Subaru Gets Hit With 2nd WRX STI Engine Failure Lawsuit
Subaru gets hit with a second lawsuit targeting the Subaru WRX and WRX STI
2.5L boxer claiming more engine failures.Subaru is under fire this week as their WRX/STI 2.5L engine is under attack again. They were just hit with another class-action lawsuit, the second ti me this year, against their WRX and WRX STI performance cars. In October of this year, Torque News reported Subaru of America (SOA) had a lawsuit file d against them claiming an engine defect in 2013-2014 WRX and WRX STI model s. Now, The Courier Post reports a second lawsuit was filed this week claim ing a crankshaft defect can cause ?premature catastrophic engine fa ilure? in 2009-2014 Subaru WRX and WRX STI powered by a 2.5-liter t urbo boxer engine.
This second lawsuit was filed on behalf of Missouri resident Michael August ine, whose 2010 Subaru WRX experienced engine failure in November 2016. The suit contends automotive engines typically should last for at least 120,00
0 miles but those with the high-performance 2.5L turbocharged engine ? ?often fail at less than 50 percent of their reasonably expected useful l ife.?It says Augustine?s WRX engine failed at 73,000 miles, and he claim ed the breakdown occurred close to home, but added, ?I feel that an issue like this could present an unsafe situation were it to happen on the many long road trips that I take, often in unpopulated or rural areas."
Augustine says it will cost him $6,000 to $8,000 to replace the engine bloc k in his 2010 Subaru WRX. The lawsuit filed in the Camden, New Jersey court is seeking more than $5 million in damages for people who owned or leased the 2009-2014 Subaru WRX and WRX STI models, and calls the alleged defect ?a serious safety issue? because the vehicle?s ? ??sudden power loss and/or stalling severely compromises the owner's ab ility to maintain vehicle control.?
This second lawsuit goes on to say the defective 2.5-liter turbo engines ar e ?high performance versions? of the same engines used in o ther Subaru models, like the Forester XT, that earned WardsAuto "10 Best En gines" award, and Outback turbo versions, and says Subaru ?nearly d oubled the horsepower, but failed to make necessary changes to prevent dama ge to the connecting rod bearings and main crankshaft bearings.?
The class-action lawsuit contends the problem in the WRX/STI 2.5-liter engi ne was ?further exacerbated by inadequate oil lubrication to the be arings and crankshaft? causing ?sudden and catastrophic eng ine self-destruction as overheated internal parts seize? and by ? ??severe driving conditions.? The suit estimates the number of WRX/STI owners could number more than 100,000 people.
The Courier Post reached out to Michael McHale, Director of Corporate Commu nication for Subaru, who said, ?We will investigate this claim, but in general we stand by the engine in question, which has a long history of proven performance.?