Subaru WRX Complaints

61 consumer complaints on file.

#11526677June 12, 2023
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru WRX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a front-end collision; however, the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that there were no illuminating lights. The contact stated that his wife sustained no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a collision center, and the mechanic stated that the air bag sensors were installed incorrectly. The contact stated that the vehicle was awaiting repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 19,800.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515872April 6, 2023
POWER TRAIN
Mileage is 19,300 On 4/5/23 i was entering the gated community where i live stoped pressed remote to open gate then with clutch engaged shifted my wrx into first and the entire steel shaft broke at base where pin secures shaft to linkage this is a wrx sti short throw shifter pn C1010VA001 445 dollar option the Subaru of Ontario repair department indicated that they have never seen such an issue in all ther years and did not have a clue as to why the steel thick shifter broke in half other than the obvious in which that i am in fact superman. The dealership Subaru of Ontario They called back and told me the defective steel rod was not covered under warranty and said that i caused the issue and i have to pay 1,200 with no eta or anything. I would like an investigation regarding grade of steel/tensile strength of the WRX Shift assembly since it is extremely unsafe if i was on freeway the resulting failure would potentially been catastrophic My understanding that this component cannot be easily broken by human hands i have never applied 1000 psi or so of pressure that is why ian investigation into why this extremely unsafe driving condition wherein the shifter cab easily break has to be done
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515307April 3, 2023
ENGINE
Excessive RTV silicone was used on the oil pan on this year/make/model. This issue causes pieces of RTV to break off inside the oil pan and clog the oil pickup resulting in the engine being deprived of oil. I’m seeing more and more people document this issue online and worry the $33,000 car I just bought may have this issue. Subaru has not issued any recall knowing this is affecting many many vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514936April 1, 2023
ENGINE
The vehicle’s oil pan has seal is made up of RTV silicone and it seems an excessive amount was placed around the oil pan. I’ve noticed that this has caused some of the silicone sealant to chip off into the oil pan causing it to flow into the oil pick up. Over time I’ve noticed a burning smell from the engine bay area and the exhaust. I know different models of Subaru have the same engine type and have all faced this issue causing catastrophic damage to the engine. And so far I have not heard Subaru making any headway to fix the issue. This is my daily vehicle and I really do not want what could be a simple fix to destroy my car. But I’m sure a lot of other Subaru WRX owners are facing this issue! There have been many owners posting videos of them dropping the pan to show residue of the RTV silicone getting caught in the oil pick up filter. Subaru needs to fix this since it came from the factory with this defect!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11509958March 3, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Car has some type of black silicone inside oil pan. Inside upper pan as well. Also has clogged a screen that oil passed through. I have seen many people online do this pan drop time and time again and still having big chunks blocking its path to engine. I’m afraid of oil deprivation. This with ultimately destroy the entire motor. This could lead to serious injury or death if the motor suddenly goes. I believe this needs to be looked into to help prevent this. More of these 2022 Subaru wrxs being manufactured in this manner could ultimately destroy a 30,000$ vehicle and lead to crashing out unexpectedly. My phone number is [XXX] thank you for your time. ,[XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505655February 5, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Infotaiment system goes to a blank screen periodicaly. Sound frm radio works but screen is balnk, no way to reset. Wifi updates are up to date. Whenthis happens it disables the eye sight camera causes a safety concern with automatic branking/collision. When the car sits overnight, then the next day it seems to go back to normal. This has happened 4 times already in the 2 months I have oened this vechicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502121January 17, 2023
ENGINE
The fa24 engine for this car uses an RTV gasket to seal the oil pan. Subaru ended up using too much RTV sealant on this engine which ended up causing pieces of RTV to fall off inside of the oil pan. This can cause a clog in the oil pickup which may result in oil starvation for the engine. If this happens in traffic and the motor blows up, it could cause a collision. Subaru doesn't have any active service or recalls for this issue and it has been known to happen on the BRZ and Toyota 86 which both use the same engine. You can see online that others have dropped the oil pans on their fa24s and found RTV fluid in their oil pan. Recently, RallySport Direct on YoutTube release a video detailing them dropping the oil pan on a 22 WRX and found large pieces of RTV clogging the oil pickup. If Subaru doesn't address this issue, it can affect many vehicles on the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501885January 15, 2023
ENGINE
The seal on the oil pan is chipping off and getting into the oil pan and oil pick up system and causing oil starvation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501594January 13, 2023
ENGINE
There is a huge concern about excess RTV getting into the oil pick up that will cause oil starvation in the engine once enough particles of RTV have caused obstruction. The 2022 WRX has the same engine FA24 as the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86, both have had issues with excess RTV in the oil can and have caused catastrophic damage. There has been many articles, forum posts, and videos showing this issue. Lastly, removal of RTV is very labor intensive as the header must be dropped in order to get the oil pan off. You can not remove the oil pick up without taking the entire front timing cover off either. In conclusion, most will not be able to have this cleaned out themselves and would only have the option to pay the dealership or an independent shop to do the work.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501330January 11, 2023
ENGINE
RTV sealant was over applied to the oil pan and timing cover which will result in a clogged oil pickup. Having a clogged oil pick up will starve the engine from oil which yields extremely catastrophic results, especially in a performance sports sedan. This is the same complaint as the others. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501307January 11, 2023
ENGINE
There has been many credible reports with evidence that an excessive amount of RTV is used in the oil pan area, causing enough silicone to become lodged within the lines. This can and will cause the motor to fail as oil starvation can occur. Removing the oil pan would void the warranty and is not in a serviceable location. Subaru of America has been made aware of these reports but has not responded with a recall. Reported incident is the date in which this was first reported by body shops I could find. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFX1PrixUyg
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501262January 11, 2023
ENGINE
Excessive RTV used to seal engine and oil pan is clogging the oil pickup in the oil pan. Many 2022 Subaru WRX owners have had a technician take off the oil pan to inspect the oil pickup and inside the oil pan. They are finding lots of Grey RTV as well as black RTV. Both grey and black are used to seal the engine in different areas. This is very concerning especially since most of these cars are under the 1st oil change time and mileage. Under 6000k miles... Long term there will be a significantly greater amount of floating RTV that will inevitably clog the oil pick up... My 2022 WRX only has 400 miles on it and I am already losing sleep over this very serious Global issue with this engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500988January 10, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My sunroof spontaneously shattered. The car was not moving at the time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500541January 6, 2023
ENGINE
Subaru's negligence strikes again with the SAME problem their other cars have had in previous years. The RTV silicone, a substance utilized to seal various components in the engine block was excessively applied in surplus. Therefore, this RTV ends up clogging essential components of the engine block, such as, however not limited to, the tube used to draw and release oil from the oil pan. There is also potential evidence that other components and chambers in the engine block may also be affected. This RTV blockage, if ignored, may cause oil starvation, damaging or outright DESTROYING various essential components of the engine block and therefore leaving the engine totaled and unrepairable. What I ask is we force a recall on Subaru's part as a standard required check-up for this issue to have these blockages cleared and excess removed. Otherwise, we'll be seeing a lot of blown motors as a result. Important to note: Subaru dealerships are not running this fix as a warranty, therefore checkups and repairs must be made out of pocket.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500530January 6, 2023
ENGINE
Excessive use of RTV is finding its way into oil pan and clogging oil pick up. Will most likely cause oil starvation to the engine. This needs to be addressed by Subaru ASAP.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499955January 3, 2023
ENGINE
Excessive silicone rtv at the oil pan is making its way into the oil pan and going up into the oil pickup and is starving the motor of oil. could be very dangerous if it happens on the road and it immediately needs to be looked at by subaru.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499913January 3, 2023
ENGINE
Oil pickup tube filled with bits of liquid gasket/RTV. Caused engine failure from oil starvation at under 4000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491169October 27, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Subaru sent me an email informing me a software update was available for my vehicle. For weeks I tried to update the software, however it has been unavailable. I attempted to reach Subaru via their 1800 number at least a dozen times. Subaru does not answer their phones, and does not return calls when the option is selected. I opened an ticket number online via their complaint system and have also not received a response. I attempted to reach their roadside assistance phone line and also could not reach a person. I sent an email to Subaru Chief executive and received a call back from their executive offices. They acknowledged that they were also ubable to reach a person at any of their numbers including road side assistance. This is obviously extremely unacceptable for many reasons. Subaru charges for pre installed equipment and subscriptions for access to roadside and support. Not only are they building in cost to the consumer, but they are not delivering what they are promising, and most importantly, not providing what you are paying for. The safety aspect of not being able to reach roadside assistance is very serious . I have yet to receive an answer as to why i received an email telling me to update my vehicle software when I don't have software available to install. The dealership I purchased the vehicle from confirmed the software in my car isn't up to date, or is an obsolete version. Subaru needs to be held accountable for not providing the services they are advertising, selling, and customers are dependent on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11490528October 24, 2022
STEERING, SUSPENSION, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Hello my name is [XXX], I'm the first time owner of this vehicle, purchased this vehicle new of the dealer with 5 miles, ever since I bought it the car has an issue that it steers to the right at any speed, road, condition very dangerous. Over the past months and years I told Subaru dealers, service department, sales guy and Subaru corporate about the issue, long story short I've gone to the service department to fix this issue at least 8 times, the last time an engineer from Subaru worked on the car but the car is not fixed and it continues to have this issue, I open a claimed with the Texas department of motor vehicle for a lemon claimed but Subaru has denied it as a lemon and they constantly ruined my lug nuts, studs, my alignment and now I need new tires. I need help to resolve this, I have multiple repair orders, video's and pictures to prove it all. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480723August 23, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
I was de-frosting my windshield early in the morning when I watched a crack start at the base of the driver's side windshield and travel up the window and back down to the base of the windshield. The car was not moving, there was no impact to the windshield at all. I contacted the Subaru dealer and brought the car in to be inspected. They told me that the crack was because of a rock chip although there was never any rock chip impact and the car was not even moving when the crack developed. There was a previous class action lawsuit settled against Subaru for identical cracks developing in their windshields. I contacted Subaru of America to see what they would do and they gave a discount for a new windshield but the new windshield would still have cost over $700 out of pocket for a car that was less then one month old.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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