Owners have filed 2,400 complaints on the Subaru Impreza, covering 1993–2026. The system named most often is Air Bags (368 reports). Worst years by volume: 2013, 2002, 2012; cleanest: 2026, 2023, 2025. 167 reports describe a crash, 44 a fire, 3 a death. On average the car was 4.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Subaru Impreza
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,400 Impreza complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 368 Read
The contact owned a 2021 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The force of the impact caused the contact to hit another vehicle which then caused that vehicle to also hit another vehicle; in total, four vehicles were involved in the…
Passenger Air-bag igniter's wiring shorted out releasing gas into car. The windows were up and the car was not running. I was sitting in passenger side went to light my cigarette and with no warning at all KABOOM!!! Car exploded catching my hair on fire as well as 2nd and 3rd degree burns on hands and 1st and 2nd…
I got into an accident going 60 miles an hour I crash into a guardrail totaled the car but no airbags deployed I broke my wrist and dislocated my thumb
Power Train 244 Read
It is a case of sudden acceleration when parking the car in battery , goin forward very slowly, the subaru impreza accelerate , jump the curve and crash agaings a tree 5 ft away from the curve, the results extensive damage in the left front , airbags did not deploy
In November of 2018 and again January 31, 2022. In November 2018, I was backing up in small parking lot tap the gas pedal. And my car speed up going backwards, even when I was pushing the brake. What stopped the momentum was another car, my car crashed into caused extensive damage to that car( it was totaled) . The…
I parked the car on the side of the road on a large pull out area. I put the car in reverse, turned the off and took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car to take some pictures of the fall colors. I was out of the car for about 3 to 5 minutes and I look back to see the car rolling down the slope in to a…
Electrical System 198 Read
Head on collision/hit the side of another car head, 2024 subaru impreza was smoking before vehicle stopped moving after impact (was slung in the opposite direction), not even five minutes after exiting vehicle it caught flames starting a the front of the engine that spread to the hood
Followed too closely through a double intersection with a non-functioning light. Police officer directed traffic through the intersection but apparently we had to stop before the second intersection. Apparently I slowed down enough that the airbag did not deploy. I indicated 20 but surely my airbag would have deployed…
I was making a slow speed (~25 mph) left turn with my 2007 subaru impreza 2.5i station wagon on a dimly lit intersection at night during the rain. I misjudged the turn, and turned about 2 yards too early. I drove off the road and into a ditch, colliding headon with a concrete storm drain. The driver side airbag…
Exterior Lighting 178 Read
In the middle of the night I attempted to make a left turn into a parking lot (with headlights on). I was unable to see the ground in the front/left portion of my car. It wasn't until I had almost completed the turn that my light was pointing towards the turn enough that I was able to see I turned a few feet early and…
My car was involved in an accident and one headlight was smashed. I found out from my body shop that was my car was recalled and they have no way to fix my headlight. I called Subaru and they told me that the body shop could just put another head light in. But when I talked to the body shop, they cannot just put a…
Vehicle was involved in an accident with ice from a semi-trailer on 1/27/2015. The vehicle went through the insurance process, was in the collision repair shop for 23 days, and was returned to me with a headlight assembly that was epoxied together. It is now approaching 90 days since the initial accident. Subaru of…
Visibility/wiper 173 Read
A crack in the windshield appeared one day with no apparent reason
My vehicle’s windshield developed an approximately 4-inch crack starting at the base of the glass without any impact point. There is no visible sign of damage or debris strike anywhere near the crack. The crack appeared suddenly and has since extended across the entire height of the windshield. Because the crack…
Driver Side Mirror vibrates very badly at speeds of about 50mph and up making it difficult to see what is in the mirror. This was dangerous. I pulled off the mirror and glued foam behind it and it now vibrates less and I can see out of the mirror better but it still vibrates and distorts the mirror's image
Engine 163 Read
Car caught fire on the morning of sunday, january 5, 2020 while stationary in a parking lot. The car had been stationary for approximately 12 hours. The attending fire department felt the fire started in the engine compartment, and consumed the entire car by the time it was extinquished. The car was a total loss. The…
Driver / owner of vehicle was found deceased from a fire that originated in the engine compartment of the vehicle. This is being reported by Portland Fire and Rescue Fire Investigator [XXX]. NO apparent body damage to the metal parts of the vehicle. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT…
I hit the guard rail going 35 mph on an exit ramp because of the low visibility because of the safety recall. I went to get the recall fixed when I found out and they refused to fix the recall because my bumper is messed up
Service Brakes 152 Read
I was driving in stop and go traffic on the highway for several minutes. Everything worked fine until one moment when I went to press the brake pedal down and the pedal would not move. I used all my strength to push it down for several seconds. It was locked in position. I could not move it all. My car slid into a…
I received a notice from subaru described as a service program wur-03. Therefore it is not a recall like the ecm and pcv valve issues. I was unable to make an appointment since I received the notice so close to the holiday. Unfortunately I was involved in a traffic accident before I was able to get the vehicle in for…
On two occasions of a rear end collision on dry pavement, while trying to avoid collision and applying the brakes extremely hard, I felt like the vehicle should have come to a complete stop. Instead the vehicle didn't stop but slid into vehicle ahead of me. I know it sounds like I'm blaming the car for my accident but…
Fuel System 126 Read
On jan 12 2011 my 2005 subaru impreza wrx started to have a raw fuel smell coming into the cabin area when it was cold outside no matter if it was in a garage or outside. On further inspection I could see raw fuel streaming out of the fuel lines onto a hot engine block. There is a recall for 02-03 subaru imprezas with…
For a couple of years in cold weather, usually below 32 degrees, the smell of gasoline existed in the cabin of the vehicle. I had it checked during an local state inspection and discovered fuel was leaking on the passenger side of the engine compartment. It was discovered that the manufacturer was aware of this. I…
Raw fuel smell with temperatures below 20 degrees f and raw fuel in engine compartment with temperatures below 0 degrees f. Smell occurs anytime car sits in sub 20f temperatures. Actual leak with raw fuel occurred after car sat out overnight in sub zero degree temperatures. Small smoldering fire signified by small…
Impreza years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wheels | — | — | |
| 2025 | Exterior Lighting | 1 | — | |
| 2024 | Air Bags | 1 | 2 | |
| 2023 | Electrical System,engine,fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2022 | Electrical System | — | 2 | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 2 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags,seat Belts,seats | 5 | 1 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 10 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 7 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 15 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 13 | 7 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 9 | 3 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 2 | 3 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 10 | 4 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 10 | 1 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 5 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 2002 | Electrical System | 10 | 3 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 5 | 1 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,495 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.6 |
| Worst single series | 13 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.7 years |
A model average of 1.6 hides a worst series at 13. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Impreza?
By complaint volume, 2013, 2002, 2012 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Impreza years are the cleanest?
2026, 2023, 2025 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Subaru Impreza have?
2,400 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1993–2026. Of those, 167 describe a crash and 44 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.