Subaru South Carolina Lemon Law Cases

Subaru has a smaller market share in SC than in northeastern, west-coast, or mountain-state markets, but the brand is growing — particularly in the Upstate (Greenville, Spartanburg), college markets (Columbia, Clemson), and Lowcountry (Charleston outdoor / adventure markets). Subaru has no SC plant; Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) Lafayette IN is the US plant.

Subaru in SC market

• No SC plant — SIA Lafayette IN is the US plant (also produces Solterra EV — see Indiana Subaru coverage).
• Smaller market share than Honda / Toyota / Hyundai in SC — but growing.
• Outback is the top-selling Subaru in SC.
• Forester / Crosstrek common in college markets and Upstate.

Common Subaru defect categories

FB25 2.5L boxer engine — oil consumption

• Excessive oil consumption between changes (some vehicles consuming 1 quart per 1,000-2,000 mi).
• Affected: Outback, Forester, Legacy, Ascent.
• Subaru response: “Normal operation” framing in many cases; some warranty extensions and class-action settlements.

Lineartronic CVT — class-action history

• CVT shudder, slipping, complete failure.
• Class action history: Subaru CVT class action settled, with warranty extension to 10 years / 100K mi for affected vehicles.

Subaru EyeSight (driver-assist)

• Lane-keep assist false interventions.
• Pre-collision braking false alarms.
• Adaptive cruise issues.
• Camera-based design susceptible to glare, weather.

Starlink infotainment

• Touchscreen freezes.
• CarPlay / Android Auto disconnects.

Outback / Legacy specific

• FB25 oil consumption.
• CVT.
• Climate control electronics.

Forester specific

• FB25 oil consumption.
• CVT.
• EyeSight issues.

Crosstrek specific

• FB20 / FB25 oil consumption.
• CVT.
• Hybrid variant issues (older generation).

Ascent (3.6L turbo)

• 2.4L turbo (FA24) — some early-production issues.
• CVT.

WRX / STI (legacy)

• EJ257 turbo engine — ringland failures.
• 6-speed manual issues.

Solterra (EV — SIA Lafayette; shares platform with Toyota bZ4X)

• See Indiana Subaru coverage for EV-specific defects.

A/C in SC heat

• AC compressor failures common in SC summer heat across Subaru models.

Recall and TSB history

• NHTSA recall search by VIN.
• Subaru service portal for TSBs.

Documented patterns include:

• FB25 oil consumption TSBs and class-action settlements.
• CVT-related warranty extensions.
• Various EyeSight software updates.
• Multi-year Takata airbag remediation.

Procedural considerations

• BBB Auto Line is Subaru’s certified IDS — mandatory under § 56-28-60.
• Written notice to Subaru of America Customer Advocacy Department triggers customer-relations engagement.

SCUTPA exposure

Subaru cases have SCUTPA exposure for:

• FB25 oil consumption “normal” representations — when consumption is well above industry norms (class-action history supports public-interest pleading).
• CVT “fixed” representations — when warranty extensions don’t cure recurrence.
• EyeSight feature representations vs. actual performance.
• Subaru reliability marketing vs. actual defect rates.

Bottom line

Subaru cases in SC are less common than Honda / Toyota / Hyundai but follow well-documented patterns. FB25 oil consumption and Lineartronic CVT failures are the flagship defect categories. Class-action history provides strong SCUTPA public-interest pleading basis.

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