2016 Subaru Impreza Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 13about this part
- Share
- 17%of 75 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 19,218miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 13 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2016 Subaru Impreza, 17% of the 75 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 19,218 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
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.
“Cvt will not shift in cold weather. I took to the dealer 3 times and they said nothing wrong. I have a video of the tach reaching 2600 RPM's at 30 miles to 55 MPH and CVT was stuck in 3rd gear, would not shift. I say this is a safety problem, not normal for this or any car. Gas mileage is bad, engine wear is bad and not safe on highway. This happened )1/3/18, 1/6/18 and 1/8/18.”
NHTSA complaint #11062403, filed 2018-01, 3,300 miles“When vehicle is stationary and placed into park position, the gear shifter is able to be moved from park into drive, reverse, and neutral with the engine off. The key also becomes stuck in the ignition when the gear shifter is malfunctioning. Dealership stated that the shift interlock would need to be replaced to remedy the issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11187175, filed 2019-03, 23,437 miles“The 2016 Subaru Impreza started to go forward when the shift knob was in the reverse position. This happened 3 times in a row and on the third time the car was accelerating causing the driver to brake hard in essence fighting the transmission. After the car was turned off, tried again, made it home. It was a rainy day. Made appt. With dealer. Afraid to drive it!”
NHTSA complaint #10908013, filed 2016-09, 2,800 miles“Key gets stuck in vehicle ignition when the vehicle is placed into park. Some sort of component that tells the car it is parked is malfunctioning. This does not happen every time but probably about 50% of the time. Placing the car into gear and then back into park eventually fixes the issue, but it often takes multiple attempts. This started happening after adjusting the steering wheel for another driver. It has subsequently been an issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11341855, filed 2020-07, 40,000 miles“I was driving to a thanksgiving gathering, when all of a sudden the car julted. It was very odd felt almost like a pin was put in the transmission forcing the tires to stop spining. But was very brief. After another 0.5 miles of driving on the freeway at 70mph it happened again but continuously with loud grinding and crunchy noises. After puling over the car was smoking. The transmission was extremely hot. No lights warning lights came on. Got a tow truck and it struggled to pull the car on to the trailer bed. And while it was rolling on you could still hear the grinding noises. …”
NHTSA complaint #11153555, filed 2018-11, 32,580 milesRelated 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 2016 Subaru Impreza
19 complaintsElectrical system
14 complaintsAir bags
8 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaintsBrakes
6 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaintsExterior lighting
4 complaintsBody and structure
4 complaintsEngine
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2016 Subaru Impreza
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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