Those problems were documented for the 2012-13 year model vehicles which is a very long time ago now.

Subaru gave a 10year 100,000 mile warranty to any affected vehicles and changed the engine engineering to resolve the problem.

Be aware that all boxer engines (as installed in Subaru vehicles) will consume some oil and it is typically around 1-1.5 quarts per oil change interval. Most owners are not even aware of this as checking engine oil level is not something that most owners do.

Seagrass

 

Some highly respected people are of the opinion that some oil consumption like that above is normal, but not all of us agree. I've had 4 Subarus and none of them have consumed even 1/4 of a quart of oil between 6 month/6000 mile oil changes. Am I just lucky or is this normal? Opinions vary.

Yes there are low tension piston rings, direct injection, and low viscosity oil being used in the modern Subarus. Oil changes must be adhered to or oil control rings can get sludged. It's not rocket science, and this is not an issue unique to Subaru.

 

I dont think I would be ok with 1 to 1 1/2 quarts between oil changes. I do adhere to the maintenance schedule for oil changes on all of my vehicles, and I would think that with the modern engine that problem wouldn't exsist.

This brings up another question, car manufactures are trying to make engines cleaner for the environment, better fuel economy. Burning oil, isnt that dirtier than gaining an extra mile or two per gallon of gas?

A friend of mine blew his engine on his 2016 Crosstrek, not sure if he kept up with maintenance though. Another guy I met has a 2018 Outback that has to add 2 guarts between oil changes.

So, what engineering changes has Subaru done to make the engine burn less oil?

 

105K on our 20 Outback 2.5, no oil consumption yet. The only vehicle I've ever owned that consumed oil was a Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3L V6; when it started using oil at 70K miles I traded it for an Odyssey.

 

Subaru's ive owned are 1995 Impreza wagon, 2002 Forester, 2008 Tribeca, 2015 Forester XT and 2025 Outback. None have burned oil or needed oil added between oil changes which were done every 6 months or 6000 miles. Oil dipstick was always at the full mark. The 2025 outback is still new, but so far oil level is at full after 1800 miles.

 

My 18 3.6R has been on Amsoil doing 10,000 mile oil changes, never had to add oil during that time.
Now my 05 Legacy GT with bigger turbo tuned at 21psi, seeing redline or above weekly, I kept a close eye on oil usage and added as needed. But the car was fun to drive. That also was on Amsoil doing 7-8000 mile oil changes. That engine is still going strong at over 160,000 miles on the short block.

The 18 is driven differently. It's never been to WOT. (wide open throttle)

 

Subaru made changes to piston rings for some years.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/MC-10120985-9999.pdf

 

My 2018 Outback started consuming oil. Not happy about it. I’m going to start oil changes at 4K instead of 6K now that it’s around 115k miles. When I cheap k my oil at 4K, it’s still pretty darn clean but I was low enough for the oil light to come on.

 

Just an FYI, this is the Gen6 forum. You have a Gen5.

 

I have found three factors that effect my 2017 2.5 Outback's oil consumption.
- Outside ambient temperature (below freezing).
- Long duration highspeed driving (over 55mph).
- Brand of oil (good luck with NAPA 0w20 synthetic).
It has never been what I would consider excessive for a modern 4 cylinder boxer.

 

No oil consumption on my previous 2022 2.5L NA Premium Outback (traded in at ~ 12.5K miles) nor my current 2.4L OBW with now 1800 miles. I don't expect, nor worry about it. As stated change the oil as specified by Subaru and all will (most likely) be good for many happy miles. I did however switch to M1 ESP 0W30 Euro Spec oil @ ~ 1000 miles on the new OBW. Lots of info on BITOG about this oil.

Matter of fact, I can't recall any oil consumption with my previous 2013 2.0L Crosstrek either. I think I put about 38K miles on that one. It was a DOG, but never burned any oil.