CSR

Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2015 Subaru Impreza

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 77 safety complaints about the 2015 Subaru Impreza with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash, 3 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the exterior lighting and forward collision avoidance.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 20 complaints, 26% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 36,000 miles, the median across the 55 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2015 to April 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

77 complaints on file

77

Complaints

5

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

3

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20 · 26%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 14 · 18%
POWER TRAIN 11 · 14%
ENGINE 10 · 13%
AIR BAGS 7 · 9%
STEERING 6 · 8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 5%
STRUCTURE 3 · 4%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 4%
WHEELS 3 · 4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 3%
0 12 23

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 77.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 13.

16 12 8 4
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2015 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2015 Subaru IMPREZA, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR AWD SW AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 9.9% 9.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

19V149000 · February 28, 2019

The defect
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.
The risk
Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
The 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.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 1,303,530 vehicles across all model years covered

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING

15V366000 · June 12, 2015

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Outback vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Impreza vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to April 14, 2015, XV Crosstrek vehicles manufactured October 16, 2014, to April 15, 2015, and 2016 WRX vehicles manufactured March 23, 2015, and equipped with the Eyesight Driver Assist System. If the switch that activates the brake lights fails, the automatic pre-collision braking component of the driver assist system will not function.
The risk
If the automatic pre-collision braking system does not function as intended, the vehicle will not react to an obstacle in its path, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the driver assist system, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQS-54.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 71,710 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured · 13,500 miles

MOON ROOF EXPLODED. LIKE A GUN SHOT GOING OFF. GLASS CASCADED DOWN ON ME AND MY WIFE. ALMOST KILLED.

NHTSA complaint 10816797. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 56,000 miles

TAKATA RECALL, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ON A IMPACT OF 50 MILES A HOUR.

NHTSA complaint 11155950. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

crash · towed · 63,000 miles

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle at 10 MPH, the transmission was shifted into drive (D), and the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration at 30 MPH. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop and instead accelerated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle then crashed into a building. No air bags were deployed. The contact did not sustain any injuries, but medical attention was received on the scene. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop and had not yet been deemed totaled by the insurance company. The contact stated that a police officer later arrived at the residence

NHTSA complaint 11592389, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

crash · 700 miles

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WITH ICE FROM A SEMI-TRAILER ON 1/27/2015. THE VEHICLE WENT THROUGH THE INSURANCE PROCESS, WAS IN THE COLLISION REPAIR SHOP FOR 23 DAYS, AND WAS RETURNED TO ME WITH A HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY THAT WAS EPOXIED TOGETHER. IT IS NOW APPROACHING 90 DAYS SINCE THE INITIAL ACCIDENT. SUBARU OF AMERICA, THE DEALER THAT SOLD THE VEHICLE TO ME, AND THE COLLISION REPAIR CENTER WHICH IS ANOTHER LOCAL SUBARU DEALER ALL INDICATE THAT REPLACEMENT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES FOR THE 2015 SUBARU IMPREZA ARE NOT AVAILABLE. I NEED TO FIND OUT THE POTENTIAL SAFETY DEFICIENCIES FOR THIS 2015 SUBARU IMPREZA WITH A DAMAGED HEADLIGHT THAT HAS BEEN EPOXIED BACK TOGETHER AND RE-INSTALLED IN MY

NHTSA complaint 10712565, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS
My front passenger seat belt has been stuck and unusable since November 2025. This issue has been reported to Brandon Tomes Subaru in McKinney TX at the end of November. The seat belt was inspected and was determined faulty and covered under the warranty. The part needed to fix it wasn't unavailable and the dealership said it would be shipped. Today is April 6th of 2026 and my car has not been repaired still. It is not safe to transport passengers and I have 3 children. My oldest [XXX] ) always uses the front passenger seat. I am unable to safely drive the car and transport my family, and it very negatively affecting my family. Please help me to get my car back on the road and safely. With

NHTSA complaint 11729535, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
P0018. P0016

NHTSA complaint 11585657. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS
My 2015 Impreza has had its rear wheel bearings fail twice now, and now there’s still a loud noise coming from the end of my vehicle. My most recent trip to the dealer to get a bearing replaced costed me nearly $800. The kicker is, I just rolled over 65,000 on my car. There’s no reason I should be flying through bearings this fast, and have what seems like a never ending rear-end noise that seems to only be getting louder.

NHTSA complaint 11566216. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
All of a sudden, with no reason whatsoever, my daughter's car has "rod knock" with less than 100,000 miles on it. Bought this Subaru for my daughter so she would have a car that would last a long time and she would be safe. Maintenance was kept up at our local mechanic religiously. I am saddened and disappointed in the mechanical performance of this vehicle. Started with lights going out early in ownership when it was new, and now this. I have a Subaru Impreza as well and am strongly considering trading it in for a Honda. I have family that works for Subaru and I wanted to support family and bought 2 Impreza's based on belief that your brand was highly regarded for longevity and safety.

NHTSA complaint 11537225, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
We bought our 2015 Subaru Impreza from a used car dealer (we are second owner) in February 2020 with 55K miles on it. On our test drive, we noticed the air bag said it was off even with a passenger in the car. We agreed to purchase the vehicle upon repair. It was repaired and the mechanic guaranteed his work, and we had no issues for a year. Then, we moved across the country and the sensor began to sometimes malfunction again. The Subaru dealership quoted something like $3k to fix it. In Googling the issue, I see Subaru has had this issue in previous models. Please open an investigation to see if the problem continues in more recent years.

NHTSA complaint 11527736. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru Impreza

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 32 2 —
2022 13 1 —
2021 14 2 —
2020 85 1 —
2019 194 5 —
2018 151 5 1
2017 125 7 —
2016 75 1 —
2014 108 3 —
2013 249 4 —
2012 243 6 —
2011 57 14 —
2010 46 15 —

Other 2015 Subaru models

Every Subaru on this site — 99 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst