Filed last week in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, the suit alleges that some Subaru vehicles “prematurely burn off and/or consume abnormal and excessive amounts of engine oil.” The lawsuit also claims that Subaru is aware of the issue and is sticking owners with costly repair bills.
The plaintiffs are hoping to achieve class-action status for owners of 2011-14 Forester crossovers, 2013 Legacy sedans and 2013 Outback wagons equipped with Subaru’s 2.5L boxer engine. The lawsuit also includes 2012-13 Impreza and 2013 Crosstrek models equipped with the automaker’s 2.0L boxer-four.
The suit, filed on behalf of Subaru owners Keith Yaeger and Michael Schuler, claims that Subaru was aware of the problem and even issued a technical service bulletin due to some of its vehicles “experiencing abnormally high levels of engine oil consumption that warranted an intricate repair process to properly remedy,” and identified “unanticipated wear of the oil control piston rings as the root cause of the oil consumption defect.”
The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount for damages, but claims that some Subaru owners have spent as much as $8,000 on engine repairs related to the oil burning issues.
For its part, Subaru says its vehicles don’t suffer from excessive oil consumption.
“While we believe the oil consumption of our vehicles to be within acceptable levels, we continually work to reduce the amount of consumable goods, such as oil, that our vehicles require to operate,” company spokesman Michael McHale told USA Today.
Leave a Reply