2016 Subaru Impreza Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: December 11, 2023 · Filed: April 10, 2026

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 described exactly in the TSB but the only thing was they did not see a visible crack, the repair was denied. I then took the car to another dealer near Beavercreek oh after calling Subaru of America Case # [XXX]. Subaru of America was very certain that the repair was going to get performed. After going to the dealer it was yet again denied again, now it is outside the TSB warranty window. The car has had the entire suspension repaired and the noise is so bad and the steering doesn’t feel right. The car literally is unsafe to drive, i owe money to my loan company for 540 a month, the car just sits in the garage. I am sick of getting put through this nightmare. I want the part replaced or to get out of the loan completely and return the car to Subaru or the bank. Please help i have ran out of ideas. I do lots of driving and dying in a car accident scares me to death. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: December 2, 2025 · Filed: December 8, 2025

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 rusted and should have not been sold like it was. There was nothing on the CARFAX about anything else and the shop told me that the car was a safety hazard. When I purchase the vehicle AS IS all I have seen was a TPM light on and a recall and getting some tires they were also bad but did not have any knowledge of how bad the frame was even there were rust in the engine bay area like it been sitting in water or something but nothing was reported on the CARFAX.

Incident: June 8, 2016 · Filed: January 1, 2025

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 onto the car in front, but doesn't recognize the clear road ahead and I can easily pass it on by. I've nearly been re ended because the guy behind me wasn't thinking I would suddenly brake for nothing. It happened with adaptive cruise control, and with that off, the auto braking system, or "accident avoidance" system. I have have more near misses driving this car than with any other car I've had without the system. This system is dangerous, it doesn't work like it was intended.

Incident: June 1, 2024 · Filed: June 1, 2024

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 and insurance will be investigating. There have been numerous other reports of this happening with other subaru models including recalls. There are no open recalls on this vehicle and a multi-point inspection was done on the car 3 weeks prior.

Incident: February 1, 2024 · Filed: February 26, 2024

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 customers calling it an "outside forces" problem.

Incident: January 7, 2024 · Filed: January 7, 2024

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 have that extra time in an emergency! This has occurred several times, most recently today.

Incident: November 18, 2023 · Filed: November 18, 2023

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.

Incident: October 22, 2020 · Filed: September 5, 2023

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.

Incident: September 1, 2023 · Filed: September 5, 2023

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.

Incident: August 8, 2023 · Filed: August 9, 2023

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 lane of traffic on the highway late at night driving home and wasn't able to get my vehicle fully out of the highway when it was coming to a stop. This put me in a very dangerous situation on the highway where my car could potentially be hit by people rushing by. I got out of the car and called 911, who helped me move my car to a safer location. Once the car stopped, i tried turning the key a few times and the spark plug ran, but the car would not turn on. The next day, the car did turn on and there were no warning lights or any other diagnostic readings. The car was taken to Subaru where they did diagnostic tests, but were not able to find any irregularities. I've had the same thing happen twice before and they couldn't diagnose the problem then either. I also experienced hesitation when accelerating where the car wouldn't accelerate, and then it would jerk forward when it did. After repeatedly going back to Subaru for this issue as the transmission is under warranty, they replaced the torque converter and said the problem was solved. I still experienced the hesitation and jerking while driving so I took it back, to which they said that it was driving normal, and that the hesitation was because of the way I drove the car. The car is not driving normal or safe because it stalled and stopped accelerating on the highway, like I told them it would again, putting me in danger. I believe it is the transmission that is damaged, and despite the extended warranty, they won't or can't address it. It would be available for inspection if it would help. There should really be a recall because they fight extended warranty claims