Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2015 Subaru WRX submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 18 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
My engine starting making like a clunking sound I always have took my car for service at the dealership i own the 2015 subaru wrx premium i haven’t move the car after the noise due to scare I might mess something with the engine
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru WRX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the drive belt, front drive axles, rear axle differential seals, and windshield washer reservoir. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,000.
Engine has rod knock present common amongst owners. Short block replaced under warranty at 55k miles. How can a stock engine with synthetic oil changes commonly fail? Flaws.
The secondary o2 pump will burn out or continue running causing unsafe risk to short circuit a fire. Recall has already been previously documented in the -2014 models however Subaru uses the same design and part number. My car Secondary o2 Pump was replaced under warrenty at 55k miles now at 90knmiles have the same CEL code.
I first noticed the car engine began making a loud ticking sound and significantly lost power as I exited the freeway heading toward my home after work. After towing the vehicle to the Subaru dealership, they tore apart the engine and found a connecting rod bearing had failed. It had slid out between the rod and crankshaft and shattered in the oil system sending shards of metal into the engine and all components that the oil touches. Every component that oil touches needed to be replaced. Prior to this problem, maintenance and oil changes were performed according to Subaru's specifications. Had the engine completely failed on the freeway during my commute home (during rush hour traffic) I could have caused an accident and possibly hurt myself and others. Subaru inspected and kept the components that were faulty though they never accepted responsibility for the failure of the components. There was absolutely no indication nor warning signal prior to the failure of the connecting rod bearing. Subaru blamed me for the component failure saying the vehicle was not properly maintained though they never asked me for proof of maintenance. I had to pay $7868 to repair the car to it's original mechanical state.
-Engine Head Gasket (Blown), Yes. -Engine coolant created cloud of white vapor while driving, impairing ability to visually assess the road. Leaked hazardous fluid over freeway possibly contaminating soils and affecting local wildlife. -The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by Eastside Subaru in Kirkland, WA. -The vehicle has been inspected by Eastside Subaru in Kirkland, WA. -There was no warning (check engine lights) until the incident occurred.
Turbocharger intake cracked and causes the engine to have an extremely rough idle and stall. My vehicle has the same issue as NHTSA campaign number 16V16200 however it was manufactured before April 10th 2015 so it is not included in that recall.
The engine blew up around 75k miles, it had blown a rod barring even though the car had been maintained. The clutch prematurly went out causing me to have to replace everything but the flywheel at under 75k miles. The clockspring is bad in the car affecting the horn and air bags. Having to get that replaced as well. The car is currently at a dealership getting everything resolved other than the clutch as thats already been replaced. My safely and others safely were at risk as if the clutch went out while driving, my horn would not work, my airbag light was on flashing and possibly wouldn't deploy in an accident and the engine blowing up due to a thrown rod barring put me at risk as it was on the freeway this happened. You can get all this info on mileage and what has been replaced. This has cost me thousands upon thousands of dollars to fix in the car when none of it should of happened.
I OWN A 2015 WRX LIMITED CVT. WHEN I GO TO MY CAR TO GO TO WORK AND I START IT, THE CAR SPUTTERS. I'VE ONLY NOTICED THIS ON COLD STARTS ONLY, ONCE THE CAR IS WARMED UP IT'S FINE. FOR SOME REASON THOUGH WHEN THE CAR IS SPUTTERING ON START UPS IT WILL TRIP MY CEL AND BASICALLY PUT THE CAR INTO 'GET HOME' MODE, BUT IT ONLY SEEMS TO TRIGGER THE CEL WHEN IT WANTS TO. THE CAR WILL ALWAYS SPUTTER ON START UP BUT SOMETIMES THE CEL WILL COME ON AND I CAN'T USE THE DRIVE MODES AND SOMETIMES IT WON'T COME ON. NO MATTER WHAT I DO I CAN'T GET THE CAR TO STOP SPUTTERING. I'VE CLEANED PRETTY MUCH EVERY SENSOR I COULD AND NOTHING WORKED. I SCANNED THE OBD2 PORT AND GOT P0300 FOR RANDOM MISFIRE, WHICH TELLS ME ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
VEHICLE IS BURNING OIL, OIL CAME OUT THROUGH WHERE THE DIP-STICK IS PLACED. FOUND OIL ON THE EXHAUST TIPS. MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR IS MALFUNCTIONING. REQUIRES NEW COILS AND SPARK PLUGS EVEN THOUGH I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THEM. REQUIRED A NEW BATTERY, HOWEVER, REPLACING THE BATTERY DID NOT KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM TURNING OFF BY ITSELF. O2 SENSOR, BANK 1 SENSOR 2, IS ALSO MALFUNCTIONING.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU WRX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, A CREAKING NOISE WAS PRESENT COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY. ALSO, A GRINDING SOUND WAS PRESENT WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS AND THE VEHICLE WOULD JOLT WHILE ACCELERATING AND DECELERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (MID HUDSON SUBARU LOCATED AT 1715 U.S. 9, WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY 12590) WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION PITCHER STOPPER MOUNT WAS FAULTY AND WAS SEPARATING FROM THE ENGINE FIRE WALL AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. *LN *DL
DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ~70 MPH AND SUDDENLY LOST ALL THROTTLE RESPONSE, THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ONLY LOOSE SPEED. ENGINE STARTED TO SHUTTER TO LOW RPMS, AND BECAUSE OF THIS DRASTICALLY LOST SPEED AND NEARLY GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHILE MOVING TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY TO PULL OVER. AFTER EVENTUALLY PULLING OVER, ENGINE CONTINUED TO SHUTTER TO LOW RPMS AND COULD NOT HOLD AN IDLE - WOULD JUST STALL AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO START IT UP. CAR WAS TOWED TO CLOSEST DEALERSHIP AND AFTER WAITING 4 DAYS FINALLY HEARD IT WAS THE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. RESEARCHING THE ISSUE I FOUND THAT SUBARU MADE A DESIGN CHANGE FOR THE WIRE HARNESS TO PREVENT WATER/MOISTURE FAILURE WHICH IS MOST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO MY VEHICLE. STUCK WITH A $1400 BILL DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW, I DECIDED TO PURCHASE A 2020 MODEL WHICH HOPEFULLY DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. AFTER CALLING SUBARU OF NORTH AMERICA AND EXPLAINING THE SITUATION, THEY OFFERED ME $1000 TOWARDS THE NEW PURCHASE. IT WAS A KIND GESTURE HOWEVER I QUESTION IF IT IS SOMEWHAT ADMISSION OF GUILT FOR THE DESIGN FLAW. 2015 WRX 138K MILES WAS METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED WITH ALL NECESSARY MAINTENANCE COMPLETED AT PROPER INTERVALS AND OIL CHANGES EVERY 3-4K MILES.
THE RPM DROP AND THE ENGINE STALLS, BUT NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS COME ON. IT ONLY HAPPENS IN FIRST GEAR, FROM WHAT I'VE NOTICED.
DECIDED TO GET MY SPARK PLUGS REPLACED, AND GOT A COMPRESSION TEST DONE WHILE THAT SERVICE WAS DONE FOR CONVENIENCE. COMPRESSION CAME OUT LOW ON ONE SIDE OF MY FA20DIT ENGINE. WITH MORE RESEARCH, BECAUSE THE ENGINE IS DIRECT INJECTED, THERE IS OBVIOUS BUILD UP ON THE INTAKE VALVES, CAUSING BAD AIR FLOW. THIS IS NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE.
VEHICLE HAD A BRAND NEW SHORT BLOCK WITH APPROXIMATELY 6,000 MILES ON IT, AND SPUN A BEARING.
AT 300 RPM CAR MADE LOUD SOUNDS AND DIED SIDE OF HIGHWAY. HAD TO BE TOWED 100 MILES. ALSO HAD OIL ISSUE - WENT THROUGH A LOT OF OIL
IN A 2015 SUBARU WRX WITH A 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION PURCHASED 03/2015 AND DELIVERED TO PURCHASE DEALER 04/2015. REPORTED TO SUBARU DEALER 02/19/2016 A ROUGH IDLE WITH ENGINE RPMS RECORDED BETWEEN 400 AND 1K. ROUGH IDLE TRIPPED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AFTER FUELING AND CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING. DIAGNOSTIC CODE P0420 REPORTED A FAULT IN CATALYTIC CONVERTER. SOFTWARE UPDATE TO COMPUTER PERFORMED RESOLVED ISSUE TEMPORARILY. 04/10/2016 AT 9.7K MILES ROUGH IDLE ISSUE RETURNED RPMS OF 400 TO 1K AGAIN AFTER FUELING. IN NEUTRAL 30-60 SECONDS AFTER STARTING VEHICLE STALLED AT FUEL STATION. UPON RE-STARTING VEHICLE CHECK ENGINE, FLASHING CRUISE CONTROL, ABS, HILL-START ASSIST, AND TRACTION CONTROL FAULTS TRIPPED. VEHICLE BEHAVIOR SIMILAR TO NHTSA RECALL 16V-162 WHERE NHTSA NOTED 'DUE TO THE USE OF INCORRECT MATERIAL FOR A PORTION OF THE ENGINE TURBOCHARGER AIR INTACT DUCT CRACK, THE ENGINE MAY DEVELOP A ROUGH IDLE, REDUCED POWER, AND POSSIBLY STALL'. COMPLAINANT BELIEVES RECALL MAY NEED TO BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE A WIDER RANGE OF VINS BEFORE LISTED PRODUCTION DATES IN RECALL ORDER.
2015 WRX 2.0L MANUAL TRANSMISSION WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS I HAVE HAD (3) DISTINCT PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ENGINE/THROTTLE/IDLE. 1) GHOST BLIP: WHEN COMING TO A STOP, AROUND 5-15 MPH, PUT IT IN NEUTRAL COAST TO A STOP IDLE WILL INEXPLICABLY SPIKE FROM ~700RPM (IDLE) --> ~1.2-1.5K RPM (FOR A SECOND OR TWO...LIKE A GHOST BLIPPED THE THROTTLE). NO PRESSURE APPLIED TO ACCELERATOR. 2) ROUGH IDLE: WHILE SITTING AT A STOP, IN NEUTRAL, ~700RPM (IDLE) --> WILL DIP TO ~650-600RPM FOR A FRACTION OF SECOND & REOCCUR EVERY 2-4 SECONDS. FEELS LIKE SOMEONE LIGHTLY SHAKING YOUR SEAT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. 3) NEAR STALL: WHILE SITTING AT A STOP, IN NEUTRAL, ~700RPM (IDLE) --> WILL DIP THE RPMS LOW ENOUGH THAT THE WHOLE CAR NOTICEABLY SHAKES...SIMILAR TO THE SHAKE YOU WOULD EXPERIENCE IF THE ENGINE WERE ACTUALLY ABOUT TO STALL. THE RPMS WILL FUMBLE AROUND A BIT AND THEN HICCUP BACK TO NORMAL IDLE AFTER 4-5 SECONDS. ALL THREE ITEMS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER ON (2) OCCASIONS W/ THE REPLY UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM AND/OR IT IS NORMAL.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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