2014 Subaru Impreza problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (23) · Engine (16) · Electrical System (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Subaru Impreza model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
64 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2019-02-28 · campaign 19V149000 · 1,303,530 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.
Risk: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2018-11-01 · campaign 18V772000 · 165,534 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Subaru Impreza, 2012-2013 Impreza Stationwagon, 2013 Subaru BRZ, XV Crosstrek and Toyota Scion FR-S vehicles. The engine valve springs in these vehicles may fracture causing an engine malfunction or a possible engine stall.
Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. Toyota will notify the FR-S owners. Dealers will replace the valve springs, free of charge. The recall began December 26, 2018. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614, Toyota owners may contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-888-270-9371. Subaru's number for this recall is WTY-84.
Electrical System 2016-10-13 · campaign 16V738000 · 100,127 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
Risk: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Service bulletins (393)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-05 · SubaruNet Announcement (M · Other
this announcement provides information on a new software update for the midtronics dss and dca machines.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-18 · 13-109-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other
this announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-14 · 15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Electrical System 2026-09-14 · 15-304-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of infotainment concerns. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Power Train 2026-08-20 · 16-156-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this 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 version of the original bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 393 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-21 · Electrical System“cabin blower fan stopped working. faint burned plastic smell. starting with the blower motor, i worked backwards. the blower motor resistor showed significant wear, which i replaced. after checking or replacing all other components, i realized that it was likely the ac control unit. i took it out and the electrical issue is so bad that the plug …”
2026-04-05 · Engine“vehicle production date: january 2014 related recall: subaru wtm-73 / nhtsa id 16v738 (revised july 11, 2017 as wtm-73r) recall coverage production end date: september 13, 2013 mileage at first incident (march 2024): 79,268 mileage at second incident (february 2026): 92,325 the secondary air pump failed in march 2024 (79,268 miles) and again in fe…”
2025-10-22 · Power Train“i am filing a complaint regarding a known issue with the cvt transmission in my 2014 subaru impreza, currently at approximately 80,000 miles. the cvt has started making a loud whining noise while driving. a licensed, independent repair shop diagnosed this as a likely early sign of internal cvt failure, advising that failure is imminent without repa…”
2025-07-29 · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly · 62,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 subaru impreza. the contact stated while attempting to secure the front driver’s side seat belt, the locking mechanism failed to immediately lock. the contact stated that several attempts were needed before the seat belt locked as needed. the driver was also unable to immediately unlock the seat belt buckle from the locking …”
2025-05-27 · Engine“i was driving in my car had lost of power n started to make a noise n alll that so eather valve spring broke then messed up rod bearings n now to the point i can't drive my vehicle is like to know what to do next…”
2025-02-19 · Unknown Or Other“when i put my vehicle into park and try to remove the key, it becomes stuck in the vehicle every time due to a failing park position switch. this is a known issue to subaru and should warrant a recall. …”
2025-02-19 · Structure:body:bumpers · 190,417 mi“the contact owns a 2014 subaru impreza. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and running, the doors automatically locked with her children inside the vehicle. the contact stated that the spare key failed to unlock the doors. the contact sought assistance from a locksmith to unlock the vehicle. additionally, the front bumper had deta…”
2024-12-20 · Wheels“two lug studs broke on opposite wheels from torque issues caused when rotating tires. based on speaking with both the dealer and the tire shop, they said this is a common issue with subaru's. fortunately this happened while the tires were being replaced and not while driving. had 2 of the lug studs broken on the same tire and i had not been awar…”
2024-10-11 · Air Bags“after driving for about an hour stopped a light and accelerated to proceed and drivers side air bag exploded. subaru states it was my fault because “dirt” got in the system. refused to cover replacement or rental car. minor hand injury. …”
2024-04-01 · Electrical System“key won't completely shut off car of come out of ignition.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.