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Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2021 Subaru WRX

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

Owners have filed 13 safety complaints about the 2021 Subaru WRX with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the exterior lighting.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 6 complaints, 46% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2022 to May 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

13 complaints on file

13

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

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
POWER TRAIN 6 · 46%
ENGINE 5 · 38%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 15%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 · 15%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 8%
SEATS 1 · 8%
STEERING 1 · 8%
SUSPENSION 1 · 8%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 13.

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 2024 at 4.

8 6 4 2
22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 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 2021 Subaru WRX, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 10.1%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car battery keeps dying and is inadequately charged resulting in loss of electronics. The problem is a faulty DCM system.

NHTSA complaint 11740103. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS
Manual (not power) Driver seat is loose-rocking car only has 47000 miles but this hardware failure will get worse over time definitely a safety concern if bolt breaks it appears that the plastic washer is wearing most likely poor material should be polyurethane or something like the form of a grommet that absorbs since vehicle has hard suspension NOTE: I have video however cannot create video < than 10mb

NHTSA complaint 11668435. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
In October 2024, my vehicle, a 2021 Subaru WRX STI, was purchased from a Toyota dealership (Fort Bend Sterling McCall Toyota). The dealership sold the vehicle with an oil issue and a modified ECM. This issue caused catastrophic engine failure while driving. The vehicle stalled and could not be started. Subaru dealership technicians confirmed the cause as improper service leading to catastrophic oil starvation. The failure put both myself and others at risk, as the engine lost power mid-operation on a busy road. The vehicle was towed to a certified Subaru dealership, where it has been detained since December 2024. Despite being under warranty, repairs have been delayed for over 6 months due

NHTSA complaint 11668269, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
I am filing this complaint to report a serious safety concern involving my 2021 Subaru WRX, which is currently covered under the manufacturer’s powertrain warranty as well as an extended warranty. Subaru of Ontario, an authorized Subaru dealership, failed to properly diagnose or repair ongoing engine issues during multiple service visits. Despite documented problems, the vehicle was released to me in a condition that was unsafe to operate since their location did not have a loaner, fully aware of the issues at hand, exposing me and my family to serious risk while driving. As a result of this negligence, the engine has now deteriorated to the point of needing a full replacement. Subaru of

NHTSA complaint 11666353, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Excessive blow by contaminating MAP sensors & creating lean/rich conditions. This causes loss of power, stalling and will lead to catastrophic engine failure. EGR system is faulty

NHTSA complaint 11640227. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
NHTSA ID:#10186366 SUBARU TSB #[XXX] This bulletin announces a design change to the clutch release bearing. PRODUCTION CHANGE INFORMATION: The new clutch release bearing was incorporated into production starting with VIN [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11577261. 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 —
2020 17 1 —
2019 30 2 —
2018 42 2 —
2017 53 1 —
2016 31 3 —
2015 52 3 —

Other 2021 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