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2013 Subaru Impreza

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Impreza years

Owner complaints for the 2013 Subaru Impreza are substantially higher than the model-year median of 56.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

154 reports with mileage · 95 unknown

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 79 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

13 crash reports7 fire reports3 injury reports

What owners actually said

249 reports
125,000 miles · Mar 15, 2023
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, he noticed small, yellow-colored drops of liquid on the ground around the vehicle. Upon starting the vehicle, the brake warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact checked the parking brake lever; however, the light remaine…

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The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, he noticed small, yellow-colored drops of liquid on the ground around the vehicle. Upon starting the vehicle, the brake warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact checked the parking brake lever; however, the light remained illuminated. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the brake pedal the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard and the vehicle coasted to a stop. Despite the failure, the contact drove the vehicle home. The contact called the dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ODI #11512031

Mileage unknown · Jan 17, 2023
Engine

There is a known rod bearing failure issue for the years 2012 - 2017. They automatically extended the warranty to 10 year 100k miles. My car was bought from the Subaru Dealership in Santa Clara California in 2018 (certified pre owned) with 69,000 miles on it They failed to disclose this information - and that there was a class a…

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There is a known rod bearing failure issue for the years 2012 - 2017. They automatically extended the warranty to 10 year 100k miles. My car was bought from the Subaru Dealership in Santa Clara California in 2018 (certified pre owned) with 69,000 miles on it They failed to disclose this information - and that there was a class action lawsuit regarding these engines in 2016. (two years before my purchase) This class action settlement has since "expired" or closed...which I do not understand. Currently my vehicle has suffered this failure with only 82,000 miles. THIS WAS NOT ANY FAULT OF MY OWN - while the dealer claims my oil was "dirty" I had the oil changed before the regularly scheduled maintenance intervals. The Dealer purposely quoted me $16,000 for the engine repair - while the OEM engine only costs ~ $3,000 on the Subaru website. My guess is that they did this knowing SOA (Subaru of America) would deny my warranty claim. After much back and forth - me providing receipts for oil and filters (all oil changes performed by certified mechanic). They did deny my warranty claim citing "the overall cost, and age of my vehicle".

NHTSA ODI #11502218

Mileage unknown · Jan 16, 2023
Seats

The passenger occupancy detection system is not working, so the passenger air bag is not coming on even when I have an adult passenger. Sometimes, it will register that there is an adult in the seat, but the air bag will not come on, but other times, it doesn't even detect someone is sitting there.

NHTSA ODI #11502069

Mileage unknown · Jan 14, 2023
Air Bags

Srs airbag light comes in dash when passenger is is car, airbags will not turn on for passenger side only. Research showed it is a common issue with 2012 and 2013 Subaru airbag systems and it is extremely concerning

NHTSA ODI #11501813

83,000 miles · Jan 12, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was able to merge over to the right lane, exited the highway, and veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred whi…

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The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was able to merge over to the right lane, exited the highway, and veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred while driving and coming to a complete stop. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be rebuilt; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ODI #11501475

100,000 miles · Dec 16, 2022
Engine And Engine CoolingFire

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11497752*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

NHTSA ODI #11497758

40,000 miles · Dec 16, 2022
EngineEngine And Engine CoolingFire

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph when the check engine illuminated and a loud rattling noise emitted from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle then suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer had replaced the engine. Approximately …

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The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph when the check engine illuminated and a loud rattling noise emitted from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle then suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer had replaced the engine. Approximately after the repair while they were driving approximately 40 mph when the same failure occurred. The vehicle was towed to the same dealer who replaced the engine again. After the second replacement while driving the vehicle was part the vehicle had caught on fire. The fire department was called and put out the fire. No injuries, medical attention needed. The contact's insurance had replaced the engine a third time. Again, while driving at the same speeds the check engine light suddenly illuminated and the vehicle began rattling underneath the hood. The contact also smelled a fuel burning odor coming into the vehicle. The contact had pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case regarding the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ODI #11497752

Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2022
Engine

Secondary air system failure air control value seized witch cause a failed emissions second replacment. Inorder to replace you need to take apart complete manifold not an eazy replace. The failure is keeping me from passing safety emissions

NHTSA ODI #11484934

Mileage unknown · Aug 14, 2022
Electrical System

Ignition key can not always be removed. If I turn the ignition back on it will usually release the key.

NHTSA ODI #11479200

Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2022
Structure

The hood primary latch frequently releases causing me to rely on the safety catch. Re-dropping the hood sets it again only to notice several days later that the hood is again unlatched.

NHTSA ODI #11475516

Official recalls

4

19V149000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Feb 28, 2019

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

18V772000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

Nov 1, 2018

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

16V738000 · Electrical System

Oct 13, 2016

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

13V061000 · Electrical System; Equipment

Feb 25, 2013

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

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.

Consequence: 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.

Electrical System

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.

Consequence: 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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.