2008 Subaru Impreza STI engine problems

Filed Dec 31, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 60,500 miles · PA

The clutch bracket on the firewall has only 4 small tack welds from the factory. This bracket takes all the force of your leg pushing in the clutch every time you change a gear. It appears to be very common on the subaru wrx sti for these small tacks to break away from the firewall and cause accelerated clutch wear and eventually clutch failure. My clutch failed and the dealer is now telling me that there is no knowledge of the problem and the repair for this manufacturing defect will not be covered by subaru. Talking to other people and checking the sti forums this is a common problem that subaru has paid for for some people. They are refusing to cover this for me.

Filed Sep 29, 2014 · Engine · 77,000 miles · MN

I was driving down the road and the engine stopped producing power. After pulling it over it wouldn't start. Dealership says the engine is toast and it will cost 10k. I have done all the regular maintenance and oil changes. An engine should not need to be replaced at 77k miles. My toyotas have lasted forever.

Filed Jan 30, 2012 · Engine · 20,000 miles · NJ

Vehicle began smoking on cold start up. Compression test was performed and cyl 4 resulted in ~50-70 psi, which is less than half the subaru specification. Shortbock had to be replaced under warranty at approx 20,000 miles. No root cause for the failure was determined.

Filed Aug 19, 2011 · Engine · 45,000 miles · MO

Engine started knocking. Set up an appointment with the dealer for the next day. On the way to the dealer the knocking got worse and the engine started squealing and losing power. Engine seized up and would not start again. The engine had to be replaced with a new one.

Filed Aug 3, 2011 · Engine · 33,260 miles · FL

The car was smoking on cold starts only. Piston # 4 ringland cracked at 33,000 miles on the car. Shortblock had to be replaced.

Filed Apr 6, 2011 · Engine · 1,987 miles · MO

Car has an endemic problem with breaking piston ringlands, resulting in copious oil consumption and eventually a seized engine which, if it happens on the highway, can be the equivalent of slamming on the brakes in traffic. Endangering surrounding vehicles and the vehicle's driver if the oil film on the roadway and the windshields of following cars didn't already cause them problems.

Filed Oct 13, 2010 · Engine · 37,852 miles · FL

1. I was driving the car on a road trip to nc when the issue arose. 2. The failure to the car was cracked ringlands on the # 2 and 4 pistons. This caused the car to produce a white smoke cloud on start up. Before I purchased this car subaru issued a stop sale on all 2008 wrx's. The car was repaired at a local dealership under a goodwill repair. To which I was responsible for part of the cost. This repair was conducted in mar 2010. Since then the car has been operating very well until recently to which the engine has developed a knock. I had the car towed to the dealership to determine what the issue was. The dealership contacted me the next day to inform me that the rod bearing on cyl #4 had failed. This is the same issue that prompted subaru to place a stop sale on the vehicles. During the initial stop sale they had a range of VIN's that could have been affected, mine was not in that list. I think subaru had mis-calculated the number of cars that were affected on this stop sale. 3. My car is currently at the dealership awaiting a re-manufactured engine, to which I have to disagree with. I purchased this car new with no re-manufactured on it from the factory. So why can a car maker place re-manufactured parts in a car for a repair?

Filed Sep 19, 2010 · Engine · 30,000 miles · OH

While passing a tractor-trailer on a two lane highway in fifth gear at approx 70mph, the engine experienced detonation and went into limp mode. After incident, car runs rough, burns oil, smokes on startup, billows smoke out of the oil filler cap, and exhibits power loss. Issue was first diagnosed by compression test. If engine fails while driving on highway during normal commute, may cause serious accident and/or fire resulting in injury or death. Subaru of america has not yet corrected the issue, as they claim the car is running as designed.

Filed Aug 25, 2010 · Engine · 28,000 miles · CA

Driving the car on a windy road, accelerated out of a corner in 3rd gear. Car started shaking, clicking, and running poorly. Failure of connecting rod bearings on the crank shaft. Engine long block needs to be replaced.

Filed Jul 28, 2010 · Engine · 1,987 miles · MO

The subaru sti series known as the gr is prone to breaking piston ringlands if detonation ever occurs, which happens easily on this engine, which is now tuned for more power yet fewer emissions. The ringland breakage results in power loss and extreme oil consumption due to blowby and if not noticed in time will lead to engine seizing. If driven aggressively enough, this seizing due to oil loss can happen in as few as 10 minutes. It is also possible for the ringland breakage to be so severe that the engine spray-coats a large section of roadway, making for the equivalent of a black ice condition for other traffic. A potential safety hazard I'm not aware of happening with this vehicle yet but still possible is not only the loss of control should the engine seize and the driver not be mechanically savvy enough to know disengaging the clutch will give him back some control and reduce the chances of being rear-ended when the car tries to stop very rapidly without the brakes and therefore the brakelights being used. Despite the large numbers of these failures being reported, subaru denies a problem exists. I have all of the parts from my original failed engine which also showed other assembly problems. I will have the pieces of my 2nd engine when I pick the car up soon. Many mechanics are of the opinion many of these engines have broken ringlands and the owners don't know it. We also feel the problem is aggressive oem tuning while using weak cast pistons as it's detonation, even a single event, that breaks them. And it's inconceivable an engine with this damage would pass an epa emissions test.