2009 Subaru Impreza Engine Problems

The head gaskets have failed multiple times with this vehicle within a 6 month timeframe. The head gaskets have been a reported recall issue for other models of Subaru Impreza's except the non-turbo ones which this one is. The shop where is has been repaired at repairs several Subaru's that are non-turbo models monthly due to blown head gaskets. The head gasket failure in my vehicle has caused other components to fail, i.e. the radiator, power steering rack and 2 catalytic converters. I have all of my receipts for the repairs that where a direct result of the head gaskets being blown twice within 6 months and the total spent was $4,558.53 the car cost $5750.00 to buy.

NHTSA ID

11480692

Incident

Jan 2, 2022

HEAD GASKET FAILURE AT 80,000 MILES. LEAKED OUT 1.5 QUARTS OF OIL ON ROAD TRIP

NHTSA ID

11308352

Incident

May 31, 2019

Mileage

80,000 mi

MOTOR WENT OUT WITH 72000 MILES WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY DRIVING. TRANSFER CASE BEARINGS SHOT. POWER STEERING RACK DONE AND FIREWALL HAS CRACKED FOR A 2ND TIME. SUBARU ARE PROBABLY THE MOST UNSAFE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA ID

11290613

Incident

Dec 18, 2019

Mileage

72,000 mi

2009 SUBARU WITH LESS THAN 100,000 HAS A HEAD GASKET LINKING ONTO CATALITIC CONVERTER.HAD SAME PROBLEM WITH 2005 IMPREZA WITH 95,000 MILES .WHEN I BOUGHT 2009 I WAIT WAS TOLD PROBLEM HAD BEEN RESOLVED.OBVIOUSLY NOT ! NOW I HAVE TO PAY 1,600 DOLLARS TO HAVE IT REPAIRED.NOT HAPPY WITH SUBARU,WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER ONE.

NHTSA ID

11222896

Incident

May 25, 2019

Mileage

98,000 mi

THE O2 SENSOR WAS REPLACED BY RESALE DEALER, AFTER FILLING CAR WITH GAS THE CHECK ENGINE, TRACTION CONTROL, AND FLASHING CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. SENSOR WAS RECHECKED BY DEALER, AND IT IS OKAY, CODES WIPED AND RESET. CAR WAS FILLED WITH GAS, LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AFTER COMMUTING BACK HOME. DROVE UNTIL THERE WAS 1/4 TANK LEFT, LIGHTS WENT OFF, FILLED BACK UP WITH GAS ALL THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON. SENSOR STILL TESTS BACK AS THE PROBLEM, BUT THE SENSOR IS OKAY.

NHTSA ID

11210876

Incident

May 20, 2019

2009 SUBARU IMPREZA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO FAILED HEAD GASKET. *LD *JS

NHTSA ID

11206696

Incident

May 10, 2019

TAKATA RECALL AND SAFETY RECALL WUE90 NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 19V149000 BRAKE LAMP SWITCH. ON APRIL 4TH, 2019 I CALLED MULTIPLE DEALERS FOR THIS RECALL AND THE TAKATA RECALL AND THEY COULD NOT GET ME IN UNTIL MAY 11TH FOR AIRBAG AND THE BRAKE RECALL THEY DO NOT HAVE PARTS YET FOR IT AND THE CARS BRAKE LIGHT IS ON. THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN GOOFY AND LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHICH IS PART OF THE RECALL. MONDAY WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55MPH THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE BLEW. CAR HAS BEEN TOWED BECAUSE IT APPEARS PART OF THE ABS SYSTEM HAS BROKE AND PIERCED THE BRAND NEW TIRE!

NHTSA ID

11197303

Incident

Apr 15, 2019

Mileage

141,000 mi

WHEN I BROUGHT MY 2009 SUBARU IMPREZA INTO COLONIAL SUBARU (IN VA) 2 WEEKS AGO, THERE WERE MANY ISSUES, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THE CAUSE OR IF THEY WERE RELATED. THE STRANGEST THING WAS ALL THE ISSUES STARTED OCCURRING OUT OF NOWHERE OVER THE PAST 4 MONTHS. MY UNCLE IS A CERTIFIED SUBARU MECHANIC IN NJ AND HAS BEEN SERVICING MY CAR SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 2013. I ALSO TOOK METICULOUS CARE OF IT FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS, AND IT WAS RUNNING PERFECTLY UNTIL NOW. THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT WHEN HE LOOKED AT IT IN SEPT. AND IT PASSED NJ INSPECTION IN OCT. THEN BETWEEN OCT AND FEB (ONLY 4 MONTHS), IT'S FALLING APART AND NEEDS A NEW ENGINE AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER? I ALSO DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL RESEARCHING THE ISSUES (RIGHT BEFORE I TOOK IT INTO COLONIAL) THAT THERE WERE STILL 2 OPEN RECALLS ON IT ' BRAKE LINE AND AIR BAGS (I WASN'T DRIVING MY CAR A LOT AT THE TIME OF THE RECALLS BECAUSE I WAS UNEMPLOYED, AND NEVER EVEN HEARD ABOUT THEM, SO I HAD NO IDEA). WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO COLONIAL, I ASKED FOR THE FREE DIAGNOSTIC AND RECALL REPAIRS, BUT ALSO TOLD THEM EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG. THE FULL LIST I GAVE TO THEM IS IN THE ATTACHED DOC. THEY LIED ABOUT THE REAL PROBLEMS, MY CAR WAS TOWED TO HYMAN BROTHERS SUBARU, THEY FOUND THE CAUSE OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER DAMAGE (HEAD GASKET LEAK), BUT THEN REFUSED TO DIAGNOSE THE OTHER CRITICAL PROBLEMS THAT ARE PROVEN LINKS TO THE NEW BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH RECALL...WHICH CAUSES AN ELECTRICITY FLOW INTERRUPTION (CLEARLY SPELLED OUT IN THE NEW RECALL), THAT IS DOCUMENTED AND PROVEN TO CAUSE ELECTROLYSIS (MUTATING THE CHEMICAL ELEMENTS IN THE COOLANT MAKING IT HIGHLY CORROSIVE, EAT THROUGH THE HEATER CORE CONNECTORS, LEAK OUT AND DAMAGE THE HEAD GASKETS (THEN LEAK COOLANT/OIL INTO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER). ALL NEEDED REPAIRS SHOULD BE FREE OF CHARGE BECAUSE THEY ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF THE FAULTY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH INTERRUPTING THE FLOW OF ELECTRICITY.

NHTSA ID

11186642

Incident

Feb 26, 2019

Mileage

128,060 mi

THIS IS A PROBLEM ABOUT A 2009 SUBARU IMPREZA OUTBACK SPORT WAGON, WHICH ONLY HAD 105,000 MILES ON IT AND FOUND OUT THE OIL LEAKED IS DUE TO HEAD GASKET IS ALREADY LEAKED. THE SUBARU DEALER, PLANET SUBARU, HAD A REPAIR QUOTE FOR $2,000.00. DID RESEARCH ABOUT THE ISSUE, AND FOUND THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND THAT THE ENGINES ARE KNOWN TO CONSUME TOO MUCH OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. SUBARU HAS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM FOR THE SAME PROBLEM BUT NOT THE SPECIFIC YEAR OF VEHICLE.HOWEVER, HAD CONTACT SUBARU FEW TIMES BUT SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE DECLINE TO ASSIST AND SUGGEST STAY AWAY FROM SUBARU.

NHTSA ID

11097978

Incident

May 20, 2018

Mileage

105,000 mi

I HAVE A PRETTY BAD OIL LEAK. MECHANIC SAID IT'S A FAILED HEAD GASKET. HE DID TELL ME THAT MY CAR IS TOO NEW WITH A LOWER THAN AVERAGE MILEAGE FOR IT TO HAVE FAILED THE WAY IT DID. HE ACTUALLY TOLD ME TO COMPLAIN TO YOU GUYS AND ALSO FIGHT WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND SUBARU OF NORTH AMERICA BECAUSE I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. HE SAID IT'S ALL ON THEM.

NHTSA ID

11006477

Incident

Jul 19, 2017

Mileage

120,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU IMREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A PISTON PREMATURELY FRACTURED, CAUSING CATASTROPHIC FAILURE TO THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT PROVIDED NO SOLUTION. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

NHTSA ID

10983545

Incident

Apr 19, 2017

Mileage

98,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON I-74 BETWEEN CINCINNATI OH AND INDIANAPOLIS IN I NOTICED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A ENGINE KNOCK AT AROUND SHELBYVILLE IN. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED BUT I PULLED OVER AND INSPECTED THE ENGINE AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG SO I CONTINUED ON MY TRIP. AFTER REACHING I-465 IN INDIANAPOLIS THE KNOCK BEGAN TO GET PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. AT THE INTERSECTION OF I-465 AND I-65 THE CAR WITHOUT WARNING ENGINE SHUTDOWN AND I LOST ALL FUNCTIONALITY (POWER STEERING, TURN SIGNALS, ETC). AT THE TIME OF POWER LOSS I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH DURING RUSH HOUR IN THE FAST LANE. LUCKILY THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS FOLLOWING AT A SAFE DISTANCE AND I WAS ABLE TO AVOID A COLLISION AND SAFELY GET ONTO THE LEFT HAND SHOULDER. I WAS THEN ABLE TO GET THE CAR RESTARTED AND ATTEMPTED TO GET OFF OF I-465 FOR MY SAFETY. HOWEVER, AT THE NEXT EXIT THE ENGINE ONCE AGAIN SHUTDOWN. I WAS ONCE AGAIN ABLE TO SAFELY GET TO THE SHOULDER BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET THE CAR STARTED AGAIN. BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM THE DEALER AND MY EXPERIENCE AS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER I BELIEVE THAT THE CAUSE OF THIS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WAS A FAILED BEARING WITHIN THE ENGINE. THE FACT THAT THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL FAILURE COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING ON A CAR THAT IS LESS THAN 6 YEARS OLD WITH LESS THAN 100K MILES IS VERY CONCERNING TO ME. IF THE OTHER DRIVERS ON THE INTERSTATE HAD NOT BEEN PAYING AS CLOSE ATTENTION AS THEY WERE I BELIEVE THAT THIS CRASH COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL TO MYSELF AND POTENTIALLY OTHERS. MY CAR HAS HAD ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND OIL CHANGES AND IS WELL CARED FOR SO THE EARLY CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ENGINE CANNOT BE DUE TO NEGLECT. SUBARU HAS ESTIMATED THE COST OF THE REPAIR AT $11K FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE ENGINE AND IS CURRENTLY NOT OFFERING TO COVER ANY OF THE COSTS EVEN THOUGH THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE ENGINE AND NOT DUE TO LACK OF MAINTENANCE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10638895

Incident

Sep 23, 2014

Mileage

96,000 mi

ENGINE ROD BEARING FAILURE @ 64000 MILES WITH REGULAR OIL CHANGES. DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS DUE TO INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION; HOWEVER, THERE WAS PLENTY OF OIL WHEN I BROUGHT IN THE CAR AND OIL WAS NEVER ADDED TO CHANGE THEIR JUDGMENT. THIS, IN MY OPINION, IS "NOT" DUE TO LACK OF OIL. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. BUILD DATE WAS AUG. 9TH 2008. THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM FROM THE START. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN ISSUED A RECALL IF SOA KNOWS OF THESE HUNDREDS OF ISSUES. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE BUYING A $25,000 LEMON! *TR

NHTSA ID

10490147

Incident

Nov 28, 2012

Mileage

64,000 mi

ENGINE KNOCK SOUND WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY, PULLED OFF NEXT EXIT AND CAR SHUT DOWN. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS OR OIL LIGHTS INDICATING AN ISSUE. UPON RESTART KNOCKING SOUND WAS LOUDER AND HAD A METAL SOUND TO IT. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT THE CAR OFF AND CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO LOCAL DEALER. UPON FIRST REVIEW DEALER IDENTIFIED IT AS "INTERNAL CONNECTING-ROD BEARING FAILURE" WHICH CAUSED CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE. SUBARU OF AMERICA DENIED THE REPAIR DUE TO THE ECM BEING MODIFIED, STATING "OUR ENGINEERS REVIEWED YOUR FILE AND DEEMED IT TO BE CAUSED BY THE ECM MODIFICATION". I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS CASES OF THE EXACT ISSUE ON THE INTERNET, AS WELL AS A MY DEALERSHIP TELLING ME THERE IS A TSB FOR THIS FAILURE. SOA IS PROVIDING A "ONE TIME GOOD FAITH REPAIR" BUT I AM RESPONSIBLE TO REPLACE THE ECM. IN MY OPINION THIS ISSUE WHICH SOA IS AWARE OF AND ACKNOWLEDGES WITH A TSB SHOULD BE A RECALL - THE ENGINE FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEED HAS POTENTIAL TO CAUSE BODILY HARM - LOSS OF POWER, ENGINE SEIZE RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. I WAS LUCKY TO NOT BE INVOLVED IN ANY SORT OF ACCIDENT. FURTHER I AM TOTALLY UNSURE OF HOW SOA CAN CLAIM THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO ECM MODIFICATION WITHOUT EVER PHYSICALLY SEEING OR HAVING THE MOTOR PULLED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE ECM MODIFICATION IS AN EXCUSE TO NOT FULLY COVER THE REPAIR.

NHTSA ID

10423716

Incident

Aug 5, 2010

Mileage

13,500 mi

2009 IMPREZA WRX THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT A FAILURE WAS GOING TO OCCUR BEFORE IT HAPPENED. I HAD DRIVEN THE CAR NORMALLY FOR ALMOST 4 MONTHS. THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MAKE A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE AROUND 2000 RPM, SOUNDING LIKE METAL HITTING METAL AS I PULLED UP TO A STOP SIGN. FORTUNATELY I HAD JUST ENTERED MY NEIGHBORHOOD SO I WAS ABLE TO GET HOME AND HAVE MY CAR TOWED. SUBARU ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE TOWED THE CAR AND I WAS GIVEN A RENTAL FOR 20 DAYS. SUBARU DEALER SAID IT WAS A SPUN ROD BEARING AND ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. EVEN THOUGH I REQUESTED A LONG BLOCK REPLACEMENT I ONLY GOT A SHORT BLOCK, SO THE TURBO IS THE SAME. SINCE THIS OCCURRED I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS, CLUTCH THROWOUT BEARING REPLACEMENT, STARTER, AIR CONDITIONING PROBLEMS. THIS CAR IS A LEMON BUT ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO CONVINCE SUBARU OF THAT FACT. ENGINE BLOWN AT 3300 MILES. CLUTCH PROBLEM AT 7000 MILES. STARTER FAILURE AT 9600 MILES (2/2011). REPORTED TO SOA. *TR

NHTSA ID

10381348

Incident

Mar 20, 2010

Mileage

3,300 mi

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW SUBARU IMPREZA ON JULY 27, 2009 FROM SUBARU DEALER, GRAND SUBARU, AT BENSENVILLE, IL 60106 FOR $18,000 WITH WARRANTY FOR 30-60K MILES. IT BROKE DOWN WHEN IT HAD JUST 9,221 MILES ON IT SHOWING "ENGINE FAILURE" ON NOV. 09, 2010. THE SUBARU DEALER WHO FIXED IT AFTER LOT OF HASSLE, STATED IN HIS INVOICE AS SOME "COIL" IS CRACKED IN THE IGNITION. I CAN SEND YOU THE RECEIPT THAT I HAVE IN MY POSSESSION FOR YOUR RECORD. I AM DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS AND WANT SUBARU TO COVER ANY SUCH PROBLEMS WITH ITS ENGINE FOR ANOTHER 1 YEARS FREE OF COST. I SHALL CONSIDER REPORTING THIS FAILURE OF THE CAR VIA INTERNET TO MAKE AWRY OF OTHER PROSPECTIVE AND SUBARU OWNERS, IF I DO NOT GET A SATISFACTORY RESPONSE WITHIN 10 DAYS. THANKS YOU [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10368314

Incident

Nov 9, 2010

Mileage

9,221 mi

2009 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX, ~25K MILES. DRIVING ON A BACK ROAD, ALL OF A SUDDEN ENGINE STARTS KNOCKING. HAVE TO GET IT TOWED TO SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. I WAS ON MY WAY BACK TO BOSTON VISITING FAMILY WITH MY DOG IN THE CAR. THIS CAUSED ME TO HAVE TO PAY FOR A FLIGHT BACK HOME AND MISS HALF A DAY'S WORK. MY CAR IS OUT OF COMMISSION IN NJ WHILE I'M UP IN BOSTON FOR 2 WEEKS. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED TO OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE SO FAR WITH THIS MODEL CAR. SUBARU ADMITTED A DEFAULT IN MANUFACTURING FOR THOSE PEOPLE WITH CARS IN A BUILD DATE RANGE OF 7/08 AND 8/08 BUT DID NOT SEND OUT LETTERS TO OWNERS IN THAT BUILD DATE RANGE. THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND SHOULD RESULT IN A RECALL, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE AND REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING TO NOTIFY THE USERS OR PREEMPTIVELY FIX THE PROBLEM. BY WILLINGLY KNOWING THAT A CUSTOMER'S ENGINE COULD FAIL AND WAITING UNTIL THE FAILURE OCCURS, CAUSING HARDSHIP ON THE OWNER, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT WARRANTS A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10331201

Incident

May 16, 2010

Mileage

25,500 mi

ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10330142

Incident

May 12, 2010

Mileage

18,655 mi

MOTOR FAILURE LEAVING ME TO ROLL THOUGH AND STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10329826

Incident

May 4, 2010

Mileage

20,000 mi

2009 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX WAGON HAS 5960 MILES WAS A NEW VEHICLE PURCHASE IN OCTOBER 2009. VEHICLE NEW CAR GUIDELINES WERE FOLLOWED AS WERE THE MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES. THE VEHICLE ENGINE I FEEL HAS A MECHANICAL DEFECT IN THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE HAS SPUN A BEARING BLOWN A ROD AND DAMAGED THE CRANKSHAFT. THIS FROM WHAT HAVE RESEARCHED IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10324430

Incident

Apr 7, 2010

Mileage

5,960 mi