The Used Car Index

2016 Subaru Impreza problems

NHTSA lists 75 complaints for the 2016 Subaru Impreza, 7 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 2 complaints mention an injury, with 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU IMPREZA.

At a glance

Complaints
75
With crash
7
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
2
Injuries
2
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
1,303,530
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
359

Complaints per 100k sold: 130.267. Units sold: 57,574; sales year: 2016; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1925.3%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1418.7%
POWER TRAIN1317.3%
AIR BAGS810.7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL810.7%
SERVICE BRAKES68.0%
STEERING56.7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING45.3%
STRUCTURE45.3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER45.3%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY3
AIR BAGSSENSOR2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMIGNITION1
EXTERIOR LIGHTINGHEADLIGHTS1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESHOOD1
STRUCTURECRITICAL FASTENERS1
VISIBILITYWINDSHIELD1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure2837.3%0.78
loss of control1722.7%0.87
electrical electronic1114.7%0.83
restraint or airbag810.7%0.86
structural or corrosion45.3%0.62
visibility or lighting45.3%0.87
fire or overheating11.3%1.00
noise or comfort11.3%0.94
unclear11.3%0.96
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
low3344.0%0.77
moderate3242.7%0.87
high1013.3%0.96

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 75 tagged complaints of 75 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

1 recalls.

19V149000

Date: 2019-02-28. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

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 C (excerpt)

Consequence: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

359 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM157
EQUIPMENT138
POWER TRAIN36
UNKNOWN OR OTHER27
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING22
ENGINE21
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY21
STRUCTURE17

11037943

Date: 2026-10-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.

11037940

Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.

11037930

Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.

11037927

Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11037929

Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11036807

Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11036810

Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11036796

Date: 2026-08-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

11036794

Date: 2026-08-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Techtips newsletter locator index.

11036789

Date: 2026-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
IMPREZA75

Same model, other years

All model years | All Subaru models

Other Subaru models, 2016

Sources

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