Subaru WRX fire or smoke problems

Filed Mar 27, 2025 · Electrical, Fuel system · NY · fire

Likely secondary air injection pump and/or its related relays, CEL P2444 came on 3 separate times. November 2024, brought it in to get replaced under warranty, came on again the day after picking her up in December 2024 due to faulty pump, didn’t get to bring her back in until March 1st 2025, fixed part again, brought her home [XXX]. Car engulfed in flames 10 days later on [XXX]. I do have the car’s ECU available for scan to check for previous codes. I could have been killed in a car fire, the building my car was in front of could have been turned to ash. No, the problem has not been reproduced, the car is totaled and in a pile of ash. Yes, the vehicle was inspected by police and fire force after the incident. The CEL light had come back on that morning. 9:11 am, came on, parked at 9:28am, car was on fire by 9:52am. I was parked and in an appointment when the cops came in in order to evacuate us because my car was in flames. Please contact Romano Subaru for information on my car, I do not have all of the paperwork available to me, but all of the work was done through that dealership. 315‑475‑7933 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 1, 2023 · Engine · TX

The vehicle’s oil pan has seal is made up of RTV silicone and it seems an excessive amount was placed around the oil pan. I’ve noticed that this has caused some of the silicone sealant to chip off into the oil pan causing it to flow into the oil pick up. Over time I’ve noticed a burning smell from the engine bay area and the exhaust. I know different models of Subaru have the same engine type and have all faced this issue causing catastrophic damage to the engine. And so far I have not heard Subaru making any headway to fix the issue. This is my daily vehicle and I really do not want what could be a simple fix to destroy my car. But I’m sure a lot of other Subaru WRX owners are facing this issue! There have been many owners posting videos of them dropping the pan to show residue of the RTV silicone getting caught in the oil pick up filter. Subaru needs to fix this since it came from the factory with this defect!

Filed Jan 11, 2022 · Electrical · 92,000 miles · TX

* Battery charging system damaging battery resulting failure of battery. Suspecting overcharging or constant draining of battery below cycling. * Improper charging of battery could result in catastrophic battery failure which may cause battery to catch on fire. * Failure of battery in inclimate/severe weather may impede egress from elements and/or not allow for certain functions of the vehicle that would assist in providing warmth or cooling to occupants. *No, dealer simply replaced battery *No *Vehicle in question was purchased new in 2015 with no electrical modifications. OD reads ~92000 miles. This is the third battery replacement with evidence of suspected overcharging such as excessive build up of copper sulfate and corrosion on positive battery terminal (present on all replaced batteries).

Filed Jan 11, 2020 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · CO

I was driving on the highway. I had the car in 6th grade. All of a sudden the dash display tells me I'm in 4th gear instead of 6th, and I didn't even touch anything. Then the tacometer started bouncing around and when I pushed the gas peddle, it sounded and felt like it was out of gear. All of a sudden smoke came pouring out from under the hood and into the car. So I pulled over immediately. Had a tow truck come get my car, and the clutch is fried! Unknown what caused the problem. It had some this to me once before, but only the part where it told me on the dash that it was in a different gear than it was in. That time, I took it out of gear, put it back in, and it was fine. The time it broke down, taking it out of gear and putting it back in didn't do any good.

Filed Apr 2, 2019 · Engine · 124,642 miles · CA

The secondary air injection pump failed to turn off and nearly caught fire. Subaru has recalled this part and the related relay switch for 2008-14 imprezas, but this problem also exists with 2006 imprezas. My mechanic says this is very common failure point for my model.

Filed Nov 15, 2018 · Engine · 34,000 miles · KY · crash · fire

Front end collision vs deer on interstate at approximately 75 MPH. 4-5 minutes after the accident the engine caught on fire. The car is a total loss. No one was injured. We all were out of the car at the time the fire started.

Filed Jan 17, 2018 · Fuel system · 100,000 miles · CA

Fuel leaking onto my engine block could result in my car engulfing in flames, no recall for it on my car but I see it everywhere and it's a super common problem. The cabin of the car always smells like gas usually in the cold, but when I smell the engine it smells badly of raw gasoline.

Filed Jan 13, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · 130,000 miles · WA · fire

Vehicle was parked, car off. Vehicle owner in gym working out when an employee alerted him he had smoke coming out from underhood. Owner went out and found flames coming out of hood scoop. Opened hood and found what appeared to be secondary air pump on fire. Extinguished with fire extinguisher. Towed car to shop and initial inspection appears that the plastic secondary air pump caught fire and was starting to burn and do damage to surrounding underhood components. Vehicle currently in shop (smart service 206‑417‑0880) having damage parts replaced. It appears that if this fire was not extinguished it would have burned the vehicle to the ground and anything surrounding it. More pictures are availble by calling shop listed above as well as all old parts will be saved for inspection if needed.

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.

Filed Dec 12, 2014 · Airbags, Body · 5,100 miles · CA · crash · fire

Avoiding a vehicle in blind spot. The vehicle in front of the truck in front of me hit his breaks causing the truck in front of me to hit his breaks, I clip the right front fascia into the left seat corner of the truck. The air bags did not deploy and the seat belt tensioner did not work. I pulled over, turned my vehicle off and my vehicle caught fire. My vehicle completely burned down to the frame and is a complete loss.