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Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2020 Subaru Impreza

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

85

Complaints

2

Crashes

2

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2020 Subaru Impreza have filed 85 safety complaints with NHTSA between December 2019 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers, named in 52 of them (61%). The typical failure was reported at 7,000 miles, the median across the 42 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

21V587000 · July 29, 2021

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
The risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 175,968 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 85.

VISIBILITY/WIPER 52 61%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 20%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 5%
VISIBILITY 4 5%
AIR BAGS 3 4%
ENGINE 3 4%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 1%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 1%
STEERING 1 1%
STRUCTURE 1 1%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 26.

2019 2021 2026
2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

AIR BAGS

1 injured · fire

Passenger Air-bag igniter's wiring shorted out releasing gas into car. The windows were up and the car was not running. I was sitting in passenger side went to light my cigarette and with no warning at all KABOOM!!! Car exploded catching my hair on fire as well as 2nd and 3rd degree burns on hands and 1st and 2nd degree burns on face. The explosion carried so much force that the doors and back hatch were dented outward making it impossible to shut and lock doors properly. Explosion was so loud the people inside the bar thought a bomb had gone off. This incident was not reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or insurance company due to the fact the car was stolen directly after incident due to

NHTSA complaint 11585384, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

I got into an accident going 60 miles an hour I crash into a guardrail totaled the car but no airbags deployed I broke my wrist and dislocated my thumb

NHTSA complaint 11714764. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

The electrical system failed and battery then exploded. The vehicle is behind held at a tow yard and has been inspected by allied insurance CPI of tower federal credit union. It is available to be inspected for the time being but will be scrapped soon. Both my safety and the safety of others was at risk- this occurred in a Wendy’s drive through near other vehicles, a building and of course people there in. There’s video footage of the incident taken by Wendy’s staff. The car stopped running as the fire caught- I ( the driver ) had to push the vehicle physically away from the building and cars and got away only one minute before it entirely exploded. Whether or not the problem has been

NHTSA complaint 11746233, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash

I believe this article describes the cause of the issue. Thankfully the vehicle was parked in my driveway, and did not roll into the street or harm any people, but it could have. 2020 Subaru Impreza Wrx Service Brakes related problems

NHTSA complaint 11476393. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
For the second year in a row my windshield has cracked. Nothing hit it, or happened to make it crack. Both cracks were long and coming from the bottom of the windshield under the passenger wiper blade. I noticed it today, 4/28/26 and the same thing happened in the beginning of April last year with the same circumstances (or lack thereof).

NHTSA complaint 11734220. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
I HAVE NOW HAD 4 WINDSHIELDS CRACK AND BREAK AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME ONE LITTLE ROCK HITS THE WINDSHIELD BOOM ANOTHER FULL REPLACEMENT IS NEEDED. EVERY TIME I GO FOR A ROAD TRIP THIS KEEPS HAPPENING THE MUST BE A DEFECT WITH THE DESIGN OR TYPE OF GLASS USED FOR THE SUBARU IMPREZA 2020 MODELS.

NHTSA complaint 11715092. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Reference complaint no.11684658 confirmed. From email from Tech representative "VDC HYDRAULIC UNIT REPLACEMENT. IT IS AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. THERE ARE SENSORS INSIDE THAT MEASURE BRAKE LINE PRESSURE. THE LEFT FRONT SENSOR IS STUCK AT NEGATIVE 59 BAR. SHOULD BE ZERO AT REST. NOTHING TO DO WITH EYESIGHT THAT LIGHT WILL COME ON WHENEVER THERE IS A WARNING LIGHT ON." The modulator is a safety critical component which undergoes extensive life time testing, one out of 4 pressure sensors should not fail during vehicle life time.

NHTSA complaint 11690067. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The Eye Sight warning system is activated occasionally and VDC is cut off. The dealer diagnosed code C1742, and recommended replacing the control unit due to a pressure sensor issue after measurement. The units are on back order, which indicates to me a wider spread problem. VDC units should not fail even after 10 years.

NHTSA complaint 11684658. 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 30 2 —
2022 12 1 —
2021 14 2 —
2019 193 5 —
2018 149 5 1
2017 125 7 —
2016 75 1 —
2015 77 2 —
2014 108 3 —
2013 249 4 —
2012 242 6 —
2011 57 14 —
2010 45 15 —

Other 2020 Subaru models

Outback 895 Forester 595 Ascent 318 Legacy 121 Crosstrek 68 WRX 17

Every Subaru on this site — 97 vehicles, 147 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

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