CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2017 Subaru WRX

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

Owners have filed 53 safety complaints about the 2017 Subaru WRX with the US government. Of those, 8 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 7 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the exterior lighting.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 14 complaints, 26% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 36,000 miles, the median across the 33 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers March 2018 to May 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

53 complaints on file

53

Complaints

8

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

7

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 14 · 26%
ENGINE 12 · 23%
POWER TRAIN 11 · 21%
STEERING 6 · 11%
AIR BAGS 4 · 8%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 4 · 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 · 6%
SUSPENSION 3 · 6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 · 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 6%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 4%
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 53.

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 2021 at 10.

12 9 6 3
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2018 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 has not crash tested the 2017 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

1 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

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.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

UNKNOWN. Was hit very hard, approximately at 70mph, on rear passenger corner of car, hit caused my vehicle to slide and hit the guardrail on front end of vehicle, and no airbags deployed at any point in collision. Airbags are intact. I have included close up pictures of the airbag crash sensors on the front of the vehicle if they are of any use.

NHTSA complaint 11506392. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 37,000 miles

DRIVING AND ON A TURN BETWEEN 35-40 MPH MY WRX FREAKED OUT. THE DASH LIGHT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE, THE LANE TRACKING ALONG WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL INDICATORS FLASHED, AND THE DASH SAID EYESIGHT UNAVAILABLE. IT FELT LIKE I COULDN'T CONTROL THE CAR AND ALMOST FELT AS IF IT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. I HIT THE BREAKS AND THE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND ENDED UP IN A DITCH. THE FRONT OF THE CAR RAN THROUGH BRUSH AND ENDED IN FRONT OF A TREE. THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED ON THE SIDE BUT WERE DELAYED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE UNTIL THE CAR STOPPED. MY FIANCE WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT GO OFF EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A FRONT COLLISION. THE CAR WAS ON A COUNTRY ROAD WITH OTHER

NHTSA complaint 11205226, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed · 37,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU WRX. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN AND WAS UNCONTROLLABLE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS FLASHED AND ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. ALSO, "EYESIGHT" NOT AVAILABLE WAS DISPLAYED. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED HAND INJURIES, BUT MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT RECEIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE

NHTSA complaint 11205234, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

Going about 55mph, I struck a deer head on. It struck towards the center, but more so on the passenger side. During the impact, no airbags deployed, however, based off IIHS videos, it seems likely that they should have. Additionally, I have reasonable suspicion to believe I hit my head on the pillar of the door, which would have been unlikely if the airbags deployed.

NHTSA complaint 11697979. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Experienced catastrophic engine failure with no known cause. The car had been inspected and had an oil change 3,000 miles prior to the incident. Thankfully, I had already exited the thruway and was on a quiet backroad but if this had happened 15 minutes earlier on the thruway this could have been a much different story.

NHTSA complaint 11735991. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed

Car all the sudden stall/ lock up tires at high way speeds due to sudden no warning engine failure causing a massive safety concern My car locked up during a normal drive up a slowly passing a semi when my car died no power steering no engine power transmission locking due engine failure Car was checked and maintenance at the dealer less then a week prior for a small misfire then was dismissed due to car all the sudden running fine so I drove it 100 miles then it died and almost killed me due to the sudden lockup 2017 Subaru wrx WITH THE FA20 DIT Also worth mentioning cars 100% factory stock Car wasn’t terribly damaged, although I was very shaken up from sudden failure into a ditch

NHTSA complaint 11730211. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

Hit a deer. Airbags did not deploy, however I have reasonable suspicion to believe my head hit the A pillar during impact.

NHTSA complaint 11698178. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The current issues with my recently purchased used vehicle are as follows: Clutch, odometer tampering, steering rack, 2 axle leaks, electrical issues, inspection issues. I tried to see if the dealership that I bought the car from is willing to fix these issues they keep going back and forth with me on these issues even though I just recently purchased the car stating that I have to pay for it. I purchased this car [XXX]. There were several issues with this car prior to purchase that were not disclosed when I purchased it. The dealership that I bought the car from, highline car connection/Yankee Auto sales, insisted we buy an extended warranty. Upon inspection at Dan Perkins Subaru, one of

NHTSA complaint 11630702, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

70,000 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru WRX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V522000 (Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that while reversing, the backup lights intermittently failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that he had to pay the labor cost to have the recall repair performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA complaint 11619054. 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 —
2016 31 3 —
2015 52 3 —

Other 2017 Subaru models

Outback 917 Forester 587 Impreza 125 Legacy 119 Crosstrek 94

Complaints on file, same model year.

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