Subaru Impreza Class Action Lawsuit Claims Engines are Defective

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Subaru has been hit with a class action lawsuit claiming that Impreza WRX and WRX STi engines are defective and pose a danger to consumers.

Plaintiff Christopher Thompson alleges that his Subaru Impreza vehicle, along with those of thousands of other customers, has a defective engine, and that the defect causes the engines to fail well before the expected capacity of the engine’s life, and in so doing, puts the driver and others in danger.

The Impreza WRX engine failure class action lawsuit comes on the heels of another class action lawsuit over the same engine defect, filed in December 2017, that claimed the defect should be covered under Subaru’s warranty.

In contrast, Thompson’s claim is broader, seeking damages for himself and other consumers for breach of warranty, breach of express warranty, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, financial injury, and other accusations.

Thompson claims that the engine defect affects Subaru Impreza WRX and WRX STi vehicles made between 2009 and 2014, containing engines with codes EJ255 and EJ257. The Subaru engine failure class action lawsuit claims that the engine models contain defective pistons, engine management systems, and positive crankcase ventilation systems.

According to Thompson, the engines for the Impreza vehicles were based on the design for a less powerful engine. Though the WRX engines were designed to be “high-performance,” with double the horsepower of their predecessor.

The Subaru WRX engine failure class action lawsuit claims that in adapting the earlier design to work in a new engine with higher horsepower, the company did not modify component parts so they could withstand the wear and tear that comes with running the engine at higher speeds and with more force. As a result, the connecting rod bearings and main crankshaft bearings allegedly failed in the WRX vehicles, unable to withstand the WRX’s increased power output.

The Impreza engine defect class action lawsuit states that engines in passenger motor vehicles should last for at least 120,000 miles, but claims that the Impreza WRX and WRX STi vehicles’ engines fail prematurely at low mileages. Allegedly, such engine failure can cause an engine to stall or stop running while a vehicle is being driven, putting drivers, passengers, and others around the vehicle at risk of serious injury or death as a result of a collision.

Thompson argues that Subaru knew that the Impreza engines were defective, but nonetheless released the vehicles to the automobile market, knowingly endangering consumers and others. Thompson claims that the engines in question were first released into the market in 2008, and Subaru received consumer complaints about the defective engines. Thompson includes numerous examples of these consumer complaints to support his claim.

The Subaru owner is represented by Gary S. Graifman of Kantrowitz Goldhamer & Graifman PC, and Thomas P. Sobran of Thomas P. Sobran PC.

The Subaru Impreza Engine Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Christopher Thompson v. Subaru of America Inc., et al., Case No. 1:18-cv-03736, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.