IllustrationFAILURE OF REAR WHEEL BEARINGS. *NM
1997 Subaru Impreza
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Subaru Impreza do not stand out strongly from 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: 3 of 30 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Wheels. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports
Suspension complaints
4 reportsREAR WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE FAILED 4 TIMES UNDER WARRANTY AND ADDITIONAL 4 TIMES OUT OF WARRANTY. BEARING WERE REPLACED DURING EACH REPAIR, SOMETIMES AXELS AND HOUSINGS AS WELL. SUBARU REFUSED TO CONTINUE REPAIRS OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY PERIOD. 8 FAILUES TOTAL AT REGULAR INTERVALS . *AK
6 LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING REPLACEMENTS IN 3 YEARS, ALONG WITH SPINDLE AND HUB.1ST WHEEL BEARING FAILURE AT 41,000 MILES. LAST WHEEL BEARING LASTED LESS THAN 5 MONTHS.
WHEEL WELLS ARE BUILDING UP EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND ICE CAUSING VEHICLE TIRES TO HAVE DIFFICULTY ROTATING AND TURNING DUE TO ICE BLOCKING TIRES IN WHEEL WELLS, CAUSING CAR TO UNEXPECTEDLY SLIDE OR SKID ON ICEY ROADS. ALSO CAUSING EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR AND MISALIGNMENT OF FRONT SUSPENSION. *AK
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.