- The problem
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. The turbocharger air intake duct may crack and possibly result in an engine stall.
- The risk
- An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTA-62.
Engine & cooling
2016 Subaru WRX Engine problems
Owners have filed 9 complaints about the 2016 Subaru WRX's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 26% of all its complaints, most recently on April 10, 2023. They describe 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 9
- Recalls
- 1
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Engine recalls for the 2016 Subaru WRX
Engine complaints
I purchased a 2016 subaru wrx (premium) used from a subaru dealer in albany, ny with under 26k miles for approximately $25k in 2018. On a drive in december 2022 I experienced hesitation and/or stuttering under load or when attempting to accelerate, and car began getting very hot, and close to overheating, and the engine was knocking loudly. After turning engine off and then restarting, the knocking (intensity) was not as noticeable as the initial incident. Initially I replaced all coil over plugs, as cylinder #4...
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initially was reporting a misfire code after the check engine light came on. This appeared to relieve the misfire briefly, but the issue immediately returned, this time with piston #3 reporting misfires and also exhibiting signs of a possible failed ringland, with oil seeping past rings (on to / in spark plug) causing the engine to run very poorly. Presently upon startup white smoke comes from exhaust out the tailpipe and the engine is hesitating and/or missing, running poorly and I feel it cannot be driven safely with the diminished permormance or complete lack of ability to accelerate normally like a motor vehicle should. I have engaged a mechanic to inspect the engine, but have not yet proceeded with inspection/repairs due to the class action litigation. Current mileage is: 73563. This car has an fa20 engine.
Started having issue with the engine making loud rattle noises and oil pressure was not consistent. Upon further investigating I removed the oil pan and removed the oil pickup. The oil pickup screen was full of RTV sealant causing the oil pickup to struggle with maintaining proper oil pressure and flow to the engine. I ended up having to change my timing belt tensioners because one went bad. Probably because of low oil pressure or RTV was sucked into oil galleys and caused it to malfunction. My car sounds a little...
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better now but I believe I also have a light amount of rod knocking. If I kept driving the car, This could have led to catastrophic engine damage and caused my car to stall while traveling on public roads. I later researched if others have seen this issue and it appear to be a common issue in with Subaru and Toyota vehicles using the FA20DIT engine. These engine already have small enough rods, they don't need to be robbed of oil and cause engine damage because the manufacturer applied too much RTV sealant in assembly. There needs to be a recall on this.
The turbo charger intake duct cracked on my car, this is the new one that replaced my recalled one. But clearly was not a solution. I posted this on a form and a large amount of people commented stating they had the same issue. Ranging from 15 wrx to 18 maybe even newer. Whatever they used to glue the air bypass connector to the turbo duct does not hold up. It cracked and completely separated from the part. This allowed dirty air to contaminate my turbo and engine. Possibly causing premature wear in the future. This is an issue that needs to be addressed because the car can completely stall if it fails.
"Takata recall" took my car to a local shop because it was lacking power and had low mpg readings. Found a boost leak in the top inter-cooler and expressed that all the 2016 wrx that come in this happens quite often. Forums and online posts verified this problem, the car is a 2016 so its fairly new this shouldn't be happening.
Front end collision vs deer on interstate at approximately 75 mph. 4-5 Minutes after the accident the engine caught on fire. The car is a total loss. No one was injured. We all were out of the car at the time the fire started.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 subaru wrx sti. While driving various speeds, the vehicle would overheat, but no smoke was present. The odometer gauge needle moved to the hot indicator. The contact would turn off and restart the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to spurr subaru (6331 brockport spencerport rd, brockport, ny 14420, (585)-637-9582) where it was diagnosed that the thermostat failed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle's lease expired in two months and to turn in the vehicle after it expired. The failure mileage was 23,000. The vin was unknown.
I was driving down the highway and the car lost a little power start to slow down till it eventually stalled out and now it starts but does not stay running.
After leaving work and driving less than one mile, the vehicle's engine stalled while approaching a controlled intersection. The vehicle had to be placed into park and restarted. The ambient temperature was 80 degrees; most auxiliary systems were not in use at the time the incident occurred except for the radio. The vehicle was not being operated in its optional "paddle shifter" mode--it was in the standard automatic transmission setting. The vehicle is currently being assessed at a dealership, although...
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preliminary diagnosis from a dealership representative indicates there is "nothing wrong." However, a simple google search of "2015+ subaru wrx cvt stalling" yields a number of other vehicles that have experienced the same issue--the vehicle stalling while at low speeds. Some of the other owners have indicated they have paid for the replacement of oil control valves from their own pocket to resolve the issue. Since the vehicle is prone to stalling, this creates a significant safety issue for wrx operates as well as other motorists.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 (na) subaru wrx. While driving 25 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician reset p codes 1449, 1604, and the engine light. The technician stated that the vehicle was now up to subaru standards; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,833.
Subaru WRX engine complaints by year
WRX 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