Subaru Knew About Piston Defect, Engine Failure Since 2008, New Class Action Lawsuit Claims

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Subaru Engine Failure Defect Class Action Lawsuit Overview:

• Why: The plaintiffs alleged that Subaru knew about an engine defect that causes the engine to fail long before the purported 120,000 minimum miles in modern passenger motor vehicles. 
• Who: Four Subaru customers are suing Subaru of America Inc. and Subaru Corporation.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in New Jersey federal court.

Four Subaru customers are suing Subaru of America Inc. and Subaru Corporation for concealing a defect in certain engines’ piston ringlands, which allegedly causes the engines to fail far earlier than they are supposed to. 

The complaint claims the defect affects 2009-2018 Subaru Impreza WRX and WRX STi vehicles, with engine codes EJ255, EJ257, and FA20. Engine failure, caused by faulty piston ringlands, results in sudden power loss and/or stalling, which poses a “serious safety issue while the vehicle is being operated,” the complaint says.

The lead plaintiffs are Ricardo Aquino, George Crumpecker, Jonathan Piperato, and Stephen Tresco. Each had a Subaru class vehicle that “required premature replacement of the engine due to the piston ringland defect” before they reached 80,000 miles.

The plaintiffs seek to represent statewide subclasses for Illinois, Colorado, California, and New York. These subclasses include all current and former owners and lessees of class vehicles who purchased or leased their class vehicles in those states and sustained monetary loss and/or diminution of class vehicles’ value resulting from the defect. Anyone filing related personal injury claims are excluded from these classes.

Subaru’s ‘Brittle’ and ‘Inadequate’ Engines Prematurely Failing

Modern passenger motor vehicle engines should last a minimum of 120,000 miles, according to court documents. However, the class engines “often fail at less than 50% of their reasonably expected useful life,” the complaint says. 

The engine failure is supposedly primarily caused by “brittle” piston ringlands made of hypereutectic aluminum silicon alloy and “insufficient ringland dimensioning.” Another issue stems from an “an inadequate PCV system” that leads to pre-ignition or detonation, two “well-known causes of internal engine component damage,” according to the complaint. 

Subaru “knew or should have known no later than early 2008” about the defects due to their supposedly “substantial field inspections, testing and quality review of vehicles,” the complaint says. 

Subaru would have also known about the defect from warranty claims, communications on vehicle forums, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s database of consumer complaints

The plaintiffs seek damages, interest, prejudgment interest, attorneys’ fees, restitution for all related engine repairs incurred by the class, and restitution of incidental expenses (such as rental vehicles and other substitute transportation) incurred by the class. 

Are you thinking of filing or joining a Subaru class action lawsuit? Watch this space for updated information!

The plaintiffs are represented by Gary S. Graifman and Daniel Edelman of Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C. and Thomas P. Sobran of Thomas P. Sobran, P.C.

The Subaru Engine Failure Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Aquino v. Subaru of America Inc., Case No. 1:22-cv-00990, in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.

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