Your vehicle report
2013 Subaru Impreza
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 251
- Received Mar 2013 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off47 complaints · 19% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbag warning light stays on19 complaints · 7.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Ignition key sticks or will not turn15 complaints · 6.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #19V149000Subaru 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.
- Recall #18V772000Subaru 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 7 fires, 4 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 19 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
- Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off
- Airbag warning light stays on
- Airbags fail to deploy in crashes
1 more problem
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 11 |
| 2014 | 9 |
| 2015 | 12 |
| 2016 | 13 |
| 2017 | 19 |
| 2018 | 27 |
| 2019 | 68 |
| 2020 | 29 |
| 2021 | 25 |
| 2022 | 11 |
| 2023 | 12 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 4 |
| Total | 251 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 47 | 19% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 19 | 7.6% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 15 | 6.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 12 | 4.8% | – | |
| Engine burns excessive oil between changes | 11 | 4.4% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 6 | 2.4% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 6 | 2.4% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 5 | 2.0% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 5 | 2.0% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 5 | 2.0% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| CVT transmission fails or loses power | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 1.2% | – | NHTSA recall #18V772000 |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 3 | 1.2% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #19V149000February 28, 20191,303,530 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #18V772000November 1, 2018165,534 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling: engine
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #16V738000October 13, 2016100,127 vehicles affected
electrical system
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #13V061000February 25, 201347,419 vehicles affected
electrical system; 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.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2013 Subaru Impreza.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN