00 am
My 2012 Impreza has had the oil light come on twice in between oil changes. Manufacturer recommends 7,500 miles between changes and use synthetic oil. The first time it happened was around 13,000 when I only had 2,000 miles til next change. Of course I was on a trip away from home on a Saturday but was able to find a dealer who added 2/3 of a quart. The second time, again, away from home, happened just 3,850 after the last oil change. Added 1/3 of a quart and have been okay. Now have not quite 3,000 til next oil change where I will request an oil consumption test. I see this seems to be a problem in the 2012 Impreza and am sorely disappointed. This is my third and last Subaru purchase. However, I would like to get some satisfaction from the dealer other than to have more frequent oil changes.
May 13th, 2014 at 1:11 am
2013 Subaru Impreza: I will not trust Subaru nor will I ever buy again. I was having the same issues as many with the oil consumption and got the BS excuses with the service dept. The service dept stated it is normal to burn 1quart of oil, unless you have less than 1,200 miles, then the light shows up. Unfortunately, I had about 1,450 miles. I loss 1 quart of oil, which is too much oil burning as for a conservative driver.
Fast forward, I traded in the car and got a Honda, which is my 3rd Honda, with no issues. Also, when honda issues a recall, they voluntarily do the recall before the problem spirals worst. Subaru should have issued a recall on this oil consumption problem than hide away.
May 13th, 2014 at 10:11 am
Jerry – I’m actually planning on trading mine in for a Honda CRV as well! Grew up with Hondas/Acuras, know they’re fantastic cars that will drive for 12-15 years! When talking to the sales manager at my dealership (sort of a friend) he suggested the Crosstrek, which I told him I read some issues with those too online, and don’t trust another Subaru, and he said “They fixed that problem with the 2015s” Interesting, because it was never admitted to me that it was a “problem” but a comment trend seen in Imprezas. Yea, I won’t trust Subaru again. Nice car, but not worth the hassle of maintenance! I will miss my 32mpg though….
May 28th, 2014 at 7:51 am
As an update to my previous post – oil light on a third time about 4.200 miles after last change – This always seems to happen when I am on an extended trip (longer than my 25 mile one way commute) and then it is heck to find a Subaru dealer. However, this last time, it came on right when I came home so went right to the dealer where they said it was down a quart. I got the run around that it is not unusual for a car to use a quarter every 4,500-5,000 miles and that these cars have more sensors than older cars have. They filled it up and also gave me a quart to keep in the car. When I get to the scheduled change at 22,500 I am going to request the oil consumption test. I would love to get rid of this car but hope there are some options to recoup some of the costs.
June 2nd, 2014 at 9:00 am
I just bought the new 2014 crosstrek 5 speed manual and with only 2500 miles the low oil light came on. Should i go and ask right away for the oil consumption test?
June 4th, 2014 at 12:07 am
Hi, I have a 2011 Subaru Outback that has had oil consumption issues since the very beginning. I now have 62,500 miles on it and the low oil light is coming on every 1700 miles. I was at first annoyed the low oil light came on after 5K miles, then 3k, but now that it’s under 2k before it needs a quart or 1.2 quarts I’m concerned. I’ve had every oil change and top off done at my Subaru dealership so that it’s well documented. They always blow me off when I ask about it being an issue. Do I need to be assertive or is it too late now that I’ve passed the 60K warranty?
June 12th, 2014 at 2:17 pm
@Jennifer: Being that you are outside of the warranty, you need to make sure you keep updated records in case an issue occurs “down the road.”
June 12th, 2014 at 2:19 pm
@Roy: I would certainly inquire as to why the oil light came on so early.
June 13th, 2014 at 10:48 am
They said it sometimes happens during the engine breaking in period. They showed me the oil level and said it was fine, but it sure looked low on the dipstick. They did an oil change and on the svc ticket it stated could not duplicate oil light coming on even though the vehicle was returned to me with the same mileage as when they serviced it! I checked the oil stick and it definitely showed it was full and not the level when i brought it in and they said before the service it was fine.
I did get them to document on svc ticket customer reports the low engine light came on.
June 18th, 2014 at 1:41 pm
Wow.. I really feel violated.. My ’13 outback has all of the above issues.. My first year they blew alot of smoke, so the first year was not documented. BUT.. I do have records of the last several months of “over filling the oil by 1.5 quarts at the oil consumption test” the “replacement of the rings”, top off of over a quart of oil post replacement, I did write in a note book some of the conversations I had with the “service dept. lead” regarding the “just carry a quart of oil with you at all times”, and the “oil consumption tolerance of 1/3 quart every several thousand miles”… I have been in touch with them regarding exchanging the vehicle which will cost me another several thousand dollars.. But what guarantee is there that I won’t have the same issue?? UGH.. This is crazy!!! First new car..
June 20th, 2014 at 2:35 pm
@Jeff: Before you spend thousands of dollars, you need to contact us to discuss the situation. Call 1 800 LEMON LAW. (1 800 536 6652).
June 21st, 2014 at 10:52 am
After reading all these posts, it seems that the new tack is for dealers to overfill the oil to mask the consumption issue. If so, it is maddening. Drivers, I recommend that you do not waste your time talking with and putting faith in what your dealers are telling you. I do believe that Subaru is working on the ‘problem’, and yes it is a problem, and that perhaps the Honda dealer is correct that they have fixed this with the 2015s. Of course, they have to fix it. Meanwhile, I recommend not trusting the dealers’ words; use them to help you document the exact issues with your car, then make two phone calls. 1. To Lemon Lawyers, and 2. Subaru Corporate in New Jersey, and tell them that you want to open a case file for your oil consumption issue. This is a real problem and you need the law behind you to help you work through it.
June 22nd, 2014 at 4:01 pm
At 15,000 miles it was decided at the service center that they needed to replace my piston rings and that would be the first step in tackling all the oil issues I have had since I bought it brand new with 0 miles. I am now at 19,000 miles and the light came on again as usual. I brought it in and talked to my service adviser and he told me that they were going order me a new engine block to combat this problem hopefully for the last time. There is no out of pocket cost to me at this time…however I am getting a little frustrated bringing it in every 2-3 months instead of every 6 months like I should or every 7500 miles…
June 27th, 2014 at 3:33 pm
traded in 11 forester oil burner for 13 outback . am at 13 k no oil problems yet. do not trust car .will be getting rid of it . join back to toyota….
July 2nd, 2014 at 3:28 pm
@Randall: Please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form to determine if and how we can help you.
July 5th, 2014 at 9:21 am
I’ve just bought a 2012 Subaru Impreza with 13000 miles like about 3 or 4 months ago and between those times I had add oil 3 times and had it changed at Pennzoil once and the light came back on after 3000 miles. Changed it at Pennzoil when it hit 16000 and now it’s only 18 something and the light came back on. So I’m new at this and wanted to know what i should do? I read all other comments and questions but still I’m a newbie at this. Should I bring this topic up with my dealers when I call them?
July 9th, 2014 at 12:12 pm
I have a 2008 Outback with 80k miles on it. Since our local subaru dealership fixed a cracked cylinder head in October, our car has been sucking the oil. A month ago, my husband checked the oil…none on the dipstick, filled it up. Got back 3 days later, 1 quart low. Checked it last friday…bone dry. Took it to Subaru and they said they would do a consumption test and to bring it back in 1200 miles but that there is probably nothing they can do since it’s no longer under warrantly. Seriously ticked off!
July 9th, 2014 at 2:40 pm
I just purchased a 2013 Subaru Legacy with 10,000 miles on it. The oil light came on within 1 week of my purchase. I thought that maybe when the dealership received it on trade that they may have not put enough oil in. I stopped at an auto parts store and was told that it the car shouldn’t be losing oil that quickly. Another person working there overheard our conversation and said that he had a friend who owned a subaru and had similar problems. The service department at the Subaru dealership said it is normal for my car to burn a quart every 4,000 miles. My oil light turns on now before I reach 3,000 miles after an oil change. I now keep a 5 qt. container in my trunk to fill up between oil changes. I was surprised to see that this is common. I will start the process of taking the car to the dealership now even though the dealership is an hour from my house. I am very disappointed and hope that Subaru and the Subaru dealership have integrity and work to resolve the issue.
July 13th, 2014 at 7:54 pm
I bought a used 2011 Forester with 38k miles. Paid $18,900 for it. After finding no oil on dipstick took in for oil consumption test . Then after that oil change didnt need any till it hit 5000 miles, 1/2 quart. Next oil change, used 1 quart at 3000 miles, Changed oil at 5000 miles. Then at 3000 miles added 1/2 quart, now at 6000 miles, just added 3/4 quart.
Question is…..while I am not happy with oil consumption, even more worried about continued problem getting worse or engine failure.
I have about 45000 miles left on warranty.
Would like to see this problem fixed. What are chances?
July 14th, 2014 at 2:44 pm
@Jim: You need to make sure that every time the light comes on, you get back to the dealer to have the matter recorded.
July 16th, 2014 at 12:21 pm
I have contacted Lemon Law people. Car going back in next week for service, oil change, hard starts, and smoking at start from tailpipes. Will be talking with manager this time. In my mind, there are 2 possbile solutions. 1. Pull engine and fix it!!! I know there is a fix, new pistons and rings. 2. Give me what I paid for it and I would consider trading it in on 2015 providing propblem fixed.
My feeling is, that the dealer misrepresented the car. I just bought it last year, they knew of these problems. I refuse to take this lying down.
July 20th, 2014 at 9:44 am
own a Subaru legacy 2013, lost about 2q. beetwen 16k-17k miles.
Did not go to dealership. But now i will. thanks for posting.
July 22nd, 2014 at 5:44 am
I went to the dealer at about 50,000 miles to discuss this issue before my powertrain warranty expired. The dealer told me that the 1-2 quarts was normal. I live an hour from the dealer and with working it is not feasible to do a consumption test, so I just started recoding every time I had to add oil and how much. With this problem I keep a 5quart jug, funnel, and paper towels in my trunk. I go through the 5 quart jug every 2-3 oil changes. Would it be possible to use a local garage or my records? My warranty is now up.
July 24th, 2014 at 3:37 pm
My 2011 has used some oil. But dealer gas been great so far. In shop now for look over and starting new oil consumption test. I have passed one. But this one will be 5 at 1200 miles. Last one was 4. Most of my problem seems to be after 3600 miles. I do consider trading it in before warrant expires however. Maybe by then we will know it they fixed it in 2015.
July 26th, 2014 at 11:20 am
I’m having the SAME problems with oil consumption as everyone else here! I purchased a 2014 outback and have now been in 5 times for oil consumption issues. The last time I went in, the oil light had come on after 1500 miles and had been on for 1500 miles. I asked specifically that they note how much oil was gone when they wrote up the service report. Not only did they conveniently forget to write down how much oil was gone (definitely over a quart), but they also conveniently forgot to note that the oil light was on. I protested to the manager and they updated the service record to say “customer states oil light is on.” Then they started me on an oil consumption test and OVERFILLED my engine by 1 quart. Shady. I drove to work, let the car sit, tested the oil level, and found out what they had done. I returned to the dealer and it took them an hour and a half to get the oil level just right. 1200 miles later, I returned as requested. I had checked the oil level in the morning on a cold engine, level ground, and had seen it was a quart low. Somehow, when the subaru service department checked my oil, another half quart had magically appeared in my engine (so that they could say the oil consumption was not ‘excessive’, presumably). When I pointed out this anomaly to the service representative, he sneered at me and suggested I bring my car elsewhere. Interestingly, the main Subaru customer service line also recommended I not use Carr Subaru as my service provider. Not sure, but I’m guessing I have to start the whole oil consumption process over again from scratch. For reference, my car burns ~ 1 quart every 1200-1500 miles. For further reference, my previous truck (a 1996 mazda with > 200,000 miles on it) burned half as much oil!
July 27th, 2014 at 8:40 am
If you car is burning oil, it will cause problems in other areas beside the piston ring. The following items will be damage because of the excessive oil consumption.
1) the piston will be damage
2) The catalytic converts are damaged from the oil in the exhaust system.
3) All the oxygen sensor are all damage from the oil residue.
4) All the spark plugs are damage.
If you take your finger and you wipe your tail pipe, your finger will be completely black from the oil residue.
Subaru needs to replace the engine and the entire exhaust system or you will have future problems. The oil consumptions effects everything.
July 29th, 2014 at 8:28 am
I have a 2011 Forrester that is burning oil like no tomorrow. My problem is my low oil light NEVER comes on and the dipstick will have a drop on it or be at the low level. This last oil change I got mobil 1 oil rated for 15,000 miles and it only last 3,000 miles and burned off about 2.5 quarts of oil. I paid $25,000 for the car and feel like I got burned. Is there anything I can do?
July 30th, 2014 at 3:14 pm
@Stephanie: How many times has it been to the dealer?
July 30th, 2014 at 11:30 pm
I haven’t been to the dealer because my car is out of warranty. Should I call you guys so you can advise me? If so post your number.
August 1st, 2014 at 11:43 am
@Stephanie: If you were in repeatedly while your car was under warranty, please call.
August 4th, 2014 at 4:26 pm
I bought my 2013 Subaru Impreza in May of this year with 23,000 miles. I now how 25,800 miles and my oil light has come on for the first time. I checked my oil just a month ago and the level was normal (just above the second dot), it is now barley above the first dot on the dip stick. When my fiance went to change my oil he couldn’t get the plug undone because the dealer had tightened it to 480lbs of pressure needed to unscrew it, it should only be tightened to about 30 or 40lbs. When I called the dealer they tried to say it was normal to lose that much oil. When I bought the car they boasted that the car should only need its oil changed every 7k miles. My fiance has dealt with this dealership for years because he bought his 08 impreza/wrx here. His parents also service their 2004 baja with this dealership. He was able to convince them to send someone up (we live almost two hours from the dealership) to retrieve my car and leave me with a loner. I am very nervous that I will be stuck with the same problems as those listed above.
August 6th, 2014 at 11:31 pm
In early June 2014 we bought a new outback. Just under 2300 miles and I was a quart and a half low with the light on. On taking it to the dealer somehow the oil cap blew off and puked the refilled oil. Now we are having to do the consumption tests as well. I’m dreading the fight ahead.
August 10th, 2014 at 8:11 am
I have a 2013 legacy and it is using oil as well. The dealership says it is normal which I know it is not. I have contacted Subaru of America and now waiting on what they are going to do. I paid over 20,000 for this car and who knows what kind of problems it will have later on after warranty is up. Help not sure if this is considered a lemon or not.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:15 am
My wife and I own a 2012 Suburu Forester. Great car, however, yesterday my wife, who drives it mostly, mentioned that it was making a sound similar to the 08 outback we used to own. On cold days or first start of the day the outback would sound like a farm tractor until it warmed up. We jumped in to go hiking and when I started the Forester, I heard this horrible rod knock. Popped the hood and checked the level. No oil on the dipstick. Added roughly over 2.5 to 3 qts. I’ve never had a vehicle use this much oil, ever, between oil changes. All oil changes and services are done by the dealership. Adding to the mix is that the oil idiot light never came on. Talking to the dealership today trying to figure out what to do now.
August 25th, 2014 at 7:49 am
I have all of the above issues also – bought a 2012 Impreza used 17,000 miles took it on a trip and the light came on, added 2 qrts. Drove it and 2 more times same thing. now at 36000 miles and the dealer is ‘willing’ to consider there is a problem. Goes in Thursday, hopefully I am not too late since its already 36,000 miles.
August 29th, 2014 at 12:18 pm
I’m just glad I saw all this stuff now. I was just about to pop on a 2014 Impreza. Missed it by THAT MUCH!
I wonder how many model years I’ll have to wait for Subaru to fix this.
September 8th, 2014 at 10:03 pm
Bought a 2010 Outback December 23, 2009. Had rain coming through the sunroof when the sunroof was closed.
About 25,000 I experienced violent shaking in the front of the car.The dealer said the rotors were warped. Had to have them turned & new brakes installed. This happened on December 22nd 2013 & I just got a message machine when I called to report it. The dealer didn’t bother to call back until after Christmas so, of course, the warranty had just run out. Didn’t matter that I’d try to take care of it before the warranty was out.
The catalytic converter went out at 30,000 miles.
There has been a random intermittant beeping from day 1. Of course it never happens when we take it to the dealer.
Oil consumption has been excessive from early on. It uses about a quart every 3500 miles. Had the oil light come on a few times. I’ve learned to carry oil with me.
The car now has 55,755 on it. I’ve bought many new cars. This is the first new car I’ve bought that has had so many problems. The oil consumption seems crazy for a relatively new car. The dealer says it’s normal for a motor with horizontally opposed cylinders. Just their way of blowing me off.
September 24th, 2014 at 1:40 pm
Same issue with Subaru Forester 2013, dealer says 1 Quart every 2k miles is normal ?? any body in this thread could provide some info about lemon law and if it is effective?.
thanks.
October 1st, 2014 at 1:36 pm
@Jose: Lemon Law is effective in these claims, but we need the ammunition before we go into battle. Please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and fill out the form so we can get a bit more detail on your case.
October 10th, 2014 at 7:09 pm
I have a 2013 Impreza 2.0i sedan. I do not have any of the oil issues yet. I am just about at 15K. From what I read on this the problem seems to be with the new FB engine in the Subaru’s. How does one find out if you have one of these oil sucker engines?
October 22nd, 2014 at 8:29 pm
I have 2014 outback which I bought May. Two weeks ago, I got the oil light on and that day I went dealer and changed engine oil. I asked about the engine oil light on and dealer said “need to check frequently between change engine oil and refill if it is low”. If it happens again, how do I need to prepare for case or get fixed? how many time do I need to get service before file this case?
October 24th, 2014 at 12:50 pm
@Sang Kim: Once you are back three or more times and a significant repair has been made, fill out our form at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html
November 5th, 2014 at 10:23 am
Have 2014 Legacy had this oil problem since I purchased car brand new plus noise coming from transmission. They did consumption test and replaced engine R&D & short block. They also stated that took care on noise from transmission. Got car back drove it 2800 mile after above was completed oil light back on half quart low on oil and transmission noise is back. Call dealer service advisor stated since new engine put
In there 5000 mile break in period and it will use some oil! Was told to add oil and wait until I gone 5000 mile.
November 16th, 2014 at 4:34 pm
2015 Subaru Legacy- low oil light came on at 3,400 miles. Checked engine and it was a full quart low. I bought 0w-20 and added myself… Then started googling and saw this page…. Maybe it’s a break-in period…. Or maybe it has the exact same problems as past model years.
November 19th, 2014 at 11:02 am
@Annabelle: Call 1 800 LEMON LAW (1 800 536 6652) to inquire about your rights.
December 10th, 2014 at 12:28 pm
I have a 2013 Subaru forester with 37000 miles . It’s in the shop as I wrote this because I was way low on my oil between oil changes. I have already been told they can burn up to 1 quart per 1200 miles. Thats great to know, now. I never had to worry about oil with my ford vehicles until they hit 150,000 miles. Because of the flat motors I’ve been told with the Subaru. Not happy, wish me luck
December 12th, 2014 at 2:15 pm
2012 Subaru Impreza Sport Premium 5 door. Bought car new. At 20k miles on odometer low oil light came on in the middle of nowhere in northern MN. Found some 0W20 oil and put it in. Was still a third quart low. Had 4.4k miles since last oil change. I ignored it since owners manual says 1 quart every oil change(3750 mi) is acceptable. Now, car is at 37k miles and about a third qt low 1k miles after last oil change. Dealer told me if one third low after 1200 miles then they will put a new short block in. Have to do a consumption test first. But, think I’ll get rid of this car next summer and buy another Honda CRV. Have had 3 CRV’s and never a drop of oil burned. I do like the handling of the Subaru, but a brand new car burning oil is not acceptable. Subaru engines must somehow be designed to burn oil or rather, they cannot be stopped from burning oil. I would have accepted that back in the 1980’s but not in 2014.
December 22nd, 2014 at 6:51 pm
We own a 2013 Subaru Outback that we bought new in May of 2013. We were pleased with our car and did not have any problems until we had approx. 23000 miles on it….We got a check engine light and were surprised to find that we were down about one quart of oil. Since that time, we have filed a complaint with Subaru, and the car continues to use oil between service intervals. We had a “consumption test” done by a local dealer. We were told that the oil use was “normal”…The service manager went so far as to tell me that we should consider ourselves fortunate because our Subaru “only used a quart between services..A small price to pay for such good fuel mileage.” We were astounded by this cavalier attitude. We questioned why the oil use, if normal, is not mentioned in the owner’s manual..We were told that we live in an “extreme service” area. Our rebuttal was the fact that Subaru shows the Outback being used off road in many of their commercials…..We drive on paved roads.
We also questioned what effect that this “normal oil consumption” was having on the downstream components such as 02 sensors and catalytic converters.
We were also told to reduce our oil change interval. Oddly enough when I questioned the use of full synthetic oil at the time we were negotiating the purchase of the car, the salesman told us that the added cost of synthetic was more than offset by the increased distance between service intervals. He never mentioned that we lived in an “extreme service” area. He never mentioned that we would get great fuel mileage but use oil between changes as part of the cost of that great fuel mileage.
We are well aware that Subaru has issued a service bulletin describing the problem and repair procedure for replacing the piston rings on our engine. If this is “normal oil use” then why the need for the service bulletin??
Subaru is doing a really bad job of customer service with regard to this problem. They know they have a problem but refuse to issue a full recall, instead taking it on a case by case basis.
We bought a full extended service warranty, but that only goes to 100,000 miles. We were told that Subaru “would honor the warranty even if we exceeded the 100,000 miles and our engine failed shortly thereafter. We doubt that. We will probably get a box in the mail with a set of piston rings in it.
We doubt that we will purchase another Subaru in the future, unless Subaru steps up and take responsibility for their product.
December 27th, 2014 at 8:45 pm
Report all problems to www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov to help force a recall
December 27th, 2014 at 10:23 pm
I purchased a 2013 Subarua Forester 04/13, on 12/23/14 driving I noticed the oil on so I pulled to the side and pulled out of my glove compartment where I had taken my car to dealerdhip and had its oil change. My sticker in the window regarding my last visit shows that the vehicle needed to be serviced again 01/31/2015 or mileage 13,407, and I’m looking at my mileage on dash that’s reading 11,117. I called dealership 12/26/14 day after Christmas worried that perhaps something went wrong and maybe that I really didn’t receive the oil change I paid for, as this happened to me with another vehicle some years ago, anyway one of workers I reported this to said that I was responsible for checking my oil, well I really didn’t know that as if I did I wouldn’t have to pay someone to care for my car, I guess now I will learn to do so, but I was so worried driving the car to work seeing that light on I stopped a shell station and the attendant there tried to help me look and looking where the oil goes looked brand new inside we couldn’t see any oil, this guy says to me you need some oil it’s a good thing you stopped so we put 1 quart of oil, later I understood thd car takes 10 W 20 and 10 W 40 was put in, I could not take it to dealer because the light still stayed on and I was concerned of further damages that thd car had no oil and the dealer us 45 minute drive.
I went to work and after work the light still on so I go back to shell and we look under the hood too see if it’s runing hot and noticed there’s no coolant in the car so I drove the car home parked it looked at th cement floor and no oil on the cement floor. I took pictures with date and time of my mileage/the sticker and pictures of the coolant empty vessel. I called and talk with the manager about all of this and at first he suggest I pay to have vechicle tolled, but then he gave me a toll free number because my car is still under warranty to have their toll pick it up 12/28/2014. IT seems I accidentally stumbled up on all of this that’s scary, I’m worried as I don’t know, but this could be my problem and I’m still paying for this car it’s really a shame that this is a issue with this car while I also, was informed about the recall on the brake problems with the snow getting inside the rim, when I took it in for the oil change in the summer I was also responding too the problem of recall, they told me I didnt have to worry about it. I don’t know how they put this kind of danger and serious problems still continue to sell defective products. Please anyone who can help educate me more on how to handle this i welcome and thank you so much.
December 27th, 2014 at 10:29 pm
My oil light is coming on my 2013 forester please any information you can give i thank you.
December 28th, 2014 at 10:17 pm
Just bought a 2013 with 33,000 miles- should I return and get my money back?
January 2nd, 2015 at 4:40 pm
@Dennis: Sadly, you cannot return a car.
January 2nd, 2015 at 4:41 pm
@Marsha: Get it to a Subaru authorized dealer as soon as possible.
January 4th, 2015 at 6:28 pm
I’v had my 2012 Subaru STI since day 1. I noticed it burnt oil before the first 5000 km, about 1 litre.
When I went to the dealer on my first oil change around 5000km I asked them about it, they stated it was normal. Me new to Subaru they sold me on the idea that this car burns oil.
I kept an eye on the oil level for the next interval, again another litre before 5000km.
I am currently at almost 40 000, and I just did an oil change 1000 km ago and burning of the oil seems to be getting worse. So I googled this and found this website and a bunch of other sites stating Subaru is being sued over this issue.
The vehicle is leased and I was planning on buying it out, but now I believe my engine is probably maturely failing on me, and Subaru dealer from where I bought it made me think that this was ok.
Am I too late? I would love this issue to be resolved before having to spend money down the road on a very expensive engine.,
January 17th, 2015 at 12:52 am
Hello,
I bought this car as a second owner through a third party. It has 32000 miles on it when it was bought in December 2013. It is a year later now and we have a huge problem. On Tuesday this week we were on the freeway and out of nowhere the car just shut down. We got it to a gas station nearby by pushing it. Once there we looked around to see what was wrong, and it was out of oil. This was strange because we had just put a whole quart of oil in it two days before. The car when started has a knocking noise now, but it kept trying to die out. Towed it home and started opening the car up, there are huge metal shavings in the oil. This is going to cost tons. I put oil in it every couple weeks at least, it’s losing in insane amount of oil and is now stuck in my garage unable to run.
January 25th, 2015 at 10:19 pm
I just traded in my 2007 subaru impreza because it was using a quart of oil every 1000 miles. I bought a 2014 crosstrek thinking it was an old car problem and here I am with 2000 miles on the car and the oil light came on and it has already used a quart. Ive only had the car a month. Im bringing the car to the dealer tomorrow. I’m not sure what I should do.
February 5th, 2015 at 6:47 pm
I am just starting with the problems with my 2013 Crosstrek. have 36,000 miles and dealer told me some consumption is normal. 4 quarts in 6,000 miles? No wonder they feel the need to guarantee a trade in value
February 15th, 2015 at 3:42 pm
(PA) I have a 2013 Impreza I bought new, I had 24000 mi on the car when it started using oil. I commute 120 mi/day. I check my oil after every oil change & every weekend. 3000mi after my last oil change my oil was a qrt. low. On atleast 4 occasions I could smell this burn off inside the car.Went to the dealer yesterday for service & oil change & told them my oil was low. First thing he says to me is you want to start the oil consumption test. I don’t see the point if they are testing at 1200. I did agree & they started the test. Results for the 1st were cannot not duplicate. So they changed the oil, I checked the oil this morning and now its overfilled. I am to take my car back in 1200 mi which for me will be within 2 wks. I am scheduled on 2/28. I will pay the dealer a visit tomorrow 2/16 to let then know the oil is overfilled. Seems a bit deceptive to me when I am to have this test again in 2 wks.
February 16th, 2015 at 6:01 pm
I have a 2011 Outback 3.6 with 55000 miles. We have started experiencing this issue last year, we’ve had it three times in the last 12 months – taken it to the authorized local dealer each time. They seem to be pretty clueless there’s been no mention of the issues listed here. I’m taking it in tomorrow again and I will ask for the oil consumption test to be run. Very disappointed in Subaru, as our previous Legacy SW ran like a champ for 10 years with nary an issue.
February 16th, 2015 at 9:23 pm
I am also having excessive oil consumption for my 2011 Subaru Outback 3.6R, however I don’t see the model listed on other forums as a “known issue” vehicle. Does it matter if there is still an issue?
February 18th, 2015 at 4:43 pm
I have a 2013 Subaru Impreza, at first it was fine, but the third oil change the light came on after 2000 miles. Took it to the dealer and they told me it was “normal”. I said, I’ve owned plenty of different cars and different car brands to know that’s not normal. I requested an oil consumption test and when I got to my appointment they said “we aren’t going to do that yet” and I demanded that it be done. They still refuse because it’s normal. I just met someone that has the same issue as me and her car has now broke down TWICE in one week and the dealer won’t do anything. I’m concerned that the dealer and/or Subaru is not looking out for me. What do I do? Do I just go ahead and trade it in for a different car brand?
February 19th, 2015 at 7:34 am
Just purchased a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek 3 days ago with 8k miles. My second day with the car I looked through the glove box and found two arbitration forms for vehicle issues which made me concerned. I did a little searching and found that excessive oil consumption is a potential issue for this car.. even at such low mileage! I still have a long way to go on my lemon law coverage but wanted to find out my current oil level to see if there was an issue it would come up before by car was out of the coverage period. After checking the dip stick numerous times I found the fill level was about an inch over the full line! I’m going back to the dealership tomorrow to pick up my registration and to have an inspection sticker done. Question is, do I have the dealer remove the excess oil in the engine and have it set at the correct level and do I or can I have this work documented?? I have only had the car for 100 miles but I don’t want to wait until it’s too late.
February 25th, 2015 at 4:18 pm
@Sue: Please call us at 1 800 LEMON LAW (1 800 536 6652) as soon as possible to discuss your rights.
March 7th, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Have a 2010 Subaru Forester. Went in for an oil change, they told me I pretty much had no oil, (no oil light had come on to tell me this). I asked why my car was burning so much oil, they said I needed my head gaskets replaced, which they did. Time for an oil change again, out of curiosity I checked my oil prior to making my appt. Again, almost no oil, (again, no oil light has come on to tell me this.) Called to make an appt. for oil change and ask why my car is burning through so much oil, this time they tell me, subaru has designed their engine to burn through oil like this. If this is true, why wouldn’t they have told me that last time and why would they have needed to replace the head gasket last time?
March 13th, 2015 at 3:55 am
Just bought a 1 owner 2013 Forester on 02/14/15 with 41,000 on it. On my drive home from the dealer the oil pressure light came on. pulled over and checked the oil it seemed to be fine. Called the dealer the next day and told them what happened. They came and picked the car up and took it to the Subaru dealer for us and said it was more than likely just a faulty sensor. Got the car back with no oil light on. Then last week i hopped in to go to the store and there’s the oil light again sometimes very dim and sometimes brighter. Went to show my wife and it was gone again. That was about a week ago so we called the dealer they said check the oil and if the light stays on contact us again. Well the light stayed off until this evening when i went to run another quick errand and boom there the light was again very dim and then got brighter at times and then dimmed again. For sure going to take it back in now that im reading all of this. Any suggestions on how i should approach the dealer on this issue since now i know there is an actual problem with this stretch of vehicles? Iv had this car for less than a month and am literally not sleeping at night from worry about what has been going on. I already spent too much on this car and now to see this is gut wrenching. Any advice helps. Thanks
March 15th, 2015 at 9:37 am
I have an 07 Subaru impreza and ever since the dealership put new head gaskets in I have been burning 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles and now my check engine light is on and I need new catalytic converters…. I believe it is all related.
March 18th, 2015 at 1:13 pm
@Dietrich: Make sure you go back to the shop EVERY TIME the light goes on and make sure you receive a repair invoice for every visit. Once you have three or more invoices, and a repair has been performed, call us a t 1800 LEMON LAW (1 800 536 6652) to discuss your rights, or fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html
March 19th, 2015 at 10:00 am
2009 outback 2.5i limited (71k) which I bought new needs a new short block. Dash lights went on and brought in the next morning for my appointment. They told me the car came in with no oil and the head gaskets were leaking. We replaced the head gaskets (along with some other smaller work). 1 month later the oil light goes on. Now they decide to look a bit further and see that the cylinders are scratched up and burning oil and that now I need a new short block. They didn’t bother to look the first time when it came in with no oil? If they had bothered to look the first time and told me I needed a new engine, would I have paid for new head gaskets? No. I complained to the dealership and they took it to Regional rep and they offered to pay 50% of the $5k – $6k repair costs. That is still not good enough. They need to take care of this in full. Just paid 3400 for gaskets and misc and now they want me to pay another $3k. I am about to call corporate but don’t have high hopes. Looking to trade this in and lease something. Not good, not happy.
March 31st, 2015 at 11:15 am
My 2013 Subaru Impreza is currently in the shop for oil consumption. I first noticed the oil light at around 10,500 miles, which was about 3,000 miles after a Subaru oil change, at that time I was down a quart of oil. My family topped it off and assumed the techs had underfilled at the last oil change. About 3,000 after my next oil change, the light came on again, it was down a quart, so then I took it into the shop, at around 17,000 miles total. The shop said that because I had had my last oil change at a local garage and not at Subaru, that all they could do was change the oil and wait and see. This time the oil light came on at 4,000 miles after the oil change, at around 24,000 miles total. (I did not check after the last oil change to see if it was overfilled, which appears to be an issue sometime based on the comments here.) Anyway, I have now been to the shop for this twice. Today they said there is no repair needed, that it’s standard for the car to consume about 2 quarts of oil every 1,000-2,000 miles. They recommended that I keep oil with me and check the level periodically. I have one year and about 11,000 miles left on my warranty. Could you please let me know whether my experience fits into the pattern to use the Lemon Law for these cars? I believe I have the invoice for the last time the car was in the shop and will certainly retain the one from this time. But because they are now telling me that this consumption is normal, I don’t know if they’ll look at it a third time. Thanks very much for your time.
April 6th, 2015 at 3:34 pm
@gcp: If the problem is continuing and they won’t look at it, call Subaru corporate and have them arrange an appointment at another dealer. If you have three or more repair invoices, with at least one being a repair to address the problem, please contact us at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and we will be glad to discuss your situation with you.
April 7th, 2015 at 7:49 am
I bought a used 2011 Subaru Impreza. The check engine light came on for the 3rd time this morning, after having it serviced for the previous 2 times. Sensor for the emissions and thermostat replaced. anyone else having issues like this? I have 46,000 miles on it and had it less than a year.
April 7th, 2015 at 3:39 pm
@Patricia: Is the car still under warranty? If so, please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html so we can review the situation and determine if and how we can help.
April 19th, 2015 at 10:16 pm
I have a 2012 Subaru Forester w/ at. I currently have 130,000 miles on the car. I use a quart of oil every 1000 miles. This started at 75,000 miles. At that time I switched to 5w30 Mobil one, no changes except it quieted the engine down, still using A quart every 1000 miles. This car is used for my business, and I drive a lot of miles. Using 10+ quarts of synthetic oil is nuts. Will switch to Dino oil soon.. Can’t trade in owe to much on it, last Subaru I’ll own..
April 27th, 2015 at 5:40 am
Such a bad car model, dealer explain to for services every 4 months, such a crap way to tell lie. i hope this problem fix for me after 3rd times lucky! Otherwise who can i contact to get this matter look at!!!
April 29th, 2015 at 4:19 pm
@Stephanie: If you have a Subaru claim you would like reviewed for free, please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html
May 13th, 2015 at 6:45 am
I bought my first brand new car, a ’13 Legacy on March 2013. Being 7500 intervals it didn’t register it was burning oil and having to ad some before the next change. I have mentioned in conversation the low oil light coming on between changes (without a concerned tone) and was told about a break in period etc. I’m now at 38,000. My last oil change was just over 36,300 (I had to pay for the test) and 2600 miles before my next scheduled oil changed. My low oil light came on about 50 miles from home. The next day I checked the oil and there was barely on the dipstick and I added a quart. Started doing research and was told to do an oil consumption test. I took a trip to Corpus Christi Texas from OKC, called before I left and asked if I could have a dealer there check and document my oil level for the consumption test and was told it was okay to do so. I went to Bob Moore Subaru today to have a tire replaced and turn in the papers from the dealership and was told that it had to be done at the same dealership but he would put this in my file. He said the paper work was inconclusive because it shows I burned I believe 8.307% at 1440 miles but they added 1.2 quarts. I have all of my records since each oil change has been done at the dealership and I’m able to list several dates for when the light has came on but not exact mileage for all. What would be the best approach for this situation? Thanks in advance for any advice! – Alex
May 18th, 2015 at 12:38 am
I have a 2012 Impreza that I bought new. The first oil change at the dealer left me with oil leak all over the engine – they did not put the filter on right. I drive a lot of freeway miles and still have my original tires at 53k now. I went in about a year ago when the oil light came on and the service guy topped me up and suggested an oil consumption test. Sadly, I ignored it and kept driving. Now recently I had the oil light come on three times before I decided to push up my oil change, rather than keep adding more oil. So, at 52k, they told me about the oil consumption issue and they assured me they would do a test, especially since when they checked the oil level, it was below the low mark. I got a free oil change and just went back to learn I am still at the full mark after 1200 miles. Since I am nearing my 60k warranty mark, I am concerned that I may not see another problem until after I am out of warranty. I drive a lot of freeway miles and avoid traffic, so my engine is not being challenged as it should be. Is there anything I can do to ensure I get needed repairs before my warranty is up?
May 22nd, 2015 at 11:44 am
@Aura: I wish you did not ignore them previously. If you are thinking of keeping the car, I would consider a SUBARU extended warranty. That way, if oil consumption problems occur “down the road” resulting in component replacements, you can look into filing a breach of warranty claim. Keep our number 1 800 536 6652 handy for the future.
May 22nd, 2015 at 11:49 am
@Alex: Please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and fill out all of your information. We will reach out to you to discuss your specific information and how to proceed.
May 25th, 2015 at 9:21 pm
I have a Subaru Impreza,2013. I brought it in to the dealer many times for oil consumption. After telling us the car was ok many times, they finally agreed there was an issue and replaced the engine block. It still is burning oil and I have opened a case with the lemon law. We are waiting for a response. Please be aware of this issue. No new car should consume so much oil!
June 5th, 2015 at 1:54 pm
I bought a used 2012 impreza with 45k km on it in January 2013. This thing sucked oil big time. It’s my wife’s car so it was tricky to keep a close eye on oil consumption. After many low oil lights i took it to dealer for oil consumption study. I had the impression that they knew what was up. After 4 repeat low oil visits they agreed to replace short block last summer. It still uses what I consider to be an excessive amount of oil – 1litre/2500 kms. The subaru engineers must be pretty ashamed of this piece of crap. Too bad the corporate office won’t accept full responsibility for this huge failure.
June 5th, 2015 at 5:57 pm
My new 2015 Forester is now being considered for an engine replacement. They are talking with corporate. Oil consumption first noticed before first 3000 mile oil change, when I brought it in for oil light, but told by dealer it was normal to use oil with extra thin synthetic oil and engine settling in. Got first oil change then done at dealer. Before second oil change at 6000, light came on as I was down a quart and I filled it back up myself. After 2nd oil change (which I did at Grease Monkey for convenience) I had to bring it back in twice to Grease Mnkey to top off when oil light came on, so I returned to the dealer for 3rd oil change and complained. They began the oil consumption test at that point. Two days later, oil light back on and discovered they had not tightened down the reservoir cap. Returned to dealer, they refilled it and cleaned off engine, siad they would restart the oil consumption test and asked me to return sometime after 1200 miles. Now they are taking it seriously when I brought it back. Told me “we had these problems with older models, used to replace the engine with a short block. But the 2015’s now have that new engine style already and we are not sure what the fix will be to resolve it still happening. ” So beware of the 2015’s too! Glad I also have an extended warranty. Stay tuned for the corporate decision on what to do with mine (I’ll let you know). Any suggestions on what I should demand? Would like to get a different brand car, after 30 plus years of Subarus without a problem.
June 8th, 2015 at 3:30 pm
@Ruth–If you do get your engine replaced, you may be entitled to compensation. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and fill out the information for assistance.
June 16th, 2015 at 2:17 am
2015 Subaru Forester is going in tomorrow for a new short block after excessive oil consumption problems for the past year. Had to first have dealer conduct an oil consumption test to validate my concerns. My questions are: 1) Am I entitled to get any compensation for the fact that I am having major engine repair on a car with less than 10,000 miles on it, and which has caused me to spend hours in the dealership for oil checks over the past year? 2) What if this new fix doesn’t work? I am in New York and it looks like they get 4 attempts to fix problem before I am eligible for Lemon Law. At the rate that it took to get them to attempt fix 1, this could take years. Do I have any recourse beyond just a wait and see what happens with the new engine block? I would prefer to get rid of this car and purchase a different brand. Upset that this is apparently a long standing issue that has yet to be adequately rectified by Subaru and that I had to jump through hoops for a year to get them to address it.
June 16th, 2015 at 1:37 pm
@Dee: The first oil consumption test does qualify as a repair visit, and you do not mention how many days the car has been out of service for the transmission replacement. If you would like to have your claim reviewed for free, visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon Form.
June 20th, 2015 at 11:01 am
I have a 2013 outback, bought it new, from new it used a quart every 1800 to 22oo mile. now I have notice that in the last year consumption has gone up. I called the Subaru consumer back in 2013 to complain. my question is would I still have a case if my car has 75000 mile and now uses a qt. every 450 mile.
June 20th, 2015 at 1:19 pm
For a company that advertises cars that are safe for the environment, burning this much oil cant be good.
June 23rd, 2015 at 1:24 am
My 2013 Outback went in for block replacement 6/3/15 due to failing the oil consumption test. 28,000 miles. Had runnoutvif oil on a trip to GA, had to stop at 2am to add oil. Will it be as good as new or should I trade it in?. I bought it new, now its a rebuild. Leary of it now. Still being worked on so I can’t say how it performs. Just not sure if I’ll ever trust it on my many trips.
July 3rd, 2015 at 9:13 am
@Paige: Hard to say, but if it’s not good as new and you have to bring it back to Subaru for more repairs, I would certainly look into your rights before you trade it in. You could be looking at significant compensation to help with the depreciation of the trade. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html to submit your info. We will be glad to review it for free and let you know about your rights.
July 3rd, 2015 at 9:21 am
@Kevin–It would depend on your warranty terms and if any work had been completed.
July 3rd, 2015 at 12:50 pm
I have a 2013 Subaru legacy and the oil light just came on for no reason two weeks ago. My husband who always works on our cars thought it was a fluke. After reading this, I am going to call my dealer and have them check it out. I was on the highway when the light came on and it frightened me.I have a warranty until next march. I have never had an oil light come on any car I owned. My husband checks the oil constantly and it wasn’t low.
July 15th, 2015 at 5:58 pm
I just paid to have my head gaskets replaced because I was told they were oozing. Just paid the thing off and figured put a bit of money in to extend the life of the car rather than have it blow. It is now burning through oil at a record pace – 1-1/2 quarts at 800 miles. I had the work done at the dealership and they are now telling me I need a new engine. The thing was in perfect condition when I took it in. It is a 2009 Forrester with 150,000 miles. Had I know this could happen, I would have saved my money and put it toward a new car. Now I am out $$$$ and need a new car. So much for pride in Subaru ownership.
July 20th, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Do you guys work with Canadians? I have a 2012 Subaru Impreza. I’ve had two new shortblocks installed and now this one is burning oil. I have been back 4 times with an ongoing oil consumption which is getting worse and worse. At the last oil consumption interval I was burning through 1 litre in 1400km. I have been waiting to hear back from Subaru for almost 3 weeks and still nothing. What should I do?
July 20th, 2015 at 8:25 pm
Well, I’ve never heard of this issue until today. I test drove my wife’s 2012 Outback 2.5 after changing the brake pads and the oil light was on. the car has just over 50,000 miles on it. I asked her if she noticed this before and she said no. So, I pulled the dipstick and there was not a drop of oil on it. Right away, I went to the auto parts store and added 3 quarts of oil. It only holds 4.1 quarts. I was afraid to even drive it to the dealer being this low on oil. Needless to say, we will be getting it to the dealer ASAP. We have changed the oil every 5,000 miles. So far before the manufacturers recommendation. Frustrated!
July 22nd, 2015 at 2:08 pm
bought my son a new 14 impreza manual transmission. 15000 miles. Having oil light problems. 1st time consumption test “normal” Second time light came on we were told faulty sensor for low oil (replaced). We are on our 3rd attempt (consumption test) when I brought it in was told it was down only 1/2 quart..I advised that we had added a quart and 1/2 so as not to damage engine. When I checked oil at beginning of consumption test it was over-filled…called tech and asked about test and he said they mark it on their internal paperwork…I asked what it showed…He advised that it is marked “just above” the full mark. REAL SCIENTIFIC Bought new Subaru thinking good safe reliable car for my son to go to college with…WHOOPS…Need further documentation then just going to give to lawyer….This is not right…Why does class action stop at 13 Impreza;s ????
July 30th, 2015 at 12:44 pm
I purchased a used ’13 imprza coupe with 59,000 miles. Ive had the car less than a week and the oil pressure indicator lite up. I check the oil and it was down 1 qt. the owners manual happened to have in it all of the previous owners maintenence records. These records show a consumption isuue. The car was towed into dealer june 15th 2015, short block was replaced then sold to me July 20th. Does the short block replacement solve the consumption issue? Is it best to just bail on this car under the lemon law?
July 31st, 2015 at 2:58 pm
@Charlie: You would not qualify for lemon law but if problems continue, you may have a breach of warranty claim. The previous owners’ records have no bearing on your claim.
July 31st, 2015 at 3:07 pm
@Ed: Class action is NOT the way to go. Individual claims bring consumers much better remedies in a much quicker time span. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html to have your claim reviewed.
July 31st, 2015 at 3:09 pm
@Greg: Sadly, we cannot handle claims in Canada at this time.
August 12th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
@Dee I just recently dealt with the same issue with my 2015 Subaru Forester. I filled out one of the surveys they sent me and the next thing I new my local dealership was calling me to bring in the car. I made a lot of noise with the service manager after oil consumption tests and the district manager saying there is nothing they were willing to do. I then called Subaru of America and this lovely lady Olivia has been helping me the passed three weeks. Today she called me to inform me that the service manager and district manager have now decided to order a short block. I am not completely sure but I think that may mean the engine. She told me I should be receiving a call from my dealership to set up an appointment soon. I live in NY as well and you have to be respectful but firm with your local dealership and demand that this problem be corrected.
August 28th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
@Misty: That’s all well and good but if you are getting a new short block, you most likely could go after Subaru for diminished value of the car as many of our clients have. This could result in thousands of dollars back in your pocket and continued ownership of the car. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html to submit your information to see if you are eligible.
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:42 pm
I have a ’12 impreza hatchback. The car is nice, but I am having to to in every 5,000 miles to change the oil. And that’s driving about it 1,000 miles with the oil light on. It’s happened all this past year. I drive a lot for work, I have 90k miles on this car, so I’m used to many oil changes, but the first year I could go 7-8k miles before an oil change and now I’m barely getting 5k….I owe more than its worth, and haven’t documented anything. I HATE the local Subaru dealer, so it has kept me away….maybe I should drive over an hour to the next one to check it out….
September 30th, 2015 at 12:16 pm
We bought our Impreza 2013 new in July 2013. Every since the beginning the oil light was coming on every 3000 miles and has been consistently getting worse. We brought the car in more than 10 times for the same issue, and the dealer has done 3 oil consumption tests for us. The results are: 0 consumption, borderline (but passed the test), and somewhere in the middle. It feels like the consumption tests are a random number generator.. Anyways the car never failed the tests but the oil light comes on sooner and sooner. E.g. once the light came on 2000 miles after the completion of a consumption test and the dealer found it was 0.85 quart down. Now they are replacing a sensor for the light and will start a 4th consumption test upon our request. I don’t believe this will solve the oil consumption problem at all, but this drags on and exhausts our patience and will eventually drags it out of the warranty period. Yet the dealer does not even admit the problem after we have struggled with it for the last 20k+ miles. What are our options?
September 30th, 2015 at 4:30 pm
@Lala: Stay the course and hold on to all of your records. Once they replace pistons or other engine components, including possibly the short block, contact us at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html
October 5th, 2015 at 6:28 pm
We bought a 2013 Subaru Outback in May of 2013, brand new, 4 miles on it.
Right from the start I thought it used to much oil for a brand new car. But it wasn’t a lot and my husband said, it is brand new the motor has to break in. OK. I have had the oil changed regularly. Generally between 6-7000 miles. I had the oil changed in May 2015. I was just getting ready to go on a long trip and decided to get my oil changed before I left. Was going to take it in on the Thursday before I left. However on the Tuesday before the oil light came on. My son who is a mechanic at the shop we take it too, checked my oil for me, said it is down two quarts mom, it shouldn’t be. Bring it in tomorrow, not Thursday, we will do the oil change and check for leaks. They found no leaks. Told me to bring it back on Monday after my trip so they could check the oil. I took it back today and it was down half a quart. My trip was
+/- 300 miles round trip. The mechanic told me, call Subaru, your car is still under warranty and it shouldn’t have used any oil. My car has 29,777 miles on it and my warranty is up at either 36K or 3 years, which will be up May 2016. I called the Subaru Dealership where we purchased the car. I told her the issue, told her that I has suspected that it was using to much oil for some time, but this was the first time we actually kept track. She scheduled me for an oil consumption test. She said that if it uses to much oil, they will get me a new engine.
The tip on Checking the oil when we leave the dealership to see if they over filled it is a great one, I would have NEVER thought of that. Thank you!
This is the fourth time I have had my car back to the dealership. Shortly after I bought it, it started squeeking in the front, around the pully area. Took it to my local mechanic, they said it may be the belts or the pully assembly but couldn’t touch it due to the warranty, so I took it back to the dealership. I might add that the dealership is about a two hour drive from my house and this noise was intermittent. So I made an appointment for them to check it out. I get there and it isn’t squeeking. I tried to explain to the service tech. So I had to wait, I happened to be in Reno another time not to long later, it started the squeeking. So I whipped into the dealership. The tech that I talked to said, lets go listen but I think I know what it is. He listens, said yep, it is the pully assembly. So made an apt to get that fixed. A few months later it started squeeking again, finally took it back in, “oh yeah” they say, after you had the pully replaced, they came out with a different belt. I am thinking, you could have called and told me. GRRRR. So just got that fixed and now this. And today, my Bluetooth quit working, my husband could hear me, but I couldn’t hear him. The AC vent on the driver side center has come loose from the dash. UGH UGH Ugh. this is my first ever brand new car, my first ever Subaru. We love the car, love how it handles, but I bought a brand new car, didn’t expect to have all these problems until it had a LOT more miles on it.
October 7th, 2015 at 2:02 pm
@Melissa: I would not have your son’s shop handle this right now. It needs to be properly documented by Subaru.
October 8th, 2015 at 10:00 am
the Subaru dealership in Reno NV will be handling it. the shop my son works, only does my oil changes. My mechanic told me to call Subaru to have them deal with it. All work that is covered under the warranty has been done by the Subaru Dealership where we bought the car. So far other than the first guy I talked to about the squeak, they have been good and have fixed the problem, no questions asked.
October 14th, 2015 at 11:25 pm
Purchased my 2014 Subaru Outback 1/19/14
By first oil change, could tell difference in driving car when oil was low. Car not moving forward smoothly from stop position, feeling like it’s going to stall.
5/25/14 Mileage 3,191 oil change Jiffy Lube
9/18/14 Mileage 5,600 1 quart down – Jiffy Lube top off
11/09/14 Mileage 7,482 oil change Jiffy Lube – down a quart
2/18/15 Mileage 10,187 engine low oil level light on – replaced sensor
5/12/15 Mileage 13,519 oil change, begin oil consumption test
6/28/15 Mileage 16,385 oil light comes on and off, 16,390 oil light continuously on, in Glacier National Park, add quart of oil at 16,450 miles, again add quart of oil 17,610
7/9/15 Mileage 19,295 oil change in Indiana
8/11/15 Mileage 23,241 oil change, oil consumption test restarts
9/2015 Mileage 24,441 – car “passes” oil consumption test
Now at 25,000 miles, now what? Representative at Subaru dealer shared “off the record” that I could ask for extended warranty, or trade car in? Because of passing oil consumption test they’re not going to change the engine – though “off the books” dealer’s representative said that wouldn’t change anything??? And now I’m questioning if they added extra oil, as others have suggested, to pass consumption test…
October 21st, 2015 at 2:45 pm
started out oil consumption test last Thursday, have to take it back at 1200 miles. Interestingly enough, they told us we could not even check the oil, can’t add oil etc. Must take it to a Subaru dealership if the oil light comes on. Hmmmmmmmmm so we couldn’t even check the oil before we left the dealership to see if they over filled it. We live 2 hours from the nearest dealership. They said well you can have it towed to us, at your expense? I didn’t hear the answer. I am going over to Reno on Friday so will be stopping by to have them check the oil for me. I am not going to be responsible if the engine blows up because of no oil. ugh.
November 13th, 2015 at 12:00 pm
Update: We had Lithia Reno Subaru check our oil. Hmmmm imagine our surprise when the tech checked the oil in our presents and it was excessively over full!!!!!!! We were not amused. They of course apologized, but now we have to start over. I have filed a complaint with Subaru of America. We can take it to another shop, but at this point we will be taking it back to Reno to restart the test. This time however, cell phone pictures will be taken of the dip stick prior to our leaving their shop. The service Manager will be present and we WILL be seeing the dip stick before we leave. Last time they were adamant that we could not look at it, could not touch it, etc. I am about ready to trade it in on another Toyota.
November 18th, 2015 at 4:02 pm
update to #130 and #131 we are taking the car back to have the oil consumption test started again on Sat. Nov 21st.
November 27th, 2015 at 5:35 pm
Hi, I bought a brand new 2011 Forester in 2011. Have had no issues until this week. Almost at 70,000 miles, have taken the car in for regular service to the dealer, as directed. I was driving on the New York State thruway when the oil light came on and within a minute, the car died. Thankfully I had just enough time to get the car onto the shoulder. It was towed to the dealer and they are now telling me that I need a new motor! I told them I am aware of several pending lawsuits regarding excessive oil consumption and that I’m not happy at all with Subaru. They said they would see that Subaru offers to do to help. I’m so disappointed in this car. It’s not old enough to have these problems and this situation could have been life threatening!
December 29th, 2015 at 10:06 am
I have a 2010 outback with 103k miles. The oil depletion has just stared within the past 10k miles. Am I too far down the mileage road to benefit in any way?
January 8th, 2016 at 10:15 am
Bought 2013 Impreza with 62,389, 12/17/15. Checked oil before test drive, dipstick indicated it was full. Last oil change done by Subaru dealer stated next oil change was not due until 66,286. Car now has 63,147 miles and we have added 4 quarts of oil since date of purchase. We paid cash for the car. The seller, Andy Hook of Rye, NH, never disclosed any issues with car, stated it was a great running car. I know we probably have no recourse. Not sure what we are going to do at this point, but we are not going to pass this mess along to another.
April 1st, 2016 at 9:10 am
I bought a 2015 Subaru Legacy and the check oil level warning light came on at 3,000 miles. Called my Subaru dealership and they said that the light sometimes comes on because it’s a new car and the manufacturer doesn’t “top off” fluids, so they changed my oil. It came back on at 6,000 miles and the dealership just changed my oil again, came on again a few thousand miles later, I asked for an oil consumption test. They performed two. The first one they said it was inconclusive. They said the second one came back normal. Now my car has 13,000 miles and the light came back on. Took it to them again. I took a picture of the light on. They can’t get it to come back on after having my car a little less than a week. They also said they can’t change the sensor until the light comes back on (Subaru’s rules apparently). Anyone else having a similar issue? This is getting frustrating.
April 13th, 2016 at 3:12 pm
I am having this problem with my 2014 Subaru Forester!!!!!!! It has been going on since September 2015. I drive 170 miles per day on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and it is not a great feeling around 3500 miles after my last oil change to know that I could be driving the speed limit 70 and my car may just stop.
April 22nd, 2016 at 2:18 pm
@Susan: Please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and fill out your information to see if/how we can help.
April 22nd, 2016 at 2:25 pm
@Litsa: Please look into your rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html if you would like to review your claim.
May 28th, 2016 at 4:47 am
Purchased a pre-owned 2012 Outback 2.5i 2-1/2 years ago. Will be having my 4th oil consumption test next week. 4th!! The other 3 all came back “Within normal parameters.” I have owned 15 cars in my life, 5 have been Subarus and NEVER once has one ever burned oil.
The light comes on well before I am due for an oil change which I perform at 4,000 mile intervals. Once last year my car engine started loudly knocking when I started it. I immediately checked the oil and nothing registered on the dip stick and the low oil light never came on to warn me. Makes me sick to my stomach! Hopefully this 4th test will show something. So angry.
May 31st, 2016 at 2:29 pm
@Gina: I would make sure you consider opting out of any class action cases that come your way. Otherwise, your Federal rights to remedy will be gone once/if they start performing significant repairs.
October 3rd, 2016 at 9:54 pm
I bought my Forester new in 2011. Oil consumption has been an issue for many years, but the dealership just told me that “Subarus use oil” and to keep it full between changes. After getting the letter about the lawsuit, I took it in for consumption test in July and it STILL hasn’t been completed, as Subaru has found other issues during both of my last visits that they claim must be fixed before the consumption test can be completed. Currently using 5-6qts between each oil change. Took it in today to try to start the test again, and not only would they not do it, but in the two hours that they had my car, the check engine light mysteriously came on, and they say I need another $470+ repair now. I’m so frustrated. This is the first car I’ve ever bought brand new, and I was planning to drive it for a long time. Now I feel like I’m stuck with this never ending problem and Subaru is doing everything in their power to keep from fixing it. I feel like just getting rid of it, but wasn’t planning to have a car payment again so soon. Just really disheartening.
October 5th, 2016 at 11:55 am
At least your oil lights come on. I have a Toyota with this problem, but the light does not come on. It loses 1 quart every 1,000 miles and Toyota says that is normal.
October 21st, 2016 at 11:25 am
This is the 4rth time in just a few months of taking my Subaru Imprezza back to the dealership. Last time it cost over $200.00 and it is still not fixed! The oil consumption light keeps coming on. They have replaced 2 parts and still not fixed!
October 23rd, 2016 at 10:28 pm
my wife has a 2011 forester 118,000 miles and we just went to Gettysburg Pa. from Dickson tenn 749 miles one way and used 2 quarts of oil, dealer said I needed all of my oil change receipts but I change my own oil and used to be a mechanic for a living at chevy dealerships and my buddie still works for them so I know how to change oil and I know this is bad. My old 1965 corvair does a lot better and has leaks!
November 25th, 2016 at 11:55 pm
I change my oil regularly and on time. My 2011 Impreza just blew a piston rod because the engine was “bone dry”. No oil light ever went on. No visible indications that the car needed oil (no leaking, burning smell, sounds or power loss). The “Check Engine” light came on AFTER I started pulling off the freeway because my car started “knocking” and lost power. (Again, the check oil light NEVER came on indicating any oil was necessary.)
Am I crazy, or are these lights supposed to come on BEFORE an incident that involved a $6800 engine replacement? On top of it all, my insurance won’t cover it because its “normal wear and tear”. Do I have any recourse here, or am I stuck to suffer these consequences?
December 2nd, 2016 at 4:51 pm
@Cheyenne: I would look into the oil consumption class action settlement to see if you qualify.
December 19th, 2016 at 12:38 pm
I purchased a 2016 certified used Subaru Impreza about 5 months ago and my low oil engine light went on last Friday. I took it in for a 12,000 mile oil change and check up about 3 weeks ago. I took the car into O’Riley’s and they checked the oil levels, since I couldn’t get in to the dealership until Monday, and the guy informed me that there was hardly in oil in the vehicle. I brought the vehicle in today and the mechanic informed me that they would have to conduct an oil consumption test and I might have to bring it in after 1200 miles to have it re-tested. The mechanic informed me of the engine/oil issues that have been occurring on certain Subaru’s and that they might have to re-build the engine. Could I qualify under the lemon law? I am still under warranty.
December 20th, 2016 at 4:10 pm
@Morgan: We would first need to find out if they are rebuilding the engine. I would certainly reach out to a lemon law lawyer in your state to discuss your rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html to find a firm in your state to help.
March 11th, 2017 at 10:54 am
I have a 2014 Subaru outback that has just turned 30,000 miles. The last 3 oil changes the oil light has come on about 3,000 miles into the change and it has needed a quart each time. The first time I was one road trip and could not find the type of oil needed so checked the hand book to find that in a pinch could use a conventional oil of a certain viscosity as long as an oil service was performed soon after. I now carry a quart of oil with me. I called Subaru and have an appointment to see if I qualify for an oil consumption test next week and thanks to this feed will check to see if they over fill it.
Thanks, Adrian.
March 30th, 2017 at 7:57 pm
I’m feeling lucky. My 2011 Outback didn’t have noticeable oil problems until 95,000 miles.
However, the same month I made my last payment it started using oil, my hazard lights started blinking all at once and had to be turned off by the service center until I can get them fixed, they told me it was almost time for a new timing belt and my drivers side door window electric mechanism has broken, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the muffler is going. Fixing all of this will cost $3000. easy. I have owned mostly used Honda Civics that we have driven over 200,000 miles each. I feel like this Outback should still be running like new, because they advertise that you will have them for 15-20 years. I am very disappointed. This was the first new car I had purchased in 35 years, paid full sticker price, and I feel like I was robbed. Subaru knew there were problems. At the very least they know now that there are problems and should be giving me a break on repairs.
May 11th, 2017 at 6:21 am
2013 Legacy burning 1 qt. in about 1K miles. Catalytic converter nearly plugged up. Engine barely running. Started oil consumption test. Have 456 miles on test. About 1/2 qt. down. Better be a new engine in my future. The converter should also be replaced as oil consumption is what plugged it. Will argue that point today. Wish me luck.
June 16th, 2017 at 10:22 am
I have a 2013 subaru outback and at 60k miles I noticed I was loosing a qrt around 2500-3500 miles. I’m now at 80k miles. So I did an oil consumption test, which is checked at 1200 miles and they said I passed. However at 2500 miles I was low another qrt and they told me there is nothing they can do for me. This seems wrong that they find burning 1qrt every 2500 miles is normal. WON”T BUY AGAIN
October 8th, 2017 at 3:27 pm
I have a 2012 Forester and was told that if I have any engine issues from the oil problem for 8 years they might do something for me. I would never buy another Subaru for as long as I live. I have to put 2 quarts of oil in between oil changes which is every 5000 miles at $8.00 a quart. Yeah I’m all done with ever owning a Subaru again. Should have kept my Mariner.
January 10th, 2018 at 10:16 pm
I have a 2013 Subaru Outback that has the oil consumption issue as well. I’m pretty sure I’ve had to fill the oil between oil changes every time. It’s not that big of an inconvenience and taking my car to the dealer is a pain so I always just topped it off myself. A few years ago I got a letter from Subaru about the issue so I took into the dealer for an oil consumption test and they said it passed and couldn’t do anything to fix it. This last time I replaced my oil once and then my light was already back on before I was due for an oil change. I have under 50k miles and I had already purchased the extended maintenance and service warranty. I’m really kicking myself now for not taking it in every time the light came on. Is there anything I can do at this point?
March 22nd, 2018 at 6:08 pm
I also have a 2013 Outback. Had 65000 miles the 1st time the oil light came on. And it went downhill from there. I monitored it closely because I had the 100000 extended warranty. At 92000 I was going to have the oil consumption test, but that’s when they told me in order to “fail” it had to be using a qt every 1200 miles!! At the time I was adding a qt every 1400/1500 miles so I put the test off. It finally officially failed an oil consumption test at 107000 miles at Twin City Subaru in Berlin, VT. but then I was told because it was over the 100000 mile mark Subaru would not make the necessary repairs.
I did call Subaru and they told me the same thing.
It now at 118000 miles, is going thru around a qt every 500/600 miles and it’s pretty constant.
Certainly can’t sell a car using this much oil so I guess I’m stuck with it. We’re a 2 Subaru Family soon to be a zero Subaru family. It’s criminal they don’t stand behind their product.
May 3rd, 2018 at 1:11 pm
I have a 2014 outback. I noticed that my oil light came on and then I searched the internet and notice this oil consumption issue. I took my car to Carlsen Subaru in Redwood City on October 2016. They tell me that my car has failed the oil consumption test and then they replaced the short block at no cost or maybe a deductible because I had the 70000 silver extended warranty. They replaced it with a new or refurb short block, not sure but it does state on the invoice that it’s new. Part number [1013AC650]. Miles on the engine when replaced was 41,101 miles.
March 2018 I notice the oil light coming on again and they have already replaced the short block. I took my car to Premier Subaru of Fremont April 2018 with 77,912 miles and they told me that my vehicle has failed the oil consumption test again . My vehicle consumes .7 qts within 1,240 miles. Now my extended warranty has expired so I am waiting for what Subaru will do.
For trying Subaru for the first time because of the good reviews is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
May 3rd, 2018 at 1:51 pm
@Jeffrey: Please send your contact info to https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html We may be able to help.
June 13th, 2018 at 10:42 pm
I have a 2011 Outback, 3.6R, 6 cylinder. Oil light came on when the car was almost new. Had it flatbedded to the dealer (not driven) and they changed the Oil Pressure switch (I believe) as per a bulletin. The oil level light would often come on as the car approached mileage for an oil change (which I had done regularly with low mileage between oil changes). Of late the oil light seems to be coming on 1000 miles after an oil change. Dealer is struggling to determine the problem. They are replacing other oil switches of some kind tomorrow, but seems stab in the dark. The car has 130k on it. Expected not to have this kind of problem so early in the cars life. I keep copious records, btw.
June 25th, 2018 at 12:01 am
I saw that this is an old thread but it is still relevant in 2018.
I have a 2014 Outback (OB) 4 cyl. Oil levels are checked regularly, 500 – 1000-mile intervals. Getting a consistent oil level reading on this Subaru and other Subaru’s seems to be very difficult ask. Consumers should NOT have to wait until their vehicle sits for extended periods of time, on perfectly level surfaces, at a specific temperature to get consistent and accurate readings. Yes. Oil level check results should convey a high degree of confidence–SHOULD.
Even though my OB’s oil level was/is checked frequently, the engine oil level idiot gage turned on twice. No good! After each incident, adding just a 1/2 qt. oil, caused the oil level to exceed the 1/2 full level. Why? Yesterday when I checked the oil level–the car had been sitting for 2 days—it did not register on the dipstick. Huh? One qt. of oil was added. After subsequent operation the OB’s the level indicated 1 (ONE) qt. OVERFULL. WHY?
An oil consumption test indicated NO oil (ZERO) consumption. (Strangely though, when I changed out the oil from that test, I felt as if that oil seemed have a generous viscosity–not 0-W 20-W by any means! Hummmmm. Why?) It has been 3000 miles since I changed out the “test” oil. The oil level has been checked multiple times since. Each time the OB was checked oil level was o.k. Yesterday I checked the oil, the car had been parked 2 days, and NO oil registered on the dip stick! One (1) qt. of oil was added. The OB was driven today. The oil level now indicates 1 qt. overfull? Why?
I can’t help but feel that Subaru is trying to baffle us with bull…oney. So you know, the OB is now out of (60,000 mile) warranty. Subaru also advises Subaru that my 2014 OB is/was not part of the 100,000-mile extended oil over consumption/engine warranty. Yup. That is true.
I did not just fall off a turnip truck. I have been a car buff all my life. In addition, I am a retired Industrial Master Mechanic/Engineer with over 50 years of mechanical/technical expertise on large, complex, and advanced electro-mechanical systems. That experience has taught me a few things: 1. Engines need—no, require–adequate lubrication; 2. Oil level readings must instill a high confidence in their accuracy to be useful; 3. Smoke screens are intended for the ignorant who don’t remain that way for long!
It is my belief that Subaru has not only tried to snooker me but, just maybe; many others as well. I regret buying this vehicle for inclement weather conditions (which it handles nicely) and not a vehicle from another manufacturer. I sincerely hope that another class action is brought against Subaru and that this time it ends with a comprehensive and an exorbitantly high punitive judgement!!!!!!!!!!
July 16th, 2018 at 1:41 pm
We had some issues with the oil light coming on our 2014 Subaru Forester. We did call our dealer and they did the oil consumption test on it. After that was done we had our oil change done and the oil light came on again. We called our Subaru dealer the next day and told them about it. They told us to bring it up that day and they would check it again. They decided to order a short block and ordered the parts which should be in within a few days. We really hope this fixes the problem since we only have one car. They are giving us a loner car while they have ours fixed/. We do have faith in our dealer. Our Subaru dealer and their staff were very nice and explained everything to us.
July 16th, 2018 at 1:51 pm
@Robert–Make sure you hold on to all of your Subaru related repair documents. If the problem continues following the replacement of the short block, feel free to get in touch with us at 800 536 6652 to discuss the situation and how we can help.
August 16th, 2018 at 4:52 pm
I just purchased a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek with approx. 35,000 miles on it. I was driving to work today and of course my low oil light popped on. The first oil change isn’t even due for another 2000 miles. I checked it, and it was a quart low. I called the local dealer and they told me to bring it up next week for a oil consumption test. After reading some of these comments, I’m not looking forward to the long road ahead to get this resolved.
September 12th, 2018 at 7:18 am
I bought a used car – 2013 Subaru Outback – for my daughter in July, 2018. I just confirmed yesterday (using the VIN) with Subaru USA that her car was part of the settlement, but the owner never took it to be fixed and it’s now out of warranty range because it has too many miles. It’s eating oil like crazy. Do I have any legal standing at all?
September 18th, 2018 at 1:46 pm
@Joan: You would need to contact Subaru corporate. You may also want to discuss the matter with the dealer that sold you the vehicle.
October 5th, 2018 at 3:01 pm
I bought a brand new 2013 XV Crosstrek and really didn’t notice this problem until about 4 years after owning the vehicle. My oil light came on after taking a couple of extended trips of 1100 miles each way and didn’t even think to check the oil. Well I was on one trip and just cross the bridge leaving St Louis and heading into East St Louis and my low oil light started flashing. I pulled over and checked my oil level and it was almost at the empty mark. I then checked under my vehicle thinking maybe my drain plug was coming unloose, but it was tight. I then drove on and found a store to buy some oil and replace to the full level. My vehicle drove good the remainder of the trip and I thought everything was good. I had previously received the class action law suit paperwork and read and filed it because I didn’t think I had any issues with my CrossTrek. Well, I decided to monitor it on my next trip and at about the 500 or so mile point I noticed by oil level beginning to drop and at the 1,200 mile point it had dropped to almost a quart low. So I filled up and continued to watch. On my return trip back home the same happened. Yesterday I took my vehicle in for a oil consumption test and I will see what the dealer says. Subaru should have issued a recall for this problem and not evade the issue by saying all engines use oil. I will be heading back to my the Toyota dealer if they don’t fix my issue and will just take the loss and will be more than glad to voice my opinions to anyone considering buying from Subaru.
November 18th, 2018 at 12:55 am
My vehicle is burning a ton of oil. I’ve paid to have the oxygen sensors and cats repaired. The vehicle failed pretty spectacularly on the highway. Recently I paid thousands to have an oil leak fixed, only for the problem to get worse. I had asked my dealership about the burning odor many times but was told nothing could be found wrong. Now Subaru of America is telling me it’s my problem since I never demanded repair when the vehicle had less than 100,000 miles. I’ve just been told the needed $5,000 short block replacement is something I must pay for despite their faulty part causing my car’s issues. Other than trade it in, is there anything I can do?
January 9th, 2019 at 1:48 pm
The verdict is in on my October 2018 Oil Test. After reading a lot more stuff on the web, I decided to check my oil level.
What do you know, they filled by car with an extra quart. Instead of putting 5 quarts, they gave me an extra quart of oil. Some real nice guys at the Subaru Dealer at Colorado Springs giving me that free quart. They even paid for the other 5 quarts. So, this morning when I took the car back for them to check the oil consumption after driving 1,300 miles, the tech said it didn’t use any oil. Simply amazing! How do they do it? Wow! This is almost Rocket Science. Glad I’m not hard up for money. I will drive this vehicle a few more years and try to remember to check the gas when I fill up with oil. Then I will be headed over to the Toyota Dealer.
February 26th, 2019 at 11:11 am
2013 2.5L Outback. The car burnt oil after the first 7,500 mile oil change a quart every 3K without fail. We called the Dealership in 2014 about the oil consumption. The reply it was normal for a car to burn oil. I have a 2012 F150 goes 10K between oil changes and has never burned a drop of oil. The oil consumption test is more of an inconvenience and a way to annoy consumers. Then addressing a manufacturing defect of excessive internal clearance between cylinder piston walls and the rings.
By the time the lawsuit addressed this issued our Outback was well beyond the manufactures warrantee. With the new offering to replace the short block with certain VIN or block casting numbers along with a date window into 2018. Where is the consumer protection laws that these manufactures are required to mail owner a letter of their new options to address the issue. The onus of proof is on the consumer.
The only reason I found out about this was last week the dash went off like a Christmas tree while driving home from a client. The transmission valve body failed and from a safety standpoint we just spent roughly $1,200. I called Subaru today about the short block replacement and got the sorry but your vehicle has to many miles and the date to address this has passed. Who notified me I had an option?
It is as Subaru attitude is you bought the car and we made our money on you. They offer us a $500 customer loyalty if we bought a new Subaru from them. We are not buying another Subaru, never again. If anyone asks about a Subaru my comment is buy somewhere else since they do not stand behind the product they build.
July 6th, 2019 at 4:21 pm
I change my oil in my 2012 Subaru Forester every 5,000 miles with 0W20 full synthetic. I’ve been in contact with the Subaru dealership and Subaru corporate over the issue of oil can consumption.Their claim is I should have received a letter in the mail regarding the issue. Never received it! & I should have brought my vehicle in if the oil light came on, weird thing, my oil light never came on. Corporate Subaru paid to have the oil consumption test performed & low and behold my car is a vehicle affected by the excessive oil consumption. They said since I have over 109,000miles they would only be able to pay $3,000 toward the $6,100 it costs to repair.
End story, Subaru knew about faulty piston rings, failed to inform its consumers, & in the end is making money off the repairs to the vehicles at the consumers expenses!! Just not right!!! They should take full responsibility & pay the full amount for repair!
July 16th, 2019 at 11:48 am
I have a Subaru Outback 2015. The Synthetic Oil keep running out at around 5000 miles. I have complained about this many times. The dealership has done an oil consumption test and found nothing .. but that is at 1200 miles.
I am getting the run around from both the dealer and Suabaru. The dealer has said that they cannot do anything and I should contact Subaru. Subaru is saying they cannot do anything unless the dealer finds a problem.
The oil does not run out at 1200 miles. it runs out at around 5000 miles.
Any suggestions?
July 16th, 2019 at 2:05 pm
@Robi: I am hoping that you are documenting all of your oil consumption tests. If the oil light is coming on, take pictures and keep bringing it back to the dealer to document. If this results in an engine replacement or other repair, please call us t 800 536 6652.
August 2nd, 2019 at 5:51 pm
I found this web site after doing some research about my 2013 Forester burning a quart of oil every 1000 miles. I learned my car was eligible. So early in May I talked to the dealer, they did the oil test. It failed. They recognized the problem. Three days later the parts were in. Two weeks later, done. By the end of July I had a new (re-manufactured) short block in the car. No hassle or run around at all. THANK YOU Faulkner Subaru in Bethlehem,PA. THANK YOU Lemon Law!!!
August 4th, 2019 at 12:46 pm
I have a 2013 Subaru Outback, the VIN number is within the recall. A year ago, while I was at about 60000 miles I was having some other issues and complained to the dealer that it seemed to use a lot of oil and that I had oil spots on the driveway (for the record, I am a bit compulsive about my driveway and oil spots bother me) and the Dealership set me up with an oil consumption test.
After the test, which the dealership said I had passed and there was no problem, the oil spots disappeared from my driveway. They said the car was fine and safe to drive. No worries.
A year later, I have all kinds of lights showing up and take it to the dealer at 75,000 miles and the dealer said an oil leak damaged my sensors and other things, mostly the cat converter and this will cost me 4-5000 bucks.
I told them that the cat converter according to their website is in warranty until 80,000 miles and they were in error. They acted like they were caught in a trap, and I think it was then I realized that they are not only a little crooked, but a little ignorant.
I want to know why is it that once the oil test was completed, I never had oil spots on my driveway again, yet there was a continual oil leak enough to damage sensors and cat converter in a car with 75000 miles on it? “Too early, too soon, unlikely” is what all the mechanics tell me. I am the sole and original owner of this car since 2012, and I am not a wild or hard driver, for the love of God, I am a 60 year old woman, it is not as though I am drag racing on the weekends.
I don’t know how they intend to proceed- the car is with them, I have contacted Subaru of North America and they are suppose to investigate this and call me last Friday, which of course, they did not.
There was a recall on this vehicle, my VIN is within the recall notification, I took it in for the oil test, yet they seem less than likely to comply with the terms of the class action. I am so tired of being hosed by car places. I can not figure out whether these guys are more crooked than they are ignorant. Nonetheless, I do not intend to be hammered by Subaru over this.
SUBARU NEEDS TO WAKE UP AND LISTEN-I am not feeling “LOVE”. I’m feeling HOSED, and I am not taking this sitting down. If this requires hiring a lawyer, or picketing the dealership and costing them customers every single day, I will do so. I have a job I can run from my cell phone, I have friends (all elderly) who will come and support me and carry a sign and drive customers off their lot. I’m tired of handing my cash which represented my significant toil and sacrifice over to companies that demand premium prices for their slip-shod products. I really don’t care how long this takes and what I have to do, I will not get bested by a company that hoses people and portrays themselves as caring, feeling, protective & sympathetic. Pathetic is more like it.
They lost the class action-why are they acting like it never happened? The dealership people all look at each other like calves staring at a new gate, like everything I am saying to them is from a fairy tale, they have to look it up to discover I am not spinning yarns, and even then, they refuse to really discuss this. I think they have all been told to deny, deny, deny until customer gets tired and surrenders or leaves. The likelihood they will go the legal route is worth the gamble I suppose.
They have the wrong customer here.
Yup, this old broad aint going down without a fight. Got any ideas?
August 15th, 2019 at 1:29 pm
To fail the consumption test you need to drive the car with highway miles. We took the test three times and once we were told to drive it on the highway it failed the test.
December 16th, 2019 at 5:41 pm
2014 Subaru CrossTrek has had the Low oil light come on numerous times all at or before 3k miles. Had the oil consumption test done and it failed. Called Subaru Customer Service and was told that they could do nothing for me. Found this to be really annoying considering it is the same engine as the 2013.