IllustrationNAR 02/13/2003 ANSWERED BY TIS. THE CONSUMER HAD TO HAVE HIS CLUTCH REPLACED TWICE DUE TO PREMATURE WEAR WHILE STILL UNDER THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY, HOWEVER SUBARU REFUSED TO COVER THE REPAIRS. *JB
1999 Subaru Impreza
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 Subaru Impreza are lower than the model-year median of 56.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Impreza years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 10 of 22 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
Power Train complaints
4 reportsREAR WHEELS REQUIRED NEW BEARINGS...HARSH GRINDING NOISE AS CAR SPED UP...WARRANTIED ITEM. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THAT I'VE DROPPED THE CAR OFF TWICE IN 3 MONTHS FOR SIMILAR NOISES...BRAKES, TRANSMISSION AND WHEELS.*AK
THE TRANSMISSION PLUG FELL OUT, LEAKAGE OF ALL THE FLUID WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOCK UP. NO WARNING LIGHTS TO INDICATE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER. MJS
MY VIN # IS CORRECT. YOUR COMPUTER IS OFF. ANYWAY, THE REAR WHEEL BEARING (RIGHT SIDE) ON MY SUBARU 2.5RS HAS GONE BAD WITH ONLY 500 MILES ON THE CAR. I HAVE CONTACTED MANY SUBARU 2.5RS OWNERS OVER THE INTERNET THIS LAST WEEK AND FOUND THAT MANY OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH REAR WHEEL BEARINGS SIEZING UP WITH VER…
Read full complaint
MY VIN # IS CORRECT. YOUR COMPUTER IS OFF. ANYWAY, THE REAR WHEEL BEARING (RIGHT SIDE) ON MY SUBARU 2.5RS HAS GONE BAD WITH ONLY 500 MILES ON THE CAR. I HAVE CONTACTED MANY SUBARU 2.5RS OWNERS OVER THE INTERNET THIS LAST WEEK AND FOUND THAT MANY OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH REAR WHEEL BEARINGS SIEZING UP WITH VERY LOW MILES ON THEIR CARS. ONE MAN REPORTED HE IS TAKING HIS 2.5RS IN FOR THE THIRD TIME TO HAVE THE BEARINGS REPLACED, WITH ONLY 26,000 MILES ON THE CAR. AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, EVERYONE THAT IS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM IS GETTING THE SAME "NO ONE ELSE IS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM" ATTITUDE FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE DEALERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. BUT WE ARE COMPLAINING, AND NO ONE IS LISTENING. THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFFECT IN THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS OR IN THE INSTALLATION PROCCESS AT THE FACTORY. A SEIZED REAR WHEEL BEARING COULD CAUSE AN OPERATOR TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. YOU SHOULD BE GETTING MORE COMPLAINTS ON THIS DEFFECT IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS. OWNERS ARE COMING TOGETHER VIA THE INTERNET AND VOICING THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT THIS, AND ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO FILE WITH THE NHTSA IF THEY HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. I MORE THAN WELCOME ANY FEEDBACK YOU MAY HAVE TO MY E-MAIL OR TELPHONE. I WILL ALSO ASSIST YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN IF NEEDED. THANKYOU FOR HEARING MY CONCERNS ON THIS MATTER.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.