Report Calls Out Oil Guzzlers

A new Consumer Reports survey shows that about 98% of 2010-2014 model cars and light trucks in the U.S. don't require additional oil between regular changes. But the owners of the other 2% often have to add as much as a quart every month.

The worst offenders, according to CR, are select Audi, BMW and Subaru vehicles equipped with Audi's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and 3.0-liter V-6 engines; BMW's 4.4-liter twin-turbo and 4.8-liter V-8s; and Subaru's 3.6-liter six-cylinder and 2.0- and 2.5-liter four-cylinder engines. Owners of BMW 5 Series cars with V-8 engines were 27 times as likely to suffer excessive oil consumption as owners of an average vehicle, according to the CR survey.

The consumer advocacy group urges carmakers to repair such vehicles under their normal or extended powertrain warranties. But it notes that many companies view oil consumption no matter the amount and frequency to be part of normal ownership costs, although many cars now have recommended oil change intervals as long as 7,500 or 10,000 miles.

CR didn't find any direct correlation between increased oil consumption and other engine problems. But it says the survey data indicates that if a car burns a lot of oil early in its life, it will burn even more as it ages.

Several carmakers, including Audi and Subaru, have had class-action lawsuits brought against them for the problem, CR notes. Audi says it is close to settling its case, which affects 2009 A4, 2010 A4 and A5, and 2011 A4, A5 and Q5 models. The agreement would extend the powertrain warranties on these vehicles to eight years or 80,000 miles.

Subaru has been modifying engines on certain vehicles since 2010, CR says. Honda and Toyota also have extended the powertrain warranties on some of their vehicles due to excess oil consumption, according to the report.

The survey queried owners of 1 million vehicles, focusing on nearly 500,000 owners of 2010-2014 models. CR notes that extrapolating the 2% figure over the entire vehicle population for those years equates to about 1.5 million vehicles with oil problems.