Subaru Impreza
The Subaru Impreza appears on NHTSA's register for model years 1990 to 2024: 53 recall campaigns (146 model-year entries) and 1,624 consumer complaints.
The component named most often in complaints is air bags (186.5 per 1,000 component mentions), followed by power train (107.1).
The 2002 model year has the most complaints (284). Recall campaigns peaked in 2019 with 8; complaints were received in the largest number in 2017 (135). Within Subaru, this line ranks 4 of 29 by total complaints.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | vs line average | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 Subaru Impreza NHTSA record | 0 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 1993 Subaru Impreza | 1 | 33 | 67% | 3,351 |
| 1994 Subaru Impreza NHTSA record | 1 | 8 | 16% | 95,673 |
| 1995 Subaru Impreza | 1 | 46 | 93% | 95,673 |
| 1996 Subaru Impreza NHTSA record | 0 | 20 | 41% | — |
| 1997 Subaru Impreza | 0 | 30 | 61% | — |
| 1998 Subaru Impreza | 0 | 30 | 61% | — |
| 1999 Subaru Impreza NHTSA record | 0 | 22 | 45% | — |
| 2000 Subaru Impreza | 0 | 41 | 83% | — |
| 2001 Subaru Impreza NHTSA record | 0 | 11 | 22% | — |
| 2002 Subaru Impreza | 6 | 284 | 577% | 745,448 |
| 2003 Subaru Impreza | 6 | 57 | 116% | 745,448 |
| 2004 Subaru Impreza | 8 | 85 | 173% | 1,375,889 |
| 2005 Subaru Impreza | 6 | 66 | 134% | 1,248,283 |
| 2006 Subaru Impreza | 10 | 49 | 100% | 1,457,051 |
| 2007 Subaru Impreza | 9 | 63 | 128% | 1,450,047 |
| 2008 Subaru Impreza | 14 | 166 | 337% | 3,214,117 |
| 2009 Subaru Impreza | 14 | 81 | 165% | 3,218,166 |
| 2010 Subaru Impreza | 15 | 34 | 69% | 3,902,631 |
| 2011 Subaru Impreza | 14 | 48 | 98% | 3,809,422 |
| 2012 Subaru Impreza | 6 | 171 | 347% | 1,679,643 |
| 2013 Subaru Impreza | 4 | 127 | 258% | 1,616,610 |
| 2014 Subaru Impreza | 3 | 46 | 93% | 1,569,191 |
| 2015 Subaru Impreza | 2 | 30 | 61% | 1,375,240 |
| 2016 Subaru Impreza NHTSA record | 1 | 23 | 47% | 1,303,530 |
| 2017 Subaru Impreza | 7 | 36 | 73% | 1,384,756 |
| 2018 Subaru Impreza | 5 | 13 | 26% | 1,501,775 |
| 2019 Subaru Impreza | 5 | 3 | 6% | 1,484,982 |
| 2020 Subaru Impreza NHTSA record | 1 | 0 | 0% | 175,968 |
| 2021 Subaru Impreza | 2 | 0 | 0% | 1,185 |
| 2022 Subaru Impreza NHTSA record | 1 | 0 | 0% | 42 |
| 2023 Subaru Impreza | 2 | 0 | 0% | 8,341 |
| 2024 Subaru Impreza | 2 | 0 | 0% | 40,058 |
"vs line average" is the model year's complaints as a share of the line's average per model year (100% = average). A campaign covering several model years counts once per year. Model years with one campaign and fewer than 25 complaints are listed but have no page of their own; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record.
Components most reported
Per 1,000 component mentions across all Subaru Impreza complaints (2,129 mentions).
Campaigns by year reported
Complaints by year received
Other Subaru model lines
- Outback 194 recalls · 3,853 complaints
- Forester 115 recalls · 2,449 complaints
- Legacy 211 recalls · 2,218 complaints
- Impreza 146 recalls · 1,624 complaints
- WRX 104 recalls · 752 complaints
- SVX 0 recalls · 291 complaints
- B9 Tribeca 7 recalls · 127 complaints
- Crosstrek 20 recalls · 125 complaints
- Baja 38 recalls · 103 complaints
- XV Crosstrek 3 recalls · 88 complaints
- GL 13 recalls · 78 complaints
- Loyale 9 recalls · 64 complaints
- Subaru 18 recalls · 50 complaints
- Justy 9 recalls · 49 complaints
- Tribeca 62 recalls · 40 complaints
- Impreza STI 0 recalls · 36 complaints
- BRZ 6 recalls · 33 complaints
- Ascent 25 recalls · 22 complaints
- WRX STI 14 recalls · 16 complaints
- DL 13 recalls · 10 complaints
- XT 8 recalls · 8 complaints
- 22 3 recalls · 1 complaints
- Solterra 9 recalls · 0 complaints
- Crosstrek Hybrid 6 recalls · 0 complaints
- Forester Hybrid 4 recalls · 0 complaints
- 23 3 recalls · 0 complaints
- 62 3 recalls · 0 complaints
- 63 3 recalls · 0 complaints
- FF-1 3 recalls · 0 complaints
Questions and answers
Which Subaru Impreza model years have the most recalls?
2010 (15), 2008 (14), 2009 (14). Across model years 1990–2024 there are 53 distinct campaigns.
Which Subaru Impreza model year has the most complaints?
2002, with 284 of the line's 1,624 complaints. Newer model years have had less time to accumulate reports.
What do owners of the Subaru Impreza complain about?
air bags (186.5 per 1,000 mentions), power train (107.1 per 1,000 mentions), fuel system, gasoline (70.9 per 1,000 mentions). Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint flat files, public domain, dated 29 Sep 2026 and 15 May 2019.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, dated 29 Sep 2026 and 15 May 2019. Model names are as NHTSA records them; variants such as "Accord" and "Accord Hybrid" are separate lines. See the methodology.