The Used Car Index

2018 Subaru WRX problems

NHTSA lists 45 complaints for the 2018 Subaru WRX, 6 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 3 complaints mention an injury, with 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU WRX.

At a glance

Complaints
45
With crash
6
With fire
1
With injury (complaints)
3
Injuries
4
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
175,968
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
368

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE1226.7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1022.2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER817.8%
STEERING715.6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM613.3%
POWER TRAIN613.3%
AIR BAGS48.9%
VISIBILITY/WIPER48.9%
WHEELS36.7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING24.4%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINEDELIVERY1
STRUCTUREBODY1

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 failure1635.6%0.84
electrical electronic920.0%0.85
loss of control817.8%0.88
fluid or fuel leak36.7%0.90
unclear36.7%1.00
fire or overheating24.4%0.83
restraint or airbag24.4%0.97
structural or corrosion12.2%0.60
visibility or lighting12.2%0.32
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate2044.4%0.82
low1533.3%0.73
high817.8%0.94
none24.4%0.99

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 45 tagged complaints of 45 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.

2 recalls.

22V522000

Date: 2022-07-21. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

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.

Consequence: Inoperative backup lights and an inoperative rearview camera can reduce vehicle visibility and driver awareness, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V587000

Date: 2021-07-29. Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

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.

Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

368 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM173
EQUIPMENT119
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING38
POWER TRAIN38
ENGINE32
UNKNOWN OR OTHER27
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY24
STRUCTURE12

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.

11037938

Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

"This Bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following DTCs: DTC C1956: RH Actuator Circuit DTC C1957: LH Actuator Circuit"

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.

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
WRX43
WRX STI2

Same model, other years

All model years | All Subaru models

Other Subaru models, 2018

Sources

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