IllustrationWHEEL HUB KEEPS COMING OFF AFTER REPLACEMENT OF TIRE. ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF CAR DUE TO A WHEEL HUB COMING OFF AND HITTING WINDSHIELD. WINDSHIELD DID NOT BREAK.
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
Wheels complaints
5 reportsLEFT REAR WHEEL WENT BAD AT 43000 MILES, AND HAS BEEN REPLACED 5 TIMES, LAST REPLACMENT WAS NEEDED AFTER ONLY 3000 MILES. BEFORE REPLACEMENT A LOUD NOISE CAME FROM REAR OF VEHICLE.*AK
WHEEL HUBS DO NOT STAY ON WHILE DRIVING. THEY WILL JUST POP RIGHT OFF, NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK REAR WHEEL COVER CAME OFF WHILE DRIVING AND THE DEALER STATES THAT THE WHEEL COVER WAS NOT OUT ON CORRECTLY. *YH
HUBS KEEP COMING OFF VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING. DEALER CONTACTED, AND IS IN PROCESS OF REPLACING HUBS. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
THE ORIGINAL HUBCAPS ARE A SAFETY VIOLATION. SUBARU MADE A VERY BAD ENGINEERING DESIGN. THEY FASTENED A PLASTIC RING WITH HOLES TO EACH RIM THAT THE HUBCAPS ARE SUPPOSED TO FIT IN WITH A TWIST. THE PROBLEM IS THE AMOUNT OF FORCE OR POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH THAT'S REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE HUBCAP SO ONE CAN CHANGE A TIRE IN AN EMER…
Read full complaint
THE ORIGINAL HUBCAPS ARE A SAFETY VIOLATION. SUBARU MADE A VERY BAD ENGINEERING DESIGN. THEY FASTENED A PLASTIC RING WITH HOLES TO EACH RIM THAT THE HUBCAPS ARE SUPPOSED TO FIT IN WITH A TWIST. THE PROBLEM IS THE AMOUNT OF FORCE OR POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH THAT'S REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE HUBCAP SO ONE CAN CHANGE A TIRE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. A SPECIAL TOOL TO DO THIS IS PROVIDED (AN AFTERTHOUGHT BY THE COMPANY -OOPS). PUTTING THE HUBCAPS ON IS MORE DIFFICULT AND EITHER WAY THE TOOL HAS TO BE RESTRAIGHTENED AT LEAST ONCE PER TIRE. I'VE RECENTLY RETIRED FROM THE MILITARY AND I'M IN GOOD SHAPE. I'M (6'& 188 LBS) AND I HAVE TO STRUGGLE TO REMOVE THE HUBCAPS. MY DAUGHTER COULD NOT EVEN COME CLOSE TO REMOVING THE HUBCAP. SHE CAN WORK A JACK AND THE LUGNUTS BUT CANNOT TAKE THE HUBCAP OFF. WOMEN, SENIOR CITIZENS, AND MANY MEN CAN NOT PROVIDE THE LPS PER INCH TO REMOVE THE WHEELCOVER WHICH IS NECESSARY TO GET TO THE LUGNUTS. I WAS TOLD THAT SUBARU ONLY HAD THIS TYPE OF WHEELCOVER FOR 1996 & 1997. DO I HAVE TO REMOVE THESE RINGS AND PURCHASE NEW WHEELCOVERS SO I KNOW MY DAUGHTER WILL NOT GET STRANDED FROM A FLAT TIRE? I THINK SUBARU MISSED A VERY BASIC SAFETY MARK HERE AND SHOULD RECTIFY THE SITUATION.
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.