2012 Subaru Impreza problems and complaints

Owners have filed 243 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Subaru Impreza. The most-reported areas: Air Bags (105), Engine (55), Electrical System (30).

Key takeaways

  • 243 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 10 involve a crash, 4 a fire, 6 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Air Bags10543%
Engine5523%
Electrical System3012%
Power Train2611%
Service Brakes156%
Seats156%
Unknown Or Other125%
Vehicle Speed Control115%
Steering104%
Wheels73%
Structure62%
Suspension52%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2012 Subaru Impreza SW AWD4/54/54/55/5
2012 Subaru Impreza 4 DR AWD4/54/54/55/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness - filed 2026-09-11

My Chicco Fit360 car seat’s magnetic chest clip is failing to stay clipped and is easily unclipped by the tug of one finger. Children are able to easily unclip it as well. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. My child’s safety was put at risk because the magnetic chest clip would unclip by him pulling on it...

Unknown Or Other - filed 2026-05-23

My ignition key gets stuck when I shifted into park on my 2012 subaru impreza.

Electrical System - filed 2025-08-23

The fan controls in the center of the dash failed. Fan speed 1&2 work, but 3&4 do not. After pulling the center dash controls out, I found that the plug connecting the fan speed controls to the wiring harness was burnt. This is a concern cause it could have burned other components or caused a fire.

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More for the 2012 Subaru Impreza

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.