Subaru (Japan, a division of Fuji Heavy Industries) has issued a stop-sale order, suspending sales of all 2008/2009 cars equipped with its 2.5 liter turbocharged engine until they can be inspected. Cars that have already been sold are being brought back for inspection.
The point of concern is engine knock that develops due to premature big-end connecting rod bearing wear/failure. The engine knock results under power when ignition drives the piston and con rod hard into the crankshaft journal, rather than the force being carried by the journal bearings' hydrodynamic lubrication.
Subaru did not identify the specific rod bearing problem, other than some indication it may be due to bearing contamination occurring during the engine assembly process or shortly afterward. Several experts noted this might also include instances where the block was not cleaned properly prior to assembly; in that case, excessive machining and forging contaminants would wash through the oil passages and into the bearings.
Engines with the problem were fitted to various models built between January 8 and April 5, 2008 -- Forester XT, Impreza WRX, WRX STi, Outback, and Liberty GT (in some markets).
Subaru said it believes approximately 1,233 vehicles are potentially involved.
Most of the affected vehicles are still in Subaru or dealer inventory; customers who purchased the remaining vehicles are being notified of a quality assurance corrective action; Subaru is not terming the repair action as an official recall.
Affected vehicles with their starting production VIN and production dates:
Forester Wagon VIN 701045 or later; production January 8, 2008 or later
Legacy 2.5GT-LTD VIN 222825 or later; production February 4, 2008 or later
Legacy 2.5GT-B VIN 222958 or later
Outback 2.5XT-LTD VIN 353835 or later; production February 1, 2008 or later
Impreza 2.5t Sedan VIN 523363 or later; production January 8, 2008 or later
Impreza 2.5t Wagon VIN 825183 or later
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