2016 Subaru WRX: engine stalls while driving

Filed Nov 2, 2022 · Engine · NC

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 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.

Filed Feb 9, 2021 · Engine · 78,000 miles · KY

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.

Filed Jun 3, 2018 · Engine · 30,000 miles · NY

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.

Filed May 26, 2018 · Engine · 20,000 miles · MI

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 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.

Filed Dec 9, 2015 · Transmission · 4,700 miles · NC

I started having problems with the clutch/transmission in my 2016 wrx at 580 miles. I was exiting a highway and pulled the transmission out of 6th. As I was about to shift into 3rd to go through the intersection I was unable to shift into any gear (stuck in neutral) with the clutch pedal fully depressed. I had to pull over turn the car off and restart it before I could get the transmission into gear. The problem occurred again at approximately 3500 miles. This time I was driving down the highway shifting from 5th into 6th. I pressed the clutch pulled the transmission out of 5th and could not get it into 6th or any gear. I pulled onto the shoulder and still could not get the car into any gear. I turned the car off and went back to restart, with the transmission in neutral, when I let up off the clutch the car stalled. I put the transmission into 1st, pressed the clutch and started the car. When the car started this time it lunged forward. I was able to get back on the highway. I immediately took the car to the local subaru dealer. They were unable to duplicate the problem and said there was nothing else the can do until the are able to duplicate the problem. Since the second occurrence I started noticing a strong burnt smell at low speed (shifting 1st to 2nd) and at cruising highway speeds in 6th gear. About 1000 miles later it happened again this time not only could I not shift into any gear I could not get the clutch pedal to come up all the way, this occurred at 35mph. I had to press the clutch several times in order to get it to come up fully, then I was able to get the vehicle into gear. The burning smell was present when this happened. I took the vehicle into the dealership I purchased the car from. They have been unable to duplicate the problem. They also claim they can't work on the car until they can duplicate the issue.