2014 Subaru Outback

SPONTANEOUS ENGINE FIRE WHILE DRIVING - MAR 07,2019 - 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK WITH CURRENT MAINTENANCE AND NO PRIOR HISTORY OF MALFUNCTION. DURING A 2.1 MILE DRIVE ON CITY STREETS ELECTRICAL DISTURBANCES OF THE RADIO/MEDIA CONSOLE WERE NOTED, FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER BY BLACK SMOKE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CAR WAS IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. UPON EXITING THE CAR, THE SMOKE HAD BECOME WHITE AND FLAMES WERE NOTED UNDER THE CAR. THE FRONT OF THE CAR SOON BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS BURNT/MELTED. NO ONE WAS INJURED.

3 TO 15 SECOND HESITATION IN THROTTLE RESPONSE. LAST INCIDENT NEARLY RESULTED IN A COLLISION. I STOPPED WAITING FOR TRAFFIC TO CLEAR BEFORE MAKING AN LEFT TURN. MADE THE LEFT TURN, GENTLY APPLIED THE THROTTLE PEDAL, NO RESPONSE, PUSHED IT TO MAXIMUM TRAVEL, STILL NO RESPONSE, CAR COMING TOWARD ME IN ONCOMING LANE, THEN MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED SO THAT A COLLISION WAS AVOIDED. CITY 2 LANE STREET, TURNING LEFT.

AT 70,000 MILES (ROUNDED) ENGINE BEGAN LEAKING OIL FROM BOTH CAM CARRIERS AND THE UPPER OIL PAN. OIL LEAKS ON EXHAUST SYSTEM CAUSING A BURNING OIL SMELL AND CAN SEE SMOKE EMITTING FROM UNDER THE CAR. ESTIMATE TO REPAIR IS $2050 FROM SUBARU DEALERSHIP. HAVE HEARD RUMORS OF OTHER 2.5I ENGINES HAVING SAME PROBLEM. VERY DANGEROUS, CAN CAUSE ENGINE FIRE AS OIL LEAKS DIRECTLY ON EXHAUST PIPE. PROBLEM (BURNING SMELL) IS MOST NOTICEABLE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING WHEN OIL HAS HAD CHANCE TO LEAK OVERNIGHT. MORE PREVALENT IN COLD WEATHER (WHEN METAL AND GASKETS CONTRACT FROM THE COLD).

MY VEHICLE KEEPS BURNING ENGINE OIL AFTER 3,000 TO 4,000 MILES DRIVING. I HAVE HAD THE ISSUE SINCE NOVEMBER 2017 AND WENT TO SUBARU DEALER TO CHECK IT AND THEY SAID AS LONG AS ENGINE OIL IS THE SAME LEVEL AFTER 1,200 MILES, ENGINE OIL BURNING IS NORMAL. WHEN I ASKED SUBARU DEALER TO ADD THE OIL, THEY CHANGED THE ENGINE OIL AND CHARGED ME BY SAYING THAT IT IS A NORMAL CONDITION. EVEN SUBARU ISSUED TECHNICAL BULLETIN FOR THE ENGINE OIL BURNING ISSUE, THEY TREAT THE COMPLAINING CUSTOMERS IN A SNEAKY WAY. THE SYNTHETIC OIL SHOULD RUN OVER 5,000 MILES WITHOUT BURNING IN THE ENGINE AND I HAD NO ISSUES WITH OTHER BRAND CARS SUCH AS FORD. NHTSA SHOULD WARN SUBARU TO MANAGE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS IN A PROPER WAY. IT IS RELATED TO DRIVER'S SAFETY AS I FIND ONLY 1/4 QUART OIL LEFT AFTER 4,000 MILES DRIVING, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS NOT A NORMAL CONDITION FOR THE PASSENGER VEHICLES. THANKS FOR HELPING IN ADVANCE.

TL- CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK. CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT THROUGH SUBARU FOR EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. CONTACT TOOK VEHICLE TO SUBARU AND HAD ENGINE CHECKED FOR OIL CONSUMPTION AND ENGINE OIL WAS EMPTY. SUBARU SAID NO RECALL ON VEHICLE. CONTACT WANTS ENGINE BLOCK REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE.. SUBARU STATED ENGINE BLOCK IS NOT UNDER RECALL. 0 RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS VIN.

VEHICLE BEGAN USING OIL AFTER APPROXIMATELY 29,000 MILES. LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. CONTACTED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN IMMEDIATELY. THE OIL AND FILTER WERE CHANGED AND I WAS INSTRUCTED TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK AFTER 1200 MILES FOR A "OIL CONSUMPTION TEST" . THE TEST WAS PERFORMED AT THE DEALERSHIP, PATRICK SUBARU AND THE RESULTS, 1/3 QT. OF OIL WAS CONSUMED AND THE INFORMATION WAS SENT TO SUBARU OF AMERICA. MY CLAIM WAS DENIED. I HAVE SINCE DRIVEN THE CAR 2789 MILES AND HAVE CONSUMED 1.1QTS OF OIL. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD ANOTHER OIL CONSUMPTION TEST MUST BE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE IF THE VEHICLE IS ELIGIBLE FOR REPAIR. PLEASE NOTE THAT A CLASS ACTION SUITE WAS AWARDED AGAINST SUBARU FOR 2012 TO 2014 VEHICLES USING EXCESSIVE OIL. THIS VEHICLE CARRIES THE "PREZ" EMBLEM FOR PARTICLE ZERO EMISSIONS. YET THIS VEHICLE EMITS OVER A QUART OF OIL EVERY 2790 MILES.

OUTBACK 2.5L. WE NOTICED OIL CONSUMPTION AFTER THE 3-4TH OIL CHANGE. ALL OIL CHANGES WERE PREFORMED AT SUBARU DEALERSHIP ( BROWNS MANASSSAS OR SHEEHY SPRINGFIIELD). WE ASKED WHY WE WERE HAVING TO ADD OIL AND TOLD THAT THIS WAS NORMAL. THE SITUATION HAS GOTTEN WORSE WITH LOW OIL LIGHT COMING ON AT ABOUT 4,000 MILES ON THE OIL CHANGE. WE NOTIFIED SUBARU HEADQUARTERS AND THEY SUGGESTED AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT HAD BEEN SUGGESTED. THE MILEAGE WAS ABOUT APPX 72,000 MILES. WE DID THEY OIL CONSUMPTION TEST ON THE NEXT OIL CHANGE AT APPX 78,800. WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN AFTER 1,200MILES (80,000 MILES). THE VEHICLE USED 3 OZ. OF OIL IN 1,200 MILES. WE WERE TOLD THAT WAS IN NORMAL LIMITS OR SPECS. I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE THAT USED THAT MUCH OIL WITH SUCH LOW MILEAGE SINCE I HAD THIS START TO HAPPEN ABOUT 22,500 MILES.

WHEN AT A STOP EITHER AT A 4 WAY, TRAFFIC LIGHT, OR WAITING TO MAKE A TURN, SOMETIMES THE CAR HESITATES A FEW SECONDS BEFORE GOING AND THEN SURGES FORWARD. I ALSO HAVE HAD IT STALL FOR OVER 20 MINUTES AND WOULDN'T START TILL AFTER 20 MINUTES. THE HESITATION IS DANGEROUS WHEN MAKING TURNS ACROSS OR INTO TRAFFIC BECAUSE IT DOESN'T GO AND YOU CAN GET HIT. IT DOES NOT TRIP THE ENGINE LIGHT SO THE DEALER CAN FIX IT.

AT 38,000 MILES LOW-OIL LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING. I STOPPED AT A MADISON WI DEALER WHO INDICATED THE CONSUMPTION IS NORMAL. I ARGUED THAT I HAVE NEVER HAD A LOW-OIL LIGHT COME ON IN OVER FORTY YEARS OF DRIVING. WAS TOLD THEY WOULD BE GLAD TO CONDUCT AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. THERE IS NOW 40,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND IT IS USING A QUART EVERY 3,500 MILES. THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS. NHTSA NEEDS TO FORCE SUBARU TO REPLACE THESE ENGINES.