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EnginePart report

2022 Subaru BRZ Engine Problems

Complaints
6about this part
Share
60%of 10 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the engine of the 2022 Subaru BRZ, 60% of the 10 complaints for this model year.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“This is a new car. There’s was only 31 miles when I purchased. One day, there’s some sound when I driving the vehicle. Once I parked, all the warning lamps was on, then my car wasn’t able to move. When the incident happened, it was only 4 months of using it and only 5,498 miles. Then I bring my car back to retailer and they inform me I need to replace the whole engine because of lack of oil. Even though they Silas’s my car was lack of oil, but there’s no light on the dashboard lights up and told me I need to add more oil. The process of repairing took 5 months. …”

NHTSA complaint #11508249, filed 2023-02

“The new 2022 Subaru BRZ's and Toyota GR86's have been found to have an excessive amount of RTV silicone on the engine oil pan. This can clog up the oil pickup filter and cause oil starvation leading to catastrophic engine failure. A few engines have already failed and more people have been finding RTV silicone in their oil filters and dipsticks including me.”

NHTSA complaint #11477878, filed 2022-08

“Found traces of silicone in my engine. Checked the dipstick out of curiosity and found silicone or RTV sealant. The car only has 500 miles on it. Will do oil change after break in period of Subaru’s recommended 1000 miles and will have them check the oil pan filter for more RTV…”

NHTSA complaint #11477991, filed 2022-08

“The engine has excess RTV sealant and is clogging the oil pick-up tube. This is cause the motor to have restricted oil flow and causing premature motor failures.”

NHTSA complaint #11477896, filed 2022-08

“These particular vehicles (and their Toyota counterpart, the GR86) have been experiencing issues with excess RTV sealant used on the oil pan and timing cover getting into the oil. Once this RTV sealant is in the oil, it clogs the oil pickup tube filter. As the excess sealant collects on the filter, it begins to starve the engine of oil. There have been a number of documented failures so far (including one that made international auto news). Some owners are inspecting their oil dip stick and finding anywhere from light to heavy sealant residue even on the dip stick. …”

NHTSA complaint #11477886, filed 2022-08

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2022660%
2014583%
20134773%

Other parts of the 2022 Subaru BRZ

Exterior lighting
3 complaints
Brakes
1 complaints
Fuel system
1 complaints
Wheels
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2022 Subaru BRZ

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology