3.2

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,283 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #6

Jan 092022

WRX

  • 92,000 miles
* Battery charging system damaging battery resulting failure of battery. Suspecting overcharging or constant draining of battery below cycling. * Improper charging of battery could result in catastrophic battery failure which may cause battery to catch on fire. * Failure of battery in inclimate/severe weather may impede egress from elements and/or not allow for certain functions of the vehicle that would assist in providing warmth or cooling to occupants., dealer simply replaced battery *Vehicle in question was purchased new in 2015 with no electrical modifications. OD reads ~92000 miles. This is the third battery replacement with evidence of suspected overcharging such as excessive build up of copper sulfate and corrosion on positive battery terminal (present on all replaced batteries).

- Lorena, TX, USA

problem #5

Jan 012021

WRX

  • miles
Car battery is constantly drained even when car is used every other day

- Springfield, VA, USA

problem #4

May 162017

WRX

  • miles
Battery lasted only less than 2 year s

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #3

Dec 142019

WRX

  • 138,000 miles
Driving on the highway at ~70 mph and suddenly lost all throttle response, the car would not accelerate only loose speed. Engine started to shutter to low rpms, and because of this drastically lost speed and nearly got into an accident with oncoming traffic while moving to the side of the highway to pull over. After eventually pulling over, engine continued to shutter to low rpms and could not hold an idle - would just stall after repeated attempts to start it up. Car was towed to closest dealership and after waiting 4 days finally heard it was the engine wire harness that needed to be replaced. Researching the issue I found that Subaru made a design change for the wire harness to prevent water/moisture failure which is most like what happened to my vehicle. Stuck with a $1400 bill due to a design flaw, I decided to purchase a 2020 model which hopefully doesn't have the same issue. After calling Subaru of North America and explaining the situation, they offered me $1000 towards the new purchase. It was a kind gesture however I question if it is somewhat admission of guilt for the design flaw. 2015 WRX 138K miles was meticulously maintained with all necessary maintenance completed at proper intervals and oil changes every 3-4K miles.

- Concord, NH, USA

problem #2

Dec 262015

WRX

  • 12,000 miles
Driving car with passenger in cold weather (~0 degrees F) on city streets. After 10min of driving, passenger air bag light switched off, notifying me that passenger air bag was turned off while passenger was seated. Additionally, near the speedometer, the SRS airbag error notification turned on, signaling an issue with the SRS system. Incident has not been replicated.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #1

Apr 082015

WRX 4-cyl

  • 11,700 miles
Driving on the freeway at night, a light came on my dash that displayed, "headlights disabled." The headlights were still functioning, so I ignored the message. Few hours later, the light flickered on and off repeatedly for ~15 seconds and then went away. The next day, driving at night on the freeway, the light came back on and both headlights turned off. I cautiously pulled over, and set my emergency lights on. I flicked the headlight switch on and off repeatedly and they came back on. Drove for another 10 mins and the driver side headlight turned off, and the passenger headlight stayed on. I made it home safely, but the light never came back on. The next day, the message is still displayed, but both headlights are functioning. I feel it very unsafe for me to drive my vehicle at night, which is a huge inconvenience, as the headlights may turn off again.

- San Jose, CA, USA