IllustrationPASSENGER SEAT BELT WARNING GOES OFF IF MORE THAN 1 POUND IS PLACED ON THE SEAT, ALL CONDITIONS.
2013 Subaru Impreza
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Impreza years
Owner complaints for the 2013 Subaru Impreza are substantially higher 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
370–25K
2225–50K
3850–75K
3375–100K
20100–150K
4150K+
154 reports with mileage · 95 unknown
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.
- Air Bags. Review the 79 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports7 fire reports3 injury reports
Seat Belts complaints
6 reportsI JUST REPLACED THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT FOR REVERSE LOCK (UNABLE TO PULL OUT) FOR THE SECOND TIME. NO OTHER BELTS ARE AFFECTED. PARKED THE CAR UNHOOKED THE BELT. UPON RETURNING THE BELT WOULD NOT PULL OUT. WHICH OF COURSE REQUIRES THE PASSENGER TO NOT BE RESTRAINED. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I ASSUMED THE BELT WAS WORN …
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I JUST REPLACED THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT FOR REVERSE LOCK (UNABLE TO PULL OUT) FOR THE SECOND TIME. NO OTHER BELTS ARE AFFECTED. PARKED THE CAR UNHOOKED THE BELT. UPON RETURNING THE BELT WOULD NOT PULL OUT. WHICH OF COURSE REQUIRES THE PASSENGER TO NOT BE RESTRAINED. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I ASSUMED THE BELT WAS WORN OUT, OR MANUFACTURING DEFECT. IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY SO I REPLACED IT MYSELF. THE REPLACEMENT LASTED ABOUT TWO YEARS. NOW I HAVE TO BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE SYSTEM SOMEWHERE.
MY MOTHER HAS AN ISSUE WITH HER AIRBAG LIGHT IN HER SUBURA IMPREZA CAR OFF AND ON FIRST TIME LAST YEAR AND SHE BROUGHT INTO SUBARU AND THE LIGHT WENT OFF THEY TOLD HER NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS TO BRING IN RIGHT AWAY THEN SHE WAS DRIVING LAST WEEK AND THE LIGHT POPPED ON AGAIN SHE CALLED SUBARU AMERICA HEADQUARTERS ABOUT THEY…
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MY MOTHER HAS AN ISSUE WITH HER AIRBAG LIGHT IN HER SUBURA IMPREZA CAR OFF AND ON FIRST TIME LAST YEAR AND SHE BROUGHT INTO SUBARU AND THE LIGHT WENT OFF THEY TOLD HER NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS TO BRING IN RIGHT AWAY THEN SHE WAS DRIVING LAST WEEK AND THE LIGHT POPPED ON AGAIN SHE CALLED SUBARU AMERICA HEADQUARTERS ABOUT THEY TOLD HER IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE SHE AND SENT HER IN THE SUBARU DEALER IN BLOOMFIELD NJ TO GET A DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO SEE WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CAR AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS OF CHECKING THEY SAID IT WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR BUT WHEN MY MOM ASKED THE LADY IF SHE GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT WOULD HER AIRBAGS DEPLOY THE LADY RESPONDED WITH SHE IS NOT SURE IT DEPENDS SO THEY RELEASED HER CAR WITHOUT BEING 100% SURE ALSO, I'VE HEARD MY MOTHER COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SEATBELT TIGHTENS UP AROUND HER NECK WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING CERTAIN THINGS IN THIS CAR IS UNSAFE AND I FEAR FOR MY MOMS' SAFETY AND MY OWNS WHEN I RIDE IN THIS CAR NOW BECAUSE ON THE UNCLARITY IF THE AIRBAGS ARE GONG WORK OR NOT MY MOM'S PHONE AUTOMATICALLY RECORDS SO I HAVE ATTACHED THE CONVO SO YOU CAN HEAR THE EMPLOYEES UNCERTAINTY THE CAR WAS SOLD TO MY MOM PRE-OWNED AND I'M NOT SURE IF THE CAR CAME WITH ISSUES BECAUSE THE CARS HISTORY WAS NOT PROVIDED TO HER, SOME OF THE ISSUES THE CAR HAS CAN BE FROM WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAR BEFORE MY MOM OWNED IT BECAUSE MY MOM DOES NOT DRIVE MUCH SO THE CAR SHOULD NOT BE HAVING GLITCHES AND MALFUNCTIONS THEY CLAIM THAT THE GLITCH IN THE CAR CAME FROM A WATER SPILL ON THE SEAT NOBODY SPILLED WATER IN THE CAR SINCE MY MOM OWNED IT SO THAT IS A MYSTERY AS WELL ONLY TWO PEOPLE RIDE IN THAT CAR SHE'S THE DRIVER AND IM THE PASSENGER NEEDED YOU CAN DOWNLOAD RECORDING AT THIS LINK HTTPS://VOCAROO.COM/I/S0ZEN2X5 [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *PM
FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT GRABS FREQUENTLY, HITTING MY WIFE IN HER NECK OR NEAR IT. SUBARU DEALER SAID IT IS OKAY. OCCURS WHEN I BRAKE THE CAR OR GO AROUND CORNERS. USUALLY, MY OWN BELT IS NOT GRABBING AT THESE TIMES.
PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT LOCKED IN RETRACTED POSITION.
THE PASSENGER AIR-BAG ON LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE FASTEN SEATBELT WARNING SOUND WAS SOUNDED EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES, THE MOST RECENT AT 21,793 MILES. *TR
Official recalls
419V149000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
Feb 28, 2019
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: 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.
18V772000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine
Nov 1, 2018
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
16V738000 · Electrical System
Oct 13, 2016
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: 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.
13V061000 · Electrical System; Equipment
Feb 25, 2013
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Equipment
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Electrical System
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
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.