Subaru BRZ Complaints

14 consumer complaints on file.

#11756105August 11, 2026
ENGINE
Engine failure (rod knock) during commute home. Engine was found with lack of oil (3.5 qrt low) on ~15,000 miles engine block although performed routine maintenance DIY oil changes. Presumably high oil consumption on daily driving conditions
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756098August 10, 2026
ENGINE
Oil went dangerously low during normal 6000 mile period ( no reading on dipstick, no warning light). Subaru has replaced the engine twice under warranty due to oil consumption, 1 pint in 1200 miles. Issue started around 20k miles, engine replaced at 30k and 39k miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668421June 22, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Stock fuel lines on the driver side of vehicle are having rubbing/clearance issues with the hood and are causing engine fires for the 2022+ Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86 model vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11627340November 25, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am not writing because of a vehicle failure. I'm contacting you because my daughter purchased this vehicle for my grandson, and we find the vehicle did not come with a spare tire. I called Subaru and told them I would like to purchase a spare and a wheel. I was informed by the dealership, and directly from Subaru, that they don't make a spare tire for the vehicle. They advised that Subaru found that the fuel economy was being sacrificed due to the weight of the tire, so they decide not to make one to fit this model. I know this is not the normal issue you deal with, but not having a spare tire or an option to purchase one, I believe is a huge safety issue. I have no other documentation. Thank you for your time. I would appreciate your help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514202March 28, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Stock blinkers rapidly flash faster than normal, blinkers cannot be seen in the rear at the time when signaling left or right during this time
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11510562March 7, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, WHEELS
I purchased a new 2022 Subaru BRZ. Shortly after the purchase, the wheel bolts loosened which caused catastrophic damage to the wheel, and all brake components. Upon further research, we believe this may be an inherent vehicle defect. This problem is subject to a recall involving hub bolts which can loosen to the point where the wheel can detach from the vehicle damaging the brake components and posses serious safety issue. The consumer is requesting to reimbursed for repairs, rental, and legal fees.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508249February 20, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
This is a new car. There’s was only 31 miles when I purchased. One day, there’s some sound when I driving the vehicle. Once I parked, all the warning lamps was on, then my car wasn’t able to move. When the incident happened, it was only 4 months of using it and only 5,498 miles. Then I bring my car back to retailer and they inform me I need to replace the whole engine because of lack of oil. Even though they Silas’s my car was lack of oil, but there’s no light on the dashboard lights up and told me I need to add more oil. The process of repairing took 5 months. After I read other owners post on social media, I believe I have the similar situation. It says “ RTV is a sealant used as a gasket for the Subaru FA24D engine in the car and is allegedly applied too liberally at the factory. When RTV is dislodged in the engine's oil, it can clog the pickup. That can cause oil starvation“ Roughly a month later of fixing it(5 months of repairs) , there’s a strong scent of gas when I open the door of my car. And I can’t turn it on the first time. Second time of trying turning it on, all the warning lamp went off again. And the car couldn’t drive again. I bring back to the retailer and this is their respond, “ the technician found fuel is pouring out of the pressure relief valve of the left side head due to a possible failing injector on cylinder #3. We must do a teardown to verify the initial diagnosis.” And the final diagnosis The technician found two injector o-rings that were defective, causing fuel to leak and flood the cylinder chamber, which in turn caused the vehicle to stall. Parts can fail for many reasons, in this case we can attribute it to the quality of the parts themselves.“
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11506229February 8, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
During my early commute on a sunny morning shortly after sunrise with the sun at the rear of the vehicle, when selecting the turn signal, the dash display flashes rapidly, i.e., hyperflashing, and it has been confirmed that the rear signal light does not operate during this anomaly. The forward turn signal does function but flashes at a rapid rate. This is a repeatable occurrence when the sun is behind the car in the early morning from early sunrise to about 60 minutes later. Once the sun is high in the sky, the turn signals operate normal. This condition occurs on either turn signal and I have also experienced this with late afternoon sun. I have captured this anomaly on video but this site does not allow upload of .mp4 files. This is a link to a video I uploaded on YouTube showing the anomaly in later afternoon sun. https://youtu.be/dHwMCdlJfYQ I have communicated this concern to Subaru of America and shared the video links to them. Their last communication was to contact a dealer. I understand that the dealer would need to confirm my concern. However, it would need to be a sunny day on the time of appointment plus the duty hours for the technicians are outside the window of the sun elevation when this problem occurs. Other owners of the 2022 BRZ and Toyota GR86 have reported similar experiences on the web forums with turn signals behaving as I have detailed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11506139February 7, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
When the sun is facing the rear of the car, the rear turn signals do not activate, and the turn signals flash rapidly. It is exactly what happens in this youtube video: https://youtu.be/dHwMCdlJfYQ This is a danger, because my car will not properly signal when I change lanes or take a turn. Subaru will not look at the vehicle. In this post in a community of owners for this vehicle, an owner states that the dealer ignored the issue, and Subaru of America sent a generic, irrelevant response. https://www.gr86.org/threads/fast-blinker-caused-by-low-sun.4733/post-96056 This behavior by the dealer and the manufacturer is irresponsible and dangerous. This issue needs to be resolved at the federal level to ensure the safety of myself and others on the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477991August 7, 2022
ENGINE
Found traces of silicone in my engine. Checked the dipstick out of curiosity and found silicone or RTV sealant. The car only has 500 miles on it. Will do oil change after break in period of Subaru’s recommended 1000 miles and will have them check the oil pan filter for more RTV…
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477896August 6, 2022
ENGINE
The engine has excess RTV sealant and is clogging the oil pick-up tube. This is cause the motor to have restricted oil flow and causing premature motor failures.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477886August 5, 2022
ENGINE
These particular vehicles (and their Toyota counterpart, the GR86) have been experiencing issues with excess RTV sealant used on the oil pan and timing cover getting into the oil. Once this RTV sealant is in the oil, it clogs the oil pickup tube filter. As the excess sealant collects on the filter, it begins to starve the engine of oil. There have been a number of documented failures so far (including one that made international auto news). Some owners are inspecting their oil dip stick and finding anywhere from light to heavy sealant residue even on the dip stick. I inspected my own and found traces of RTV sealant stuck to it as well. In the provided picture, you will see traces of sealant on the length of the dip stick as well as the tip. At this time, Toyota and Subaru have not issued a recall or service bulletin of any sort for this problem. The online forums for these vehicles are filled with nothing but posts about finding sealant on their dipsticks, or posts from those that removed their own oil pan and found sealant clogging the filter.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477882August 5, 2022
ENGINE
My car has excess RTV sealant on the oil pan that has now gotten into my engine and is causing oil starvation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477878August 5, 2022
ENGINE
The new 2022 Subaru BRZ's and Toyota GR86's have been found to have an excessive amount of RTV silicone on the engine oil pan. This can clog up the oil pickup filter and cause oil starvation leading to catastrophic engine failure. A few engines have already failed and more people have been finding RTV silicone in their oil filters and dipsticks including me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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