2014 Subaru Forester: High oil consumption
Common wear/failure (not a recall)
Symptoms
Owners of the 2014 Forester report: high oil consumption. CarComplaints.com lists 32 owner complaints, average mileage 33,400 miles.
NHTSA has 72 owner complaints for the 2014 Forester in this area. Examples:
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11703583 (filed 12/07/2025): “On 5/15/2024 and 5/21/2024 i had sudden uninteded acceleration. i had a auto shop try to solve the problem by replacing the air fuel ratio sensor and the mass air flow sensor. this seem to fix the issue until 11/27/2025 & 12/7/2025 when the sudden uninteded ac…”
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11672050 (filed 07/08/2025): “I have a 2014 subaru forester that i purchase in 2023 from a dealership in yonkers n.y. i been noticing oil consumption at 1qt. a week at 300 miles. i investigated it on the internet and found out that there was a recalled for oil consumption to replace the sh…”
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: replace engine (7 reports) major engine work (4 reports) told burning 1 quart in 5000 miles was acceptable (4 reports) the new short block has, appears for now, has fixed the exce (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 $2,000 (owner-reported average, not a quote).
Typical parts (search links, no affiliate codes)
AutoZone · O'Reilly · Advance · RockAuto
Sources
Page last updated .