2016 Subaru Impreza problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (9) · Vehicle Speed Control (8) · Electrical System (5)
🧭 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
40 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
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.
Service bulletins (359)
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 359 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-10 · Suspension“i contacted subaru in mentor oh at adventure subaru under tsb 19v065000 and was told to take it in to get looked at, my issue when i purchased the car at 67k miles i found that the car had a loud clunky sound while steering and going over bumps. after seeing the dealer and the stated the issue was from the steer rack and was exactly what was descri…”
2025-12-08 · Suspension“hello, i just purchase this vehicle from a dealership, 615 auto sales. after purchasing the vehicle i decided to go and get the recall done that was never done to the vehicle at the repair shop they did the recall but then ask me where did i purchase this vehicle from then i told them. the repair shop told me the grim news that the car was very rus…”
2025-01-01 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“while driving a multi lane road with traffic going same direction in front of me, if one or more cars begin to slow for a left or right turn, the auto braking feature begins to slow and will try to stop my car. problem is that the car in front of me turning isn't in my lane. i have a clear lane ahead and suddenly the system brakes. still locked o…”
2024-06-01 · Structure:body“the hood latch system failed and flew open while driving on the highway smashing the windshield. i was unable to see driving, glass shattered everywhere. the car was serviced three weeks prior and there was no notation of an issue with the hood latch. the hood would not latch after the incident either. police were on scene and viewed the incident a…”
2024-02-26 · Seats“the seat foam has degraded and exposed the metal frame through the seat cover on the driver side front seat. it is not safe to drive with a metal frame being exposed. a service bulletin (12-232-18 dated 2/6/2018) indicates there is an issue with the seat construction that can lead to this defect/degradation but refuse to acknowledge the issue to cu…”
2024-01-07 · Unknown Or Other“key will not turn past acc after driving and so will not allow key to be removed from the car. this is a sporadic issue but could be a safety concern if needing to leave the car for an emergency as it runs down the battery and will not allow me to secure the vehicle. driving around for 5 to 10 minutes more usually solves the problem but i might not…”
2023-11-18 · Exterior Lighting“we keep on having to replace our headlights. we just got one replaced 5 months ago and it’s out again. this will be the fourth time in three years. no one can figure out why the headlights keep burning out. …”
2023-09-05 · Electrical System“the variable fan speed control for the cabin air melted. the dial could no longer be moved and the assembly, once removed, had parts that were melted. subaru was not interested. cost me $1200 to get it fixed. unfortunately, i cannot locate any pictures. …”
2023-09-05 · Power Train“engine light came on. checked it, the failure was the transmission solenoid. it reported that a failure was about to occur. brought it into the subaru dealership because the will not sell any transmission parts to repair shops in the phoenix area. i am not sure if i would have had a bigger problem, or not had i not taken it in right away.…”
2023-08-09 · Power Train“this is the third time that this has happened on the highway. i was driving about 70 miles per hour when my acceleration cut out. my dashboard lights, head lights, and other electronics were still on, but the car stalled and would not accelerate. the car struggled to move forward, jerking while slowing down, and came to a stop. i was in the middle …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.