Over the years, Subaru has continuously proven that there’s a reason for Japanese sports cars to be celebrated around the world. These are cars are built for speed and they have a lot of attitude. Car buyers can’t get enough of the Subaru BRZ, WRX, and of course, the carmaker’s STI lineup.
More recently, the company also revealed its electric SUV concept while announcing that it would go full electric in the future. Recently too, however, the carmaker has had a little mishap with its customized kit presentation. That said, Subaru has had some more serious problems over the years:
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The issue had become so bad that it’s resulted in a lawsuit filed in Hawaii. The plaintiff was identified as Joy Diane Shuey who experienced problems with her 2015 Subaru Forester. She had to take the car back to the dealer after getting a check engine light warning and smelling fuel odor.
During the inspection, the technician allegedly discovered that the car’s rear wiper and fuel line had already been chewed by rats. The same problem was also reported by various other Subaru car owners.
9 Brake Lights That Refuse To Illuminate
According to a copy of the manufacturer notice, “Silicone gas, potentially introduced to the vehicle through various consumer goods, may seep into the brake lamp switch housing on the affected vehicles."
"If silicone gas is present in the switch housing during contact closure, silicon dioxide may form a deposit layer on the switch contact terminal. If this layer accumulates, the contact switch may lose conductivity, which may result in a loss of function.” The affected vehicles include several year models of the Crosstrek, Forester, WRX, and Impreza.
8 Engine Oil Pipe That Has A Tendency To Crack
In an announcement to dealers sent out on September 18, 2008, Subaru acknowledged that certain vehicles “may have been manufactured with a turbocharger oil supply pipe that was deformed due to misalignment during the assembly process.”
In the case of a deformed pipe, drivers may experience vibration during their daily driving. Over time, this could result in a crack in the engine oil pipe and an eventual oil leak. Moreover, Subaru warned, “If leaking oil contacts components operating at high temperatures, an engine compartment fire could result.”
7 Overheating Windshield Wiper Motor
According to a copy of the manufacturer notice, “Due to inappropriate manufacturing processes of the front windshield wiper motor bottom cover, interference between the relay joint and the worm wheel may occur.” Should this interference happen, the wiper arms may be forced to go on a “park” position that is higher than intended.
Because of this, the wiper arms may attempt to return to a normal park position continuously. This might cause the overheating in the windshield wiper motor. The issue is said to affect 2010 to 2014 models of the Legacy and Outback.
6 Ignition Switch That Unexpectedly Turns Off
A replacement ignition switch that was previously installed in the affected cars may have a ball spring which is prone to long-term wear. It may also break due to fatigue. In its safety recall announcement, Subaru explained, “If this occurs and heavier items are attached to the ignition key while the vehicle is driven over rough surfaces, the weight may exceed the retention force of the broken ball spring and pull the ignition switch from the “ON” position to the “ACC” position.”
Certain year models of the Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback, Tribeca, and WRX were affected.
5 Corrosion In The Brake Lines
In a copy of its owner notification letter, Subaru explained, “Should a brake line corrode to the point of developing a perforation, brake fluid will leak from the line(s) causing the related circuit to eventually lose effectiveness.
In this situation, there would be an increase in the amount of brake pedal travel distance and foot pressure required to slow or stop the vehicle.” As part of the repair, Subaru announced that it would apply anti-corrosion to the potentially affected areas of the vehicle as a precaution. The issue affected several car models.
4 Malfunctioning Starlink Infotainment System
According to the class-action lawsuit filed regarding this matter, “The backup camera freezes and/or shuts down; failure of the system’s head unit with resulting loss of audio and radio functions; complete system lock-up/error message displayed on infotainment system that only goes away after vehicle is turned off for several hours and then turned back on to properly reset entire system…”
The radio would also automatically turn on at high volume even if the radio was turned off the last time the car was turned off. The lawsuit involving this matter has since been settled.
3 The Car May Proceed To Move Without Warning
According to a complaint filed by a 2003 Subaru Outback owner in Middletown, Connecticut, “The contact stated that the [sic] while parked, the vehicle rolled away. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the parking mechanism within the transmission failed.”
It was later found that the problems were due to “an improperly manufactured transmission parking rod.” The affected car models include certain year models of the Baja, Forester, Impreza, Legacy, and Outback.
2 EyeSight Technology That Makes Driving More Unsafe
The carmaker’s EyeSight driver assist system is supposed to make the road safer for the car owner. Instead, however, it allegedly made driving rather hazardous. According to a filed safety recall report, a safety issue can occur in case the car experiences brake lamp switch (BLS) failure, and the EyeSight technology is delayed in detecting it.
As a result, the car’s Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) “will not receive the brake request from the driver assist system, resulting in no automatic braking, including Adaptive Cruise Control and Pre-Collision Braking.”
1 Unintended Acceleration
A class-action lawsuit was filed on May 13 and according to a copy of the complaint, “The Defect causes the vehicle to accelerate without warning, often while the driver depresses the brake pedal.”
In addition, a filed complaint by a car owner with the National Highway Transportation Safety Authority (NHTSA) stated, “While driving 5 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a cement divider.” The affected cars include 2012 to 2018 models of the Forester and 2015 to 2019 models of the Legacy and Outback.