Subaru Reviews

I purchased Carshield extended warranty July 31. Their plan has you have to drive, so many miles and 28 days before it goes into effect in Middle October is when all the Lights started coming on and I owned an OBD2 plug that would allow me to after 4 or 5. Reset clear the errors and allow the hybrid battery to charge. In the month of October and November 2023. My vehicle went in four times. I believe to Tucson Subaru for the purpose of those Lights, my Car shield extended warranty had a one Hundred Dollar deductible. Trying to work with the tech and the manager and getting them to submit the information to Carshield and to submit what’s called a free frame data to Carshield was almost impossible.

It was over a dozen phone calls and Fifteen emails when they finally sent the data to Carshield, what these companies do is misinterpret the data that they’re getting and denying your claim and as in my case they were reading millisecond information on the free frame data and interpreted it to mileage and said that the errors on my vehicle had occurred 800 miles before I bought the vehicle, but the number they were reading was millisecond information and not mileage information and I tried to get Subaru of Tucson, Arizona to expressed that information to Carshield to get the claim covered because it is a covered part.

The part ended up being the hybrid motor which is connected to the transmission, so there’s a bunch of stuff under there that has to get replaced on the transmission site, connecting to the hybrid motor and the hybrid motor connecting to the Drive shaft through the front of the car this job was going to cost approximately $7000. According to Tucson Subaru, by the third week of November, Tucson Subaru denied to do any follow-up to get the vehicle covered through that Insurance. I was losing my job and having to move back to Texas. So I kept resetting the error messages.

Every time I’d start my Car, and by the end of December, which is right when I was heading back to Texas. As I lost my job on Christmas day. I canceled my coverage with Carshield. My Wife vehicle had been paying for their coverage with Carshield for over three years or longer, and my Subaru had been paying for six months.

After getting back to Texas around April. I brought the vehicle to Bert Ogden Subaru. They had my vehicle for 35 days and really didn’t determine what it was. I had showed them the information from Tucson and asked them to try to follow up with Tucson Subaru, and see if we could do any better And trying to determine the exact problem of the car, and if Tucson Subaru was even correct under diagnostics of the vehicle, They didn’t get hard fat data in that inspection after 35 days. Almost a year after I had the vehicle at Tucson Subaru. I’ve been brought it back again to Bert Ogden Subaru. They now had a new service manager and he had the car inspected, and after four days confirmed that the hybrid motor/transmission had to be replaced. And they told me that the cost of that would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $6800.

During these months here in Texas between the early summer and October. I kept trying to get a hold of Subaru of America and see if I could get a claim adjuster there to look at all of my history with Tucson Subaru, and with Bert Ogden, Subaru, and see if with their research they could find out that Tucson Subaru really blew it and the cars should have been fixed in Tucson through Car shield with my $100 deductible multiple times trying to get a claim started at Subaru America Agents would hang up on me or after speaking to them for 25 minutes and explaining what I’m writing here they would say they’re transferring me and then they transfer me to a hollow extension where no one ever answered when I would call back, Subaru, America and an agent.

Actually finally answered. I’d ask them to look up the history of the 25-35 minute phone conversation. I just had and they couldn’t find anything and they want me to start all over again. I’d be so frustrated. I just hung up and then waited a few weeks and then CALL. Again. I just finally recently got an agent named Kelly, who I believe is looking into the situation and trying to see if there’s anything that they could do for me. This person from Subaru America was supposed to call me back this past Friday and she never did. I finally reached out and left four voicemails on Monday and I finally got an email on Wednesday saying that she’s trying to get a hold of Bert Ogden, Subaru, service manager, and would be in touch with me. I told them. I’m not looking to get free Services, but I’m asking them to look at the history.

Look at the negligence on Tucson Subaru, where should have originally been fixed, and all the service manager there needed to do. Was push Car Shield of America with the information that they had, and get the vehicle taken care of. The vehicle has now been at Bert Ogden Subaru for exactly 2 months and a week ago. They started doing the work and installing the new hybrid motor and I’m hoping by the time I have to go pay for it on this coming Wednesday that they have a resolution and I don’t have to pay the $6800 or $6400. Whatever it’s going to be and that it’s going to be properly adjusted.

My experience with Subaru America has been terrible, but I can’t say the service manager at Bert Ogden Subaru. Aurelio has been very good, very attentive and understanding about the situation and has also been trying to get assistance from Subaru America. Bert Ogden in general here in Texas. Who’s a franchise that owns every brand of cars. Dealership is not the greatest. I’ve had terrible luck with their finance departments anytime. I’ve purchased a car from them and their customer service is less than good.

I had to return a lease to them in 2023 which killed me, and again had a terrible experience with the people handling the lease turn in and their finance Department always changes the contracts that you had already discussed with the sales people and when I bought my 2020. My monthly payment went up $125 a month, more than had been discussed with the salesperson and after being there, nine hours that they making the deal. You’re exhausted and just wanna get done and get out of there.

There’s also another gentleman, Bert Ogden. His name is Timothy. And he works at the different brands of Bert Ogden and he was very helpful to me. Getting the process started in the early summer at Bert Ogden Subaru, which finally let us to working with Aurelio and getting the car serviced of which I’m hopefully supposed to pick up this coming Wednesday.

So they do have a couple of good people working there, but Subaru America themselves. If someone ever wants to go back and listen to my phone conversations that are recorded for training and Customer satisfaction. They would see what I’m talking about here as to. What’s going on there. Anyhow, Buyer, beware Carshield extended Car warranty. Company is terrible. And it’s not gonna cover your vehicle when you file a claim. Subaru of America. Who’s the parent company of? The Subaru dealerships are not there for any sort of customer support towards the Subaru, so I don’t understand why they have that Eight Hundred phone number. Hotline if there’s really nothing that they ever do for you.

And Tucson Subaru, service manager, and Service. Writer were absolutely terrible at handling my case. Aurelio and Timothy were the only two respectable people at Bert Ogden Subaru to help me through this and I’ll know a little more when I go to pick up my car on Wednesday and see how much I actually have to pay for this. The good thing is when I start my car in the morning. I don’t have to stop restart it. Stop restart it Drive. Stop restart it until the warning. Lights finally go out. And be aware of Auto Smart in Hidalgo, Texas. Used Car dealer. Angel, Eduardo **. Alvarado is the owner of that business.

I know there’s a lot of information in here, but having to tie the seller of the Car, the Carshield warranty, insurance plan, and Subaru America. It’s a snowball of everything landing on Subaru of America. But if the Tucson, Arizona Subaru had taken care of what they should have They would’ve made a lot of money. The car would’ve been fixed and I would’ve paid $100 which is what my deductible was and because they had a lazy service manager. It never got done. So now Aurelio, the service manager at Bert Ogden. Subaru is getting it taken care of, but unfortunately, it’s going to cost me that large shank of money, which I believe is not correct.

At this point in time, I have called SOA nine times and sent two emails. Each time I call I am given the same scripted message that "no one is available to talk to you, but they will call you, most likely today, but definitely within 48 hours". I was promised on four phone calls that four different managers were alerted to my case and would be contacting me and my case was flagged high priority. I have received zero calls from any managers, zero email responses, and only one phone call from my case specialist, Gary G, over the last 7 weeks. One customer service representative told me she was a terrier and that she would be all over this and make sure I would get help. Another told me he was ex-military and that he was extremely organized and diligent and would not leave me hanging either. I have not heard from either one of them since these claims were made.

At this point my vehicle is now stuck at the dealership awaiting parts to be ordered for a two week repair to replace the entire hatch costing an estimated $3,000. I am awaiting any team member at SOA to acknowledge me in any capacity at this point to approve the Goodwill coverage they promised to pay for my hatch repair, but I cannot proceed with the repair until they contact me with the details of this as the dealership will not cover the costs. I am unsure how it is acceptable for Gary G to continually ignore all my communications. This has been by and large the worst customer service I have dealt with in all my life. Subaru has been a perfect example of how you don't want your company to behave toward its customers.

The dealership the car was repaired at has also not told me what happened or cause of how that happened. Unfortunately this has left me flabbergasted because there has to be a reason number 4 became oil starved. And that reason is. Number 4 barring was faulty from factory they know it and I know it but they managed to find a way to deny fixing it cause Subaru is losing money and going downhill so they are finding ways around having to fix your vehicle all you have to do is google search and see for yourself

Original review: I am writing to inform the public the Subaru bad quality. They brag on every commercial about the quality of their cars. They might be safe car I am not disputing that. But when you buy a new car, you should not have paint issue. When you take it to the dealership (Gerald Jones) they send it out for a paint inspection, submit that to Subaru yhe car manufacturer, come back denied the claim to fix the paint. You ask why? Subaru states clear coat cracking and peeling is due to outside influences. Subaru must think you are going to drive their car inside.

I have three other cars. All of them are American made cars 2008, 2016, 2018 and none of them have this issue. So, this tells me that Subaru uses the lowest grade of materials. This is not the first time they have had this issue (Customer Advocacy Department, Attention: WRH-22 Recall). They have had ongoing paint issue for years now. Look it up you will see you might think of buy something different. As for the dealership you paid and they sold you the car, they have yet to be any help. Gerald Jones has had my 2024 Subaru ascent close to 2 months now. What have they done to help their customer nothing!

They just keep your car in the parking lot and do nothing. When you ask, they tell you the same thing. They are waiting for Subaru to get back to them. So, they are not proactive for the customer at all. I don’t think buying a car from this dealership that does not stand behind the customer is not a good idea. So to wrap this up I will never buy a Subaru again, and would really have to think about buy another car from Gerald Jones.

I speak specifically of the "Agree to obey the rules of the road" warning that comes up every single time the owner starts the vehicle, but even more so of the Driver Monitoring "feature." While the "Agree..." pop-up, thankfully, closes itself after a period of time even if you don't click "Agree", it remains remarkably insulting to suggest Subaru needs to remind me of my obligation as a licensed driver to obey the rules of the road or to reestablish my commitment to do so every time I get in the car. I cannot imagine the lawyer who put that into place and just how little they have to do in their jobs that they would need to justify their existence with such a ridiculous "Contract to Drive." My contract to drive and my agreement to obey the laws of the road come from the state in which I hold my license to drive a vehicle. I need absolutely no reminder from Subaru to obey these laws.

Second, and by far most frustrating, is the "Keep your eyes on the road" warning that pops up AND beeps unless you disable it. A quick response may be something obnoxious like "it wouldn't tell you to keep your eyes on the road if you had them on the road, sir" but my perfect driving record would argue that I don't need Subaru telling me how to drive. Who in the absolute (expletive) does Subaru think they are to suggest that a vehicle I've purchased from them needs to have them virtually sitting in the seat next to me, or actually technically in the back seat, as the quintessential annoying backseat driver??

I have absolutely zero doubt that they can disable this feature permanently. I received a software update on the vehicle recently and I was hoping the update would include ridding the car owner of the "Contract to Drive" and the "Driver Monitor" but disappointingly it did not. If you want to make the Driver Monitor an optional "feature," especially for parents who have kids driving, then by all means do so. BUT, to make it a "feature" that grown adults need to see and listen to each and every time they drive unless they go through several steps every time they get in the car to disable the "nanny cam" for that particular drive is beyond maddening and insulting. You should be able to OPT IN, NOT be forced to OPT OUT each and every time you drive the car!

This review does not adequately capture my level of loathing of Subaru's decision to remain in the vehicle with me virtually after I've made the purchase. I know they can undo this nonsense with a simple software update and/or can equip dealerships to do so (at no charge, of course). I wrote all of this in a letter to Subaru and received a "thank you for your feedback..." note with no mention of my actual complaints. I told them if they chose to not rectify this nonsense, I will happily never again buy another Subaru and will greatly enjoy sharing my irritation with their company's "Big Brother" policies with everyone and anyone I can, hence the reason for this review.

However, the request was rejected in the end by the reason that it was repaired at a third party. Following is the communication between me and the inspector, Thomas, from Subaru: In the first email the inspector reached out to me, he mentioned the fact that I am looking for reimbursement for a repair at a third party, but still asked me to send the receipt. When I did that, he told me Subaru does not reimburse third party repairs since Subaru cannot warranty third-party repairs. My question is what the receipt request was about then in the first place?

I answered his email stating the reasons why I selected a nearby third party instead of Subaru service, which is because I did not know any recall information and was in a hurry to get it repaired since it’s almost impossible to drive in Texas without AC, even it’s only April. I also stated I was told at first by some other representative that it could be reimbursed. Neither of my two explanations got any feedback. Rather, the inspector started giving more reasons why a third-party repair cannot be reimbursed, which is whether OEM part was used or proper repair procedure was used cannot be checked.

I then suggested I drive the vehicle to the nearest Subaru service for double checking his concerns. I also suggested I ask for the proof of OEM purchase from the third party. In addition, I asked again why I did not receive recall from Subaru and why the first representative told me I could get reimbursed in my case. I stated that the key reason was I did not receive recall from Subaru. Who would opt out a free service if given information in advance in such a case?

Again, almost all my suggestions were ignored. At this point, the inspector did not even know I was asking for an active recall reimbursement. He thought I was asking for an expired warranty reimbursement. He did answer one question, which is why I did not receive recall. He said because recalls are only sent to the address at the time of purchase, which is also very unreasonable to me. People who move or sell/purchase vehicles would miss recalls easily. Without realizing what exactly case he was dealing with, the ticket was closed at this point.

There was a follow-up email correcting the case property from expired warranty to active recall. Without further feedback on my questions and suggestions, instead, with an extra reason why reimbursement could not be issued, which is no part number was provided in my repair receipt, the email communication ended. Even though I provided the OEM part number in the next email, no further emails from inspector were received since the case was closed already.

I called Subaru the second time after no further emails were received and requested the case to be opened again. Following is the phone conversation between me and the same inspector. During the call, the inspector still dodged my all questions and suggestions. Instead, he said it's the industry standard that auto makers don't reimburse recall repairs at a third party. He said by law Subaru has no duty to repair the recalls, instead they offer to do so. He also said I missed the recall by failing to update my address with them because I have not had any service with them since 2019 and Subaru always tries best to update customers’ contact.

However, when I was still having service with them during 2017 to 2019, they did not update my address at all, and he did not answer my question that how many times and places they sent the recall letters to me. He only said the recall started in 2021, I wouldn't be able to receive the recall anyway even if my address had been updated with Subaru when I still had service with them. He restated they could not warranty repair done at a third party and there is no part number on my receipt. I updated the part number and suggested a double check with Subaru but he did not answer. The case was closed again after the call.

I called Subaru the third time, complaining about the case inspector and requested to reopen the case and to be inspected by another case inspector, or escalate the case to an upper level. It turned out the case was assigned to the same person again. However, I think I am done talking with him and no further discussion is needed.

6. Subaru does not make efforts enough to reach out owners with problematic defective vehicles.

Our local service manager said that Subaru of America has been very supportive of this issue and often will pay for some of the replacement, if not all. We spent a very frustrating two weeks dealing with Subaru of America only to be told they would not help at all. Our local Subaru service manager said he was “astonished” that they wouldn’t help. Rather than paying $2,700 for the same defective system, we traded our Subaru in on a new KIA Sportage and are very happy with it.

The reason? RO Missing Service Item. So, per your claims dept, because my mechanic isn't PSYCHIC and knew 2 years before YOU did that there was a warranty issue, and didn't write it on the invoice, you declined it. Your claims dept told me I should have driven the 40 miles to my local Subaru dealership (the fact the car wouldn't drive with a dead battery notwithstanding) so you could tell me the battery was dead and charge double what my mechanic charged to install a new one. I can only believe that knowing people wouldn't bring their cars in for a battery replacement, AND that your mechanics wouldn't have known, this is just a way to get out of not reimbursing your customers for a lousy product. I used to think Subaru was an upstanding company. It's not.

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.

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.

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.

Who agrees to pay more than half unless they admit their engines don’t hold up? The customer advocacy manager who called me (she must be the CEO of Subaru because she doesn’t have a manager above her) just went around in circles with me while refusing to acknowledge that this was a problem in 2018. She didn’t say I was a liar but pretty much she said it didn’t fail the test then so just because the oil light came on and there was no oil doesn’t mean it was burning.. O.. Ok? Even though the problem started 20,000 miles before the warranty was up it doesn’t matter. Subaru did offer to pay more than half of the $8000 engine replacement, but even $3,000 is a struggle for us being on one income, with only this one car. Even 70,000 miles is way too low of mileage to have this kind of problem.

It seems this problem is very common and this is all very disappointing. Even being on hold with them you hear recordings boasting about “the Subaru family” and how much they care. Well I must be the black sheep of the family. We loved our 2010 forester and traded it in in 2015 for This one. We still thought we would get a new one after this one but if we have to pay for a new engine 10,000 miles past the warranty because of a common problem like burning oil that started during the warranty period (there’s cars 20 years old that don’t have this problem) then no thanks.

We will not buy another Subaru again, not so much because of the problems, because hey problems happen, but we will not buy one because they are not willing to stand 100% behind their products (only 62.5% apparently). The car was burning oil at 39,000 miles and they admit that but it wasn’t burning enough to fail the test. Now it’s burning 23oz every 1200 miles. For a 2015 with 70,000 miles. I know, ridiculous. So anyways it’s a little more sentimental for us since we loved the car, but if owning a Subaru means needing a new engine at 70,000 miles then we will buy a different brand, and I recommend you do the same.

My car is still under warranty having only 32,000 miles on it. I am still paying a payment on a car that I have not had in two weeks because Subaru is stating that the technician has to catch it on their computers for them to replace anything. Subaru has all these ratings for being such a good company that cares about their customers but I am highly encouraging people to stay away from Subaru after this incident which is not resolved. I have contacted the customer care line only to be told the support specialist would reach out to the dealership and get back to me which has yet to happen. I am so beyond irritated at this point. I just want my car back and I want it fixed.

I take my SUV on Subaru service center twice. They are not able to fixed that issue. I guess they don’t have experienced technicians. They tried to fix and said it’s manufactured fault. Right now I am confused. What I gonna do. This SUV is not value to money so I decide to give review about my experience for helping people be careful before buying this suv make sure first check the seats in this SUV. After buying no one take responsibility. My car is under warranty but they didn’t fix. I go every week in service center and request them please fix my car.