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.
Engine & cooling
2009 Subaru Impreza Engine problems
Owners have filed 28 complaints about the 2009 Subaru Impreza's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 25% of all its complaints, most recently on August 23, 2022. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 28
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Engine complaints
Head gasket failure at 80,000 miles. Leaked out 1.5 Quarts of oil on road trip
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.
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.
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.
2009 Subaru impreza. Consumer writes in regards to failed head gasket. *Ld *js
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!
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...
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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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
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
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...
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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.
White smoke when start up, and smoke in the oil when car is running, possible blown ring land due to weak design, compression test needed to tell. *Kb
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...
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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
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...
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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 [[redacted]] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6). *Tr
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...
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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
ENGINE FAILURE. *TR
Motor failure leaving me to roll though and stall in the middle of an intersection. *Tr
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
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 subaru impreza wrx. He stated that while driving 40 mph the engine started to make a noise while approaching a stop sign and shut off. He was able to restart the vehicle and drive to an authorized dealer; however, the noise became louder and more frequent and the vehicle continued to stall. The vehicle was towed to the dealer at their expense. The dealer confirmed that the engine was destroyed and could not be repaired. The dealer also stated that before the vehicle left the factory that the engine was not inspected prior to being installed in the vehicle. The engine was replaced per the warranty. The failure mileage was 1400 and the current mileage was 1600.
Piston ringland failure after 10k miles on brand new 2009 subaru impreza sti. Entire engine being replaced by subaru under warranty. *Tr
My 09 wrx, purchased in october, spun a bearing rod just over a month ago (had 6001 miles on it at the time). I live at altitude (8200 ft) and drive a roughly paved mountain road each day. This is not good on my tires, not one bit. Mike shaw subaru in thorton, colorado has finally gotten around to fixing the car. Took them one month, and I had a rental car for one week, but, they replaced the turbo and engine. One major however here. Let me quote my mike shaw paperwork- that I refused to sign- "this...
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repair is not covered by subaru's limited warranty due to the abusive or aggressive driving habits and/or vehicle modifications." Because of tire wear? Really? Now, my warranty is shot for any future engine work, the dealership itself told me. I refused to sign any of their papers, and will be aggressively pursuing litigation if I do not get this decision reversed or at least have someone knowledgeable explain to me how I 'abused' my car. I went above and beyond the break-in period (2k miles before it ever hit any substantial, sustained rpm). The vehicle history report will kill me when/if I try to sell this car. I also warmed the car up for a full 10 minutes before even remotely pushing the car between 2k and 6k miles. What this came down to was them telling me, verbatim, that "9/10 of these cars with this issue have come in due to driver error". Are you kidding me? This was from the same people that wanted two proofs of oil change in the first 5,970 miles before they would proceed with changing my engine. I provided one, and they relented, but the sheer absurdity is the issue at hand here. I called soa and am still waiting for a return call. Perhaps I will endlessly hit redial in an effort to redeem my warranty, or perhaps I will do my absolute best shedding light on this defective 09 wrx issue via every other means available. *Tr
ENGINE FAILURE. *TR
Subaru Impreza engine complaints by year
Impreza engine problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data