2009 Subaru Impreza: engine knocking or ticking

Filed Apr 13, 2018 · Body · 115,000 miles · MA

08-14 manual subarus have an issue where the firewall welds break and causes a significant safety risk as the pedal assembly either sags or eventually completely breaks off. It starts creaking and popping and there is excessive movement of the clutch master cylinder when the pedal is pushed. The brake pedal also noticeably moves to the left when pressing the clutch. After the creaking starts it's essentially a ticking time bomb and is scary to think about happening mid shift or in traffic.

Filed Sep 25, 2014 · Engine · 96,000 miles · OH

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 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.

Filed Dec 26, 2012 · Engine · 64,000 miles · WA

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!

Filed Sep 1, 2011 · Engine · 13,500 miles · NY

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 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.

Filed Feb 9, 2011 · Engine · 3,300 miles · CA

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 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.

Filed Jun 21, 2010 · Transmission · 16,500 miles · VA

Total engine failure due to rod knock / spun bearing due to manufacture to incorrect tolerances.

Filed May 19, 2010 · Engine · 25,500 miles · MA

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 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.