Subaru Lawsuit Alleges Oil Problems May Cause Sudden Engine Failure

Subaru faces a proposed class action status lawsuit, which alleges that the auto maker knew about a defect that could lead to engine failure in some vehicles, but refused to initiate a recall. 

According to a complaint (PDF) filed late last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the piston rings tend to wear out quickly on some Subaru Forester, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Subaru Impreza and Subaru Crosstek vehicles. This may cause them to burn an excessive amount of engine oil, potentially leading to sudden engine failure.

As a result of the defect, vehicle owners may incur higher than expected maintenance costs and could face an increase risk of being involved in a serious automobile accident, as the engine may fail at any time, under any driving conditions or speed.

The lawsuit was brought by Keith Yaeger of Escondido, California, and Michael Schuler, of Lakeland, Florida, seeking class action status to include all owners of vehicles with the alleged defect, including 2011-2014 model year Forester 2.5L, 2013 model year Legacy 2.5L, 2013 model year Outback 2.5L, 2012 through 2013 model year Impreza 2.0L, and the 2013 model year XV Crosstrek 2.0L vehicles.

While the class action does not indicate the number of accidents or injuries that may have occurred due to the over consumption of oil, plaintiffs have cited instances where consumers have paid upward of $8,000 to Subaru dealers to repair the oil problem. One plaintiff claims that he would have paid substantially less for the vehicle had he known of the engine defect and pricey maintenance.

Plaintiffs allege the company violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and breached the warranty on its vehicles. The suit also points out a December 2013 incident, when the company sent out technical service bulletins that suggested replacing the piston rings, but the recommendations would have led to costly repairs.

The suit suggests that based on the timing of the bulletins, “Subaru both acknowledged the oil consumption defect and suggested a repair” but no action was taken.

The case comes just a month after Subaru recalled over 660,000 cars and SUVs for possible brake line corrosion issues that may result in brake fluid leakage. The recall was initiated due to salt water forming from the mix of road salt and rain or snow and possibly splashing on brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector. This could cause excessive corrosion of the brake lines which would require longer stopping distances required than normal, posing a crash hazard.

Photo Courtesy of kappadueinnovazione via Flickr CC2.0