2017 Subaru Outback Engine Problems

I been hearing a loud humming sound like a sports car and smell of fumes inside the cabin.

 Hi I had my car into the local Subaru Dealership (Wheeling Subaru) a few weeks ago to investigate a couple of issues that the car has been having for years (and they have never been able to find). Over the course of that investigation, they finally were able to recreate two issues that should have been covered under the warranty since it's been happening and reported to them for years (the seat memory programming button isn't working and the right sight steering wheel controller isn't working). The parts and labor for those two issues come to $545. But the much bigger issue is that they told me the engine needs to be pulled out and resealed because of cam carrier and spark plug gasket leaks, and that repair is $5,076 plus tax. When I expressed astonishment over this and asked what is going on, the service advisor explained this is a common problem with Subaru cars from this model year because of the switch from timing belts to whatever it has now. with the CVT engine I looked around online and discovered that this is a common issue with 2017 Outbacks. I thought I was making an investment that would last when I bought a brand new Subaru rather than a Ford, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc because Subaru was supposed to be a car that did not have poor quality manufacturing issues like this. Given that this appears to be a common issue with the way this model and year car was manufactured, I am very upset that Subaru is not fixing this under recall but is expecting me to pay $5076 (before tax) to have what was explained to me as a manufacturing defect repaired. Since I've seen a lot of reports for other Subaru owners of this issue, I was advised to file a report with you to investigate. Thank you so much for investigating. Sincerely, [XXX]   INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

PER SUBARUS BULLETIN 02-192-25 POSED ON 10-26-2024 THEY PROVIDED DETAILS ON HOW TO FIX A LEAK FROM ZONE 4 FOR CAM SHAFT CARRIER AND VALVE COVER. I HAVE A LEAK FROM THESE TWO ITEMS NOTED. I HAVE BEEN BREATHING THE OIL FUMES FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG. I HAVE HAD THESE ISSUES CONFIRMED BY BOTH SUBARU DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER AND AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE CENTER. NO ENGINE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED OR CAME ON TO INDICATE ANY OF THESES ISSUES. THE ODOR OF STRONG OIL JUST GOT WORSE OVER TIME AND MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 87000 ORIGINAL MILES ON IT AND HAS PROPER DOCUMENTED OIL CHANGE AND SERVICE EVERY 3000 MILES.

My Subaru Outback developed a strong smell of exhaust in the cabin last year. We finally had a chance to get it fixed in January, and it turned out the catalytic converter manifold had rusted through. The car is not that old, and is driven primarily in central North Carolina where road salt is not a major concern. An internet search reveals many other drivers with the same issue - metal corrosion at the "accordion" part of the exhaust pipe. I have no idea how much engine exhaust my family and I were exposed to, but it was significant enough to cause headaches and exhaustion.

There is a known cam carrier leak issue for this engine, and no safety recall has been issued. The motor oil leaks down to the hot exhaust creating smokes and may cause a fire.

2017 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO ENGINE STALLING WHILE DRIVING.

The 2017 Subaru Outback has been slowly leaking oil and it has been determined that the cam carrier seal is defective and needs to be replaced. The vehicle has 70k miles on it and it has been brought to my attention that this a common problem among this vehicle. The service costs and replacement are very high and the car isn’t that old to be experiencing this problem yet. If it’s a common problem with Subaru then the part should be recalled and replaced at the companies expense. The vehicles warranty has expired at 60k miles and i never got an extended. Please advise.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as designed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer would was unable to retrieve a diagnostic code. No failure was found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that the vehicle be taken to a different dealer. The failure mileage was 25,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the windshield cracked on the upper driver’s side windshield and extended to the center of the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield to cause the crack. The contact had not informed a dealer of the failure. The windshield had not been replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,062.

Bought this car after having oil consumption issues with another outback Bought from another dealer that wasn't care for properly. Within 6 months of have this new one from an actual subaru dealership started to have oil consumption issues as well. Have gone through many of their "test" and pass. But within 2200 miles of 5k on an oil change I'm down over a qt. My mechanic has gone over the car and no leaks and states it is burning oil at a high rate. Paperwork from subarus test states as have their techs stated they put 6.1 qts in. The manual and my mechanic both state and put in 5.1qts. I have to put at least 1 qt in between oil changes and have to always have oil in the car so I don't get caught without oil to put in. I do know there is a lawsuit for this issue on 2016 models. My car was also placed on the road 12/2016. I've tried to have the owner of the dealership to deal with the issue of either fix it or buy back and haven't heard anything and can't get a response to text, call, or emails.

BATTERY DRAINS FOR NO APPARENT REASON. LEAVES PEOPLE STRANDED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK. DURING COLD WEATHER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE FAILURE OCCURRED EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON APRIL 15, 2017. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CAPITAL SUBARU (920 CAPITAL EXPRESSWAY AUTO MALL, SAN JOSE, CA 95136) ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,718.

THE COOLANT LOOSE AND HAS COOLANT SMELL AFTER DRIVE A CAR. I HAD SEVERAL SAME REASON SERVICE. THEY NOTHING WRONG THEY FILL UP COOLANT THAT'S IT. NOW ALMOST EMPTY RESERVOIR. AND IT'S OVER LIMITED WARRANTY. IT'S 36059 MILES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL OTHER TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.