NHTSA Complaint #10471168 — 2010 SUBARU IMPREZA

ENGINE COMPLETELY SEIZED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT ANY WARNING FROM THE CAR'S COMPUTER ENGINE SEIZURE WAS DUE TO ALL OF THE OIL LEAKING OUT OF THE ENGINE FROM THE OIL FILTER AREA. THIS WAS A SLOW LEAK OVER A 5 MONTH PERIOD. THE BIGGEST CONCERN HERE IS THAT THE CAR'S COMPUTER SYSTEM DID NOTHING TO WARN ME OF THIS IMPENDING CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. NO OIL LIGHTS EVER CAME ON, NO CEL EVER CAME ON, THE OIL TEMPERATURE GAUGE NEVER MOVED FROM THE MIDDLE. FROM THE TIME THE SLIGHT KNOCKING IN THE ENGINE STARTED TO THE TIME OF THE ENGINE SEIZING WAS PROBABLY LESS THEN 5 MINUTES. EVEN DURING THE ENGINE KNOCKING NO WARNING LIGHTS OR CEL CAME ON AT ALL. IF I WAS NOT SUCH AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER I THINK THIS COULD HAVE ENDED AS A VERY BAD ACCIDENT. I COULD SEE SOMEBODY ELSE BEING IN A VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS SITUATION TO HAVE YOUR ENGINE COMPLETELY SEIZE UP AND STOP WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED (68 MPH) RESULTING IN AN IMMEDIATE POWER LOSS, LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND LOSS OF FULL BREAKING POWER WHILE TRYING TO NAVIGATE TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. UPON ALERTING SUBARU OF AMERICA AND THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS THEY DID NOT SHOW ANY SENSE OF CONCERN ABOUT THIS ISSUE. IF A CAR HAS NO OIL IN IT AND THE ENGINE SEIZES WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY WARNING FROM THE CARS COMPUTER THIS SEEMS LIKE A SEVERE LIABILITY AND FAULTY DESIGN IN THE CARS COMPUTER SAFETY FEATURES. SUBARU OF AMERICA JUST DID NOT SEEMED CONCERN ABOUT THIS ISSUE AT ALL SO I FEEL OBLIGATED TO MAKE THIS ISSUE BE KNOWN TO PREVENT ANY POSSIBLE FUTURE INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING AND HOPEFULLY ALERTING SUBARU OF AMERICA TO THIS PROBLEM SO THEY CAN REVIEW THIS AND FIX THIS ISSUE FOR OTHER SUBARU IMPREZA WRX DRIVERS AND THE SAFETY OF THEIR OCCUPANTS AND OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD. I AM VERY, VERY THANKFUL THIS DID NOT HAPPEN WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE IN THE CAR WITH ME. *TR