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Subaru is a Japanese car brand that makes coupes, sedans and SUVs. Read reviews for their models:
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Reviewed Sept. 22, 2023
I purchased my third Subaru October in October 2021. I have had intermittent technology issues with my console (freezing, going blank, no sound) and recently discovered the windshield leaks water. I reported all of these issues to Subaru Customer Advocacy and took the car to the dealer. No one wants to help. The dealership is only concerned about who pays for the repair and will not move forward until "Subaru okays it." I tried to trade in the car and was told it was devalued due to the "water damage" despite only having 21000. Customer advocacy still has not escalated my concerns. No one wants to own that the windshield defect. The Subaru dealer told me to start leaving negative reviews to try to get this issue addressed. My first Subaru lasted over 200000. My second is still going strong and is driven by my son. Subaru is no longer what it was. I will never purchase a Subaru again.
Reviewed June 22, 2023
This is my recent experience in May 2023 with a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek. I brought the car in for an 84,000 service (oil and filter change). We were always diligent with oil and filter changes and in fact almost always went to a Subaru dealer for services. The dealer recommended that all engine seals need to be replaced since they were all leaking oil, except for the head gasket. The service tech said this is a common problem with newer Subaru engines because they use a liquid engine sealant at the factory and when oil sits on the seals when the engine is not running, the sealant degrades and begins to leak (they said it was specific to a boxer engine). They also said there was nothing we could have done to prevent this and reiterated just how common with Subaru's. They took me back to the shop and showed me the oil all over the bottom of the engine.
In fact there was a newer Crosstrek in the shop having the repair work done under warranty. The repair consists of removing the engine and removing the oil pans, Cam Seals, Valve Covers, etc, to the tune of $5,200. They said only the head gasket was still in good condition. After calling Subaru customer service, they offered $2,500 towards the repair, which leaves a repair bill that is still much too costly at $2,600. The service techs agreed with me that we should check the oil every 1,000 miles going forward to ensure the oil does not get low in lieu of having this exorbitant and costly repair done. They also agreed with me that the oil has probably been leaking for some time (probably when the car was still under warranty) but was not brought to our attention.
Upon searching the internet, this is clearly a pervasive problem that Subaru should repair under a recall. The reliability and durability claims they make in their advertising clearly are not consistent with real world usage. I am thankful for the honesty of their service techs in describing the commonality of this problem and the description they provided, that it is a manufacturing quality problem rather than something we did wrong. The lesson here is if buying any Subaru, do not keep it once outside of warranty or be very, very careful, and if purchasing a used one, get in writing that the engine seals have been replaced already.
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Reviewed June 20, 2023
Amazing customer service experience. The entire team is consistently helpful and courteous. I appreciate the product and business. It has been resourceful for long term drivability. Ocean Subaru of Fullerton is great. Thank you 100%.
Reviewed May 19, 2023
Recently purchased a new to us 2020 Subaru Ascent. While Subaru claims they want you to be a Subaru customer for life they hardly show it. We have been trying to register our vehicle with they MySubaru app but the idiots at customer service don't know how to use any common sense. I've filed a BBB complaint and in the process of filing a Florida Attorney General's complaint.
Reviewed April 12, 2023
DO NOT BUY A SUBARU!!! I bought a brand new Outback Wilderness 2022 and it has had constant technology issues. Subaru doesn't want to admit they made a LEMON CAR and take responsibility. They blame it the dealership and me for not knowing how to use the car. They don't care that they sold a faulty car at full price. They just want your money for bad products. DO NOT BUY SUBARU!!!!
Reviewed Jan. 30, 2023
I have been trying for days to get a hold of someone via the customer service line to ask a simple question. I've been hung up on a few times upon answering and the call back system either simply doesn't work or they actively don't return calls. I was interested in continuing my ownership with Subaru and I'm in the market for a new car. But if I can't even get even minor customer service support how are they going to treat me if I ever need real support in the future.
Reviewed Dec. 23, 2022
I purchased a brand new Subaru Outback in March this year (2022). As I was traveling in my Outback in October 2022, I noticed that a crack in the windshield had appeared. I did not see or hear any kind of object that might have stuck the glass. I pulled over and inspected the windshield and did not see any evidence of an impact. There were no chips in the windshield. When I got home I researched the web and found out that new Subaru Outbacks have an issue with defective windshield glass. These reports are available at **, **, ** and subaruoutback.org.
I made an appointment with Fort Wayne Subaru to bring the car in for repair of the cracked windshield. When I arrived at the dealership, Fort Wayne Subaru ran a ballpoint pen over the cracked windshield and they claimed that there was a very tiny chip, not visible to the eye, on the windshield by the wiper blade. They put in a warranty claim to Subaru America and said I must wait for them to approve the claim before they would repair it under warranty. I waited two weeks, calling them back periodically and eventually they did not approve the claim. I was told by Trevor in the service department that they probably wouldn’t approve it since it was taking so long. I do not blame Trevor. Trevor was quite helpful throughout this whole ordeal.
I decided to go through my insurance to get the repair done and I had to pay a $500 deductible since I had no glass coverage. The repair was done at Fort Wayne Subaru on November 23rd by Mike who is the owner of Autoglass MD. Mike inspected the windshield and his expert opinion was that the crack was a stress crack due to a defective windshield. He took photos to document this. I personally visited the dealership during the first week of December and I spoke with the General Manager Connor ** who acknowledged the Subaru windshield issue and Connor promised me that he would investigate this and get back to me. As of today, December 23rd I have still not heard from him or anyone at Subaru.
I like my Outback but I will not buy another Subaru. Subaru America is an unethical company that does not stand behind its products and does not honor their warranties. I also feel that the dealership could have and should have done more for me. They were unwilling to go up to bat for me to get Subaru to honor my claim. It was explained to me that Subaru America and its dealerships are separate entities, and the dealership is not responsible for warranty issues with Subaru America. I completely disagree with this philosophy; they are both Subaru. The bottom line is that I am very disappointed in the way this situation was handled and I expected better service and more ethical behavior from a prominent Fort Wayne car dealership business and a large automobile corporation. I will probably not bring my vehicle into their service department unless I need to get something repaired under warranty.
Reviewed Oct. 26, 2022
I bought a 2022 Subaru Legacy a few months ago from McCurley Integrity Subaru in Pasco WA. I have taken the car in to the Subaru dealership for service twice for the same issue: the head (the screen and brain for your safety features, music, maps, phone calls, etc.) experiences multiple glitches. For example, it often freezes, which means safety features are not available, phone calls are disrupted, and the map is not accessible. When the head is not freezing, it often completely blacks out. All of this happens randomly, on a daily occurrence, and when my phone data has full service.
Both the McCurley dealership and the Subaru manufacturer have said, in order to assess the problem, the glitches need to be duplicated. In my dealings with the McCurley dealership, they have not been able to reproduce the same problems that I’ve been experiencing, which means the issues have not been resolved.
I have sent videos and pictures of some of these glitches, freezes, and shutdowns to the Subaru manufacturer to help them understand the electronic failures. I offered these same videos and pictures to McCurley but they are not interested because they claim they need to see the problems themselves. The service department has not taken the time it needs to determine the cause of the glitches.
I have spoken with employees in the McCurley service and sales department who have told me the troubles I’m experiencing with this head failure have been a recognized problem with Subaru vehicles. Apparently, the electronic failures I’ve identified are not an isolated matter. I have taken time off work to bring my vehicle to the dealership service department during their regular hours, Monday through Friday, when the service department handles these kinds of issues. If I were offered a loaner vehicle, I could leave my vehicle to be assessed in the time needed without missing work.
I feel as if I’m getting the run around from both McCurley and the Subaru manufacturer. Both parties have different ideas of how to determine the cause of my car’s problems. When I call the Subaru manufacturer, they say they are waiting on McCurley. When I call McCurley, they say they are waiting on the Subaru manufacturer. I have not received follow-up calls or emails about next steps. I bought a brand new car, with a warranty. I would like my car to be fixed. The process to get it repaired seems like a broken one. Nobody has a solution or has taken ownership of getting it fixed.
Reviewed Aug. 12, 2022
2019 Subaru Forester. I receive emails 3x week from Subaru touting how eco-friendly they are. The rubber blades of the windshield wipers wore out and I went to the parts department to get them replaced. Have to buy the entire blade even though I only need the rubber insert. If Subaru was REALLY eco-friendly, they would sell just the rubber inserts. I checked with the company and they told me they don't know where to get the rubber inserts, even though the new wipers they sell (for about $25 per side) come with the rubber blades. I finally found new rubber inserts online for a total of $4.50 (total for both sides). If you buy a new Subaru just be aware that they are NOT as eco-friendly as they try to portray.
Reviewed July 21, 2022
When I bought my brand new Crosstrek almost 2 years ago, the salesman sold me an $1,485 "Equity Shield Optimum Vehicle Protection Plus" plan for any body damage that happens within the first 3 years. As it happened, some jerk in a parking lot swiped the front quarter panel and did some minor damage. The plan (from a 3rd party company) would not cover any of it. What a waste of money! I can't believe that Subaru would sell such a thing to their customers. But, apparently their salespeople get paid extra to pretend that the coverage comes from Subaru and to lie to their customers about what it would cover. The Equity Shield plan is an absolute rip off! Subaru should be ashamed of themselves!
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