2015 Subaru Impreza Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 11about this part
- Share
- 14%of 77 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 47,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2015 Subaru Impreza, 14% of the 77 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 47,000 miles.
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.
“When I stop my car and put it into park, I cannot turn the key all the way to the lock position, and therefore cannot remove the key from the ignition. The car is not believing that it is actually in park. I have to restart the car, drive a little bit, and try again. This is happening with increasing frequency and is both a safety and security issue if the key cannot be removed. I do not know the first date it happened.”
NHTSA complaint #11124113, filed 2018-09, 35,000 miles“Key will not come out of the ignition when I go to turn the car off. This is a regular occurrence, requiring me to turn the car back on, shift to drive and then back to park before trying to turn the car off again. This happens at least once a day.”
NHTSA complaint #11235010, filed 2019-07, 42,000 miles“While driving about 60 miles an hour, in the second from the left lane on a busy, four-lane freeway ascending a slight hill, my car shuddered violently and came to a complete stop. We were almost rear-ended several times; cars were swerving around us; it was terrifying and quite dangerous. We waited close to 10 minutes for the chp to stop traffic. Subaru has identified the problem as the CVT transmission and is in the process of replacing it under the warranty. This is a safety issue and I think a recall is more appropriate than an extended warranty.”
NHTSA complaint #11162557, filed 2018-12, 47,000 miles“The key gets stuck in the ignition because the shift guide plate assembly is faulty. It doesn't not recognize the car is in park and other ranges do to the plate being bad. When shifting from reverse to drive the car doesn't always switch into gear because the plate doesn't recognize that you have changed gears and leaves you going in reverse when you have the gear selector in the drive position and vice versa. This problem has been going on for a few months now but has become more frequent.”
NHTSA complaint #11252060, filed 2019-08, 70,000 miles“Smoke and oil burning smell entering cabin through vents. I have two young children. I’m concerned of toxic fumes. Coming from oil leaking onto exhaust manifold and at only 52,000 miles on odometer!”
NHTSA complaint #11450396, filed 2022-02Related service bulletins
- 11036810Aug 20, 2026This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised…
- 11034242Jun 2, 2026This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. (This is an revised version of the…
- 11033063May 13, 2026This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability.
- 11033056May 4, 2026This announcement provides information on the remanufactured CVT transmission program.
- 11032040Apr 24, 2026This bulletin announces the service manual correction regarding clutch master cylinder reservoir service procedures.
- 11024861Nov 4, 2025This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which enhancement was implemented to prevent abnormal operations. The updated valve body incorporates…
- 11023523Sep 30, 2025This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability.
- 11022305Aug 11, 2025Subaru Service Technical Support Newsletter special edition.
- 11014872Feb 18, 2025This bulletin has been developed in response to a small number of customer concerns regarding fluid seepage found coming from the CVT assembly.
- 11005624Jul 24, 2024This annoucement provides parts personnel information about remanufactured transmissions that will no longer be available.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 40% |
| 2024 | 2 | 6% |
| 2022 | 4 | 29% |
| 2021 | 1 | 7% |
| 2019 | 4 | 2% |
| 2018 | 5 | 3% |
| 2017 | 5 | 4% |
| 2016 | 13 | 17% |
| 2015 | 11 | 14% |
| 2014 | 9 | 8% |
| 2013 | 23 | 9% |
| 2012 | 26 | 11% |
| 2011 | 6 | 10% |
| 2010 | 5 | 11% |
| 2009 | 30 | 29% |
| 2008 | 59 | 34% |
| 2007 | 8 | 12% |
| 2006 | 7 | 13% |
| 2005 | 5 | 7% |
| 2004 | 9 | 9% |
| 2003 | 1 | 2% |
| 2002 | 25 | 9% |
| 2000 | 10 | 24% |
| 1999 | 4 | 18% |
| 1998 | 9 | 30% |
| 1997 | 5 | 17% |
| 1995 | 1 | 2% |
| 1994 | 3 | 38% |
| 1993 | 3 | 9% |
Other parts of the 2015 Subaru Impreza
20 complaintsOther or unknown
14 complaintsEngine
10 complaintsAir bags
7 complaintsSteering
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
6 complaintsBrakes
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsWheels
3 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2015 Subaru Impreza
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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