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Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2016 Subaru WRX

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

Owners have filed 31 safety complaints about the 2016 Subaru WRX with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 2 mention a fire and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 10 complaints, 32% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 25,000 miles, the median across the 18 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2015 to August 2024 · How this is counted

What is on file

31 complaints on file

31

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

0

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 10 · 32%
ENGINE 8 · 26%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 19%
POWER TRAIN 4 · 13%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 · 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 6%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 6%
STEERING 2 · 6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 3%
TIRES 1 · 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 3%
VISIBILITY 1 · 3%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 31.

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 2022 at 7.

8 6 4 2
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2015 to 2024.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2016 Subaru WRX. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BACK UP LIGHTS:SWITCH

22V522000 · July 21, 2022

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2021 WRX vehicles. The backup light switch may corrode and become inoperative, which can result in the backup lights not illuminating and the rearview camera image not displaying when the vehicle is in reverse.
The risk
Inoperative backup lights and an inoperative rearview camera can reduce vehicle visibility and driver awareness, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the backup light switch, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE-22.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 59,934 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER

16V162000 · March 21, 2016

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. The turbocharger air intake duct may crack and possibly result in an engine stall.
The risk
An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTA-62.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 18,187 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.

ENGINE

fire · crash · towed · 34,000 miles

FRONT END COLLISION VS DEER ON INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH. 4-5 MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. NO ONE WAS INJURED. WE ALL WERE OUT OF THE CAR AT THE TIME THE FIRE STARTED.

NHTSA complaint 11151840. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

The Seconary Air Injection pump stayed on for days. Burnt a hole in the side, relay possibly damaged, and now setting off other components and computers.

NHTSA complaint 11611157. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving and a loud explosion, sound, like a gunshot then a ton of pinging. The sunroof exploded and glass flew down my car and chipped a bunch of paint.

NHTSA complaint 11574934. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
While driving, the clutch became stiff and unusable. Ultimately the car could not be shifted resulting in using a lower gear than normal to limp the car to safety. The car had to be towed to a mechanic. During the repair the mechanic identified that the cause of the failure was the clutch fork pivot ball punched through the stamped steel clutch fork. Looking online this seems to be a common failure since aftermarket re-designed parts are offered. I feel this is a manufacturer defect which resulted in the clutch failure and a 2500.00 repair. This car is only 7 years old with 67K miles on it. The clutch fork should not have failed catastrophically at this point in the car's life.

NHTSA complaint 11521395. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I PURCHASED A 2016 SUBARU WRX (PREMIUM) USED FROM A SUBARU DEALER IN ALBANY, NY WITH UNDER 26K MILES FOR APPROXIMATELY $25K IN 2018. ON A DRIVE IN DECEMBER 2022 I EXPERIENCED HESITATION AND/OR STUTTERING UNDER LOAD OR WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, AND CAR BEGAN GETTING VERY HOT, AND CLOSE TO OVERHEATING, AND THE ENGINE WAS KNOCKING LOUDLY. AFTER TURNING ENGINE OFF AND THEN RESTARTING, THE KNOCKING (INTENSITY) WAS NOT AS NOTICEABLE AS THE INITIAL INCIDENT. INITIALLY I REPLACED ALL COIL OVER PLUGS, AS CYLINDER #4 INITIALLY WAS REPORTING A MISFIRE CODE AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS APPEARED TO RELIEVE THE MISFIRE BRIEFLY, BUT THE ISSUE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED, THIS TIME WITH PISTON

NHTSA complaint 11516402, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I have faulty rear lights and a faulty rear view camera. According to MotorSafety.org there is currently a recall for this exact issue for WRX’s from 2015-2021.

NHTSA complaint 11508644. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
recurring battery drain, which has happened before. subaru dealer replaced the battery for the same reason less than 2 years ago. now it needs it again. car is inoperable as is.

NHTSA complaint 11499555. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru WRX

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2023 8 1 —
2022 25 1 —
2021 13 1 —
2020 17 1 —
2019 30 2 —
2018 42 2 —
2017 53 1 —
2015 52 3 —

Other 2016 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