2011 Subaru Forester: Burning oil odor
Common wear/failure (not a recall)
Symptoms
Owners of the 2011 Forester report: burning oil odor. CarComplaints.com lists 3 owner complaints, average mileage 71,300 miles.
NHTSA has 67 owner complaints for the 2011 Forester in this area. Examples:
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11634773 (filed 01/08/2025): “Concerned over oil being burnt up at a significant rate, have to add a quart per tank of gas. theres distinct burnt oil smell after driving. concerned my car needs to be included in the oil consumption recall.…”
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11624510 (filed 11/11/2024): “I have a single-owner 2011 automatic-transmission subaru forester [145k miles]. in a parking lot, i started the car as usual and shifted into reverse. i immediately noticed another car was approaching behind me and reflexively pushed on the brake to give the o…”
Likely causes
Sources do not establish a single root cause; diagnosis is needed. Owner-reported fixes are listed below.
Fix, in plain English
Most common owner-reported solutions on CarComplaints.com: engine short block replacement (1 reports) head gasket replaced (1 reports) new short block (1 reports). Check for open recalls and extended warranty coverage with a dealer before paying out of pocket.
DIY difficulty: Pro
Internal engine work (lifters, oil consumption, fuel dilution diagnosis) requires engine teardown or dealer software/tests. (Our assessment.)
Cost
CarComplaints.com owners report a typical repair cost of about $4,000 (owner-reported average, not a quote).
Typical parts (search links, no affiliate codes)
AutoZone · O'Reilly · Advance · RockAuto
Sources
Page last updated .