Another oil related class action against Subaru

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This time it affects the 2013 and 2014 WRX and STI.

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According to the Subaru class action lawsuit, the rotating assemblies include defective connecting rod bearings, defective connecting rod side clearances, and/or insufficient channels of engine lubrication.

As the connecting rod bearings begin to fail, metal debris is allegedly circulated throughout the engine via contaminated engine oil, leading the affected vehicle to experience spun connecting rod bearings and catastrophic engine failure, which can result in dangerous stalling events while the vehicle is in operation.


https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-sett...engine-failure/

No idea if it's related, but a couple of years ago Blackstone started flagging silver in WRX/STI uoa's with results as low as 4-6 ppm's because they were seeing failures with low upticks in silver. I recall that there were some STI's on IWSTI.com that were seeing a few failures but most were low mileage though and covered under warranty.

I tried looking up the lawsuit filing but only found it on a pay site.

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Well, we can't have any " ... dangerous stalling events while the vehicle is in operation ...", can we?

We might have to start to teach drivers to operate safely when something happens to the vehicle, which is an un-acceptable burden to place on operators of two and three ton machines.

Seriously, there may be merit to the suit but anything involving lawyers and class action usually results in a $20 coupon for the victims and $20 million in legal fees for the lawyers, so I approach the news with suspicion.
 
Indeed. ~ most engines survive a long time off of fairly basic motor oils … like quick lube bulks etc …
 
Originally Posted By: ZZman
I would call it "engine design related" not oil related

Fair point
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Scoobie doos suck.



Well, since you’ve obviously taken the high road on this one, I know you are but what am I?

Every manufacturer has problems now and then. Remember the previous poster child Toyota and their problems? Or how about Takata airbags? Considering there are hundreds of thousands of old Subaru’s on the road, and they just recently celebrated SIXTY straight month-over-month sales increases, I’d say they’re doing an OK job of making cars that last, your intelligent response notwithstanding. No auto manufacturer has come close to six sigma quality, not even Lexus or the Germans.
 
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
They have great AWD systems but the engine issues seem to be something they just can't shake. Its too bad too...I want to consider one eventually.

I think that since the previous oil burning lawsuit, SoA has stepped up a bit on being there for their customers. If the next generation Forester doesn't grow too much larger next year it will be on my radar for purchase.

For this particular class action the car was bought used from a previous owner and we do not know anything about any possible mods from the current or previous owner. A lot of WRX/STI owners will modify their car and attempt to return it to stock for warranty coverage after they blow it up. I've read numerous cases of bearing failures where SoA provided 100% warranty coverage on unmodified cars and the owner only had to show oil receipts. I've also read about cases where modified cars were covered under warranty.

A popular mod for these cars is a Cobb Tuning ECU reflash. The Stage I is simple to do and you gain extra power just by plugging a handheld computer (AccessPort) into the OBD-II port and reflashing the factory tune. If it's removed the dealer cannot see the tune itself, but they can see that the ECU was reset. Many owners go Stage I, II, and III and continue to run Subaru recommended GF5 5W30. A lot also get very bad tunes when they get a customized tune.
 
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Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
They have great AWD systems but the engine issues seem to be something they just can't shake. Its too bad too...I want to consider one eventually.

Subaru's quality was just wasn't as good as Toyota or Honda as far as the Japanese went - they are equal to Nissan, seeing how the latter owned the former until Nissan declared bankruptcy and partnered up with Renault.

Even though Subaru changed owners and is part-owned by Toyota now, they still shared a lot with Nissan. There has been a huge quality improvement since the late 2000s. I think the change to 0W-20 and low-friction piston rings affected them. The EJ205/257 WRX motors are just hard on their oil but there's known issues with them that can only be addressed with a teardown and rebuild with upgraded OEM or aftermarket parts. Piston ring lands are the biggest problem with boosted Subaru EJ engines.
 
Toyota 2.5 were blowing up left and right not too long ago with rusted head bolts and blown head gaskets. My Wife's easy driven 2005 Rav 4 engine only lasted 57K miles.


They all have lots of problems and osften big ones at that.

Many thinmes its a matter of luck.

Me Imlucky to have found Magnatec and fram Toughguard for my Nissan QR25DE or it would be blown using garbage Nissan service parts.
 
A WRX with a manual transmission and studded snow tires is a hoot to drive in the winter.

Here are the reasons I don't own one though:

-oil consumption and head gasket problems
-used ones are abused and still hold their value really well (at least in New England)
-they are somewhat expensive for something that feels/rides like a tin can inside

If they weren't so expensive here and weren't known for head gasket, oil consumption, and clutch problems, I'd probably drive one.
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Toyota 2.5 were blowing up left and right not too long ago with rusted head bolts and blown head gaskets. My Wife's easy driven 2005 Rav 4 engine only lasted 57K miles.


They all have lots of problems and osften big ones at that.

Many thinmes its a matter of luck.

Me Imlucky to have found Magnatec and fram Toughguard for my Nissan QR25DE or it would be blown using garbage Nissan service parts.
You mean the Toyota 2.4L? I haven’t heard of any issues with the 2.5L
 
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