Subaru Impreza Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 2,649 consumer complaints across the 32 model years of the Subaru Impreza (1993–2025) that have at least 5 complaints. 2002 has the most, with 292. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (460 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Impreza years →
All Impreza model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 2,700 | 0 | 141 | — | Too new |
| 2024 | 32 | 36,292 | 2 | 217 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2022 | 14 | — | 1 | 261 | — | Not enough data |
| 2021 | 14 | 1,700 | 2 | 323 | — | Not enough data |
| 2020 | 85 | 7,000 | 1 | 407 | 50 · Typical | Falling |
| 2019 | 194 | 11,700 | 5 | 530 | 86 · More | Stable |
| 2018 | 152 | 18,500 | 5 | 528 | 62 · Typical | Rising |
| 2017 | 125 | 14,953 | 7 | 569 | 71 · More | Rising |
| 2016 | 75 | 26,258 | 1 | 359 | 5 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2015 | 77 | 36,000 | 2 | 420 | 2 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2014 | 108 | 49,500 | 3 | 393 | 25 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2013 | 251 | 61,590 | 4 | 509 | 51 · Typical | Falling |
| 2012 | 243 | 45,825 | 6 | 522 | 82 · More | Falling |
| 2011 | 58 | 38,000 | 14 | 252 | 24 · Fewer | Stable |
| 2010 | 46 | 47,800 | 15 | 230 | 2 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2009 | 104 | 64,000 | 14 | 218 | 48 · Typical | Falling |
| 2008 | 176 | 48,150 | 14 | 222 | 70 · More | Falling |
| 2007 | 68 | 49,890 | 9 | 145 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2006 | 56 | 61,728 | 10 | 146 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2005 | 75 | 72,072 | 6 | 190 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 96 | 65,000 | 8 | 207 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 62 | 64,500 | 6 | 138 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2002 | 292 | 62,500 | 6 | 134 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2001 | 11 | 42,000 | 0 | 96 | — | Not enough data |
| 2000 | 41 | 64,000 | 0 | 59 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 22 | 67,750 | 0 | 21 | — | Stable |
| 1998 | 30 | 69,500 | 0 | 15 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 30 | 99,550 | 0 | 15 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 20 | — | 0 | 15 | — | Stable |
| 1995 | 46 | 132,062 | 1 | 15 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 8 | — | 1 | 14 | — | Not enough data |
| 1993 | 33 | 158,850 | 1 | 14 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags460 20%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)313 14%
- Transmission and drivetrain295 13%
- Fuel system266 11%
- Engine262 11%
- Brakes258 11%
- Electrical system233 10%
- Other or unknown228 9.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2013: “Car was parked directly in front of residential garage. I started the car to pull it into the garage. As soon as I put the car in drive, with my foot still on the brake, it shot forward at full speed and crashed into a trailer at the back of the garage. The impact from the trailer broke a hole in the garage wall. Total distance traveled was about 25'.”
NHTSA complaint #11388673, filed 2021-01, 71,747 miles2019: “After having the car 10 months battery kept dying. Subaru replaced the first battery with a new one exactly one year ago. That battery just died on feb 8 after not being driven for 3 days. I needed to get it jump started. Subaru will not acknowledge this and told me to get a second opinion. This is a safety issue not a medical condition.”
NHTSA complaint #11395794, filed 2021-02, 5,680 miles2020: “With 7,000 miles on it, only a few months after purchase, my windshield cracked for no apparent reason. I've heard this is very common and there is a class action lawsuit against Subaru for it. The pattern in which mine cracked is similar to what others have posted in Impreza owners forums which tells me it's likely a defect and not a typical crack.”
NHTSA complaint #11340897, filed 2020-07, 7,000 milesOther Subaru models
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About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology