'08 STI getting ECU reflash for combustion issues

[Weasel 555]

Subaru of America announced a service campaign this week focused on the 305-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter four powering the 2008 WRX STI. According to the verbiage on a letter sent to an owner, Subaru states that "abnormal combustion" could occur when the engine is repeatedly or continuously operated above redline (6,700 rpm). At these high engine speeds, the Engine Control Module cuts fuel to the powerplant to protect the engine from even higher revolutions (this is common industry-wide, not just with Subaru). Unfortunately, under certain situations the Subaru 4-cylinder Boxer is still under high boost and the fuel cut-off causes the engine to run "over lean" resulting in combustion that breaks piston ring lands... eventually destroying the engine.

read more: autoblog 2008/08/16/ '08STI ecu-reflash

Dear 2008 WRX STI owner:

During a quality review, we discovered that under certain harsh driving patterns, specifically when repeatedly or continuously operating the engine above the "red-line" (RPM above 6,700), abnormal combustion could occur resulting in serious internal engine damage in the form of broken piston ring lands. This abnormal combustion condition is the result of an "over lean" fuel mixture caused by a combination of fuel cut activation and high turbo boost. To prevent this condition from occurring, Subaru has developed a modification to the Engine Control Module software logic that will improve combustion management above "red-line" engine speed. This revised logic will not adversely affect the peak performance of your vehicle.

Once you receive your official notice, please contact an authorized Subaru dealership to schedule an appointment to have this service performed free of cost. Until you have this service performed, please maintain your vehicle's engine speed below 6,700 RPM.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance. If you need any future assistance, please let us know.

Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer/Dealer Services Department

[timber]

oh, snap!

[dforce]

I just bought my STi (11/21) do you think I'll be receiving a letter soon?

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by dforce

I just bought my STi (11/21) do you think I'll be receiving a letter soon?

It's probably already had the ECU reflash. I picked up my 08 STI a few weeks ago, and a quick check at mysubaru.com showed that it had the reflash at the end of August.