11 problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 2013 Subaru Legacy. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2013 Subaru Legacy based on all problems reported for the 2013 Legacy.
The contact's son owns a 2013 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed and approaching a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. However, the failure reoccurred on two different occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that her son had added 10 quarts of oil in the vehicle within 2 weeks. The contact referenced Subaru technical service bulletin number: 02-157-14r. The contact also stated that the exhaust pipe was emitting black smoke. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle needed an engine compression test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 169,000.
Oil is consumed excessively. I had an oil change done at around 120k miles and my oil light is popping on to let me know that I need another oil change. I have only driven it 2,000 miles since my last oil change and my oil level is low. Looking back at the carfax, the previous owner had oil changed every 2,000-3,000 miles, but the owner's manual states that oil should be changed every 5,000 miles. It seems this is a safety hazard and possible epa violation.
Transmission failed. Began to make bad noises then failed to accelerate in an intersection. Was almost hit by another car. Dealer indicated that the Subaru transmissions were only lasting 90, 000 to 100,000 miles before requiring replacement. Contracted Subaru who said they had a voluntary fix, but we were not notified and were outside of the short time frame for the fix. We replaced transmission at cost of $10,000. Subaru offered 1000 off a new car but was not concerned about the safety issue and would not fix/replace the transmission for this known issue.
#1 since the vehicle was purchased I had to add at least one quart of oil to the engine between each recommended oil change. I informed the dealer who had me return approx 1300 miles after my last oil change, which I did. The dealer indicated to me that the oil level was fine. By 3,700 miles the oil warning light came on and I had to add a quart of oil. #2 since the vehicle was purchased I had to turn the rotors or purchase new rotors every 6 month. When you try to stop the braking system has extensive shaking when braking. It makes the car hard to stop when the shaking occurs. When you turn the rotors the shaking goes away but will return in about 4 to 6 months.
Extended crank issue - I've had an extended crank issue with my car for the last 10 months. The car has been taken to the Subaru dealership where it was purchased 3 time. The car spent 30 days in the shop due to this problem. The car is having a very hard time starting after it's been sitting for a few hours. And sometimes not starting at all, when it does eventually start it's cranking for an additional 10-30 seconds. One it does start the engine knocks and runs rough until it warm, then goes away. When the car was at the dealership, I was informed that the extended crank is a known issue for the year I have. I was told the computer system in the car needs to be replaced in order to fix the problem. I representative from Subaru came out to the dealership to look at my car and 2 others same year make and model that were having the same problem. The representative deemed it "normal" he said " nothing I can do until a recall gets approved" and "Subaru needs to fix bugs in the system". He also said that while the car has the extended crank issue it is putting more wear and tear on the engine and it would soon need to be replaced. I was then sent on my way because, they couldn't do anything for me. Needless to say the car is still having issues because of the extended crank, nothing has been resolved.
Issue: sudden unintended acceleration. 2013 Subaru Legacy. First occurrence when slowly pulling into driveway. Car surged forward with high engine revs. Dealer applied software update, but problem occurred again one month later when slowly driving up to a mail box at the post office. This latest time, car was slowly moving forward - and then 3 high engine revs and surged forward before I turned off the ignition. When I restarted the car, the same thing happened - with the high engine revs and surging forward. After letting the car sit for a few minutes, I was able to start the car and drive the car normally. If there had been another car in front of me, I would have plowed into that car. This is a very unsafe condition. Dealer now has the car and is attempting to re-create the problem.
I received a recall letter about problem with the engine, they did to tess at 1200 miles each but the car runs out of oil between 25 and 3000 mile every time but they did nothing about it.
The vehicle has a cvt transmission. While driving the vehicle when the speed has stabilized above 40 mph the engine rpm runs at 1750 -1800. Mileage was in the area of 37-40 mpg. I noticed mileage dropping and the engine rpm was settling about 2000-2100. After some research I found out the the only way I could get the rpm to drop into the normal range was to turn off the heater fan or turn the temp to the coldest setting and the rpm would drop from the 2000 range to normal about 1750. There was no other way to make the rpm drop to this range. Contact Subaru and they advised this was normal. I asked the contact person if this was your vehicle would you consider this normal. She said no. So I have been pursing this through Subaru with no results. Its dangerous to have to shift the vehicle with the heater controls. I need help in this matter.
Since the vehicle was purchased I had to add at least one quart of oil to the engine between each recommended oil change. I informed the dealer who had me return approx 1300 miles after my last oil change, which I did. The dealer indicated to me that the oil evel was fine. By 3,700 miles the oil warning light came on and I had to add a quart of oil. The Subaru has approx 24,550 miles. I have never owned a vehicle where I had to add oil prior to scheduled oil change.
Low oil warning light came on. Took vehicle to dealer. They told me it was normal. At 10,500 miles, same thing happened. Like clockwork, every 3,000 miles the light goes on and I'm down at least a quart of oil. This has happened every 3,000 miles since then. I've been driving for 50+ years and have never had any vehicle, foreign or domestic, use a quart of oil every 3,000 miles no matter how old or new the car was. Being told this is "normal" is ridiculous. There must be flaw in the 2. 5l boxer engine produced by Subaru.
I want to add my report of oil loss in the hope a recall is made. I found out after purchase that 2012-2014 or 2015 has a known problem with piston rings. With normal local driving I need to top off the oil every couple of weeks. With longer trips, say a couple hours of driving one way, the oil gets a quarter to half way down on the dipstick. I carry oil for all roadtrips and can't forget to keep checking the level. My understanding from many sources online is that Subaru is aware they put in bad piston rings and just call it good enough or within spec, but dumping so much oil isn't right. This isn't a wear and tear problem, although it can get worse over time and lead to other problems. The problem goes away when the rings and the engine block is replaced. Scotty kilmer on youtube tells a story of a customer that complained enough and after being persistent had it fixed for free (piston rings and block), and still has no oil loss issues after 60k miles. He also recommended reporting it here. This engine is used in various Subaru's, not just the Legacy.
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