Engine Exhaust System problems of the 2005 Subaru Legacy

The vehicles turbo failed and destroyed the engine. The turbo and engine were all factory original. I replaced the part that I thought was causing problems with the engine and turned the car on and black smoke came out off the exhaust. According to the mechanic shop I took it to the oil union bolts are the cause of the problem to starving oil to the turbo and then the turbo fails. I think it is unclear that these engines have a major flaw in them. Most people have these problems way before the 100,000 miles on the odometer mark. I would need a completely new engine for the vehicle. I did oil changes every 3000 miles and did the recommended services at each time or mileage intervals.

To nhsta three turbos have failed within a 2 month span on a 2005 Subaru Legacy gt sedan. Leading up to each failure the vehicle was being driven consistently at ~60 mph for 15 to 20 miles. The consequence of these failures has been loss of power on the highway which could have caused a wreck (but luckily did not). To correct this failure the turbo was replaced by an independent mechanic under an extended warranty. It failed again the same day due to the nut holding the turbo together falling off. Subaru replaced that turbo but it failed again after 2 weeks. I took it to a Subaru dealership this time where they said it failed because a small mesh screen become blocked by sludge and would not honor their mechanical fault warranty. I paid to have it replaced but I have not yet picked up the vehicle since I cannot trust it not to break (nor will Subaru warranty the part if the screen becomes blocked again, this sludge could be caused by the initial turbo failure, since the broken turbos throw metal through the oil system. ) this is a safety issue instead of a maintenance issue because of the consistent failures under the same condition which is normal highway driving conditions. The failure rate for this specific Subaru vehicle is much greater than normal with an epa report (ref #gr08-054c epa # 3595) showing "unscreened warranty claims" (minimal failure rate?) of 4. 55% as of Sep 12, 2008. This rate is on average 3 times higher than other turbo vehicles produced by Subaru at the time. (incidently Mazda has just recalled their new 2010 turbo mazda3's due to turbo failure from periods of idle or limited acceleration due to oil pooling in the turbo, these are the circumstances under which the Subaru turbo's have failed).

: the contact stated the odor of gasoline was noticed intermittently upon starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealership where the problem could not be duplicated. The vehicle continued to smell of gasoline and the vehicle was taken back to the service dealer where it was discovered fluid was leaking from the steering area. The leak was repaired, but the odor of gasoline continued. The odor is strongest after the vehicle has been sitting for a period of two hours or more. The odor disappears after driving a hundred yards or more. The amount of fuel in the tank does not have any impact on the odor. The vehicle was returned to the dealer again, it was determined the vehicle was operating normally and the dealer only suggested making an adjustment to the brand of gasoline being used. Updated 03/03/06.

Purchased 2005 Subaru Legacy gt with automatic transmission several wks ago with about 5,000 miles on odo, sold to me as "new" was sales mgrs car. When accelerating hard on the highway, cabin fills with acrid sulpher smell. Can be duplicated. If this is residue it should have burned off by now, since the car was placed in service August 2004.