Every Generation Of The Subaru Impreza, Ranked Least To Most Reliable

The Subaru Impreza is an interesting vehicle, and its 30-plus year history covers a lot of ground for the Japanese automaker. The Impreza was initially created to replace the company's venerable Leone, a model active from 1972-1994. Like the Impreza, the Leone name covered several different Subaru body types, including sedans, hatchbacks, coupes, wagons — even the beloved Subaru BRAT was built from the bones of the Leone. The company knew that replacing the Leone would be no small feat, and the introduction of the Impreza saw the new model's minimalist design paired with both a sedan and wagon body style. The Impreza would go on to spawn Subaru models like the Outback, WRX, and Crosstrek, keeping the spirit of the Leone alive in the acclaimed Impreza name.

The Subaru Impreza is currently on its sixth redesign, or "generation," and the model has seen its fair share of highs and lows. Customer complaints and recalls balance out redesigns so successfully that they were born with new product lines. Per iSeeCars, the Impreza sedan is Subaru's sixth-most reliable model, while the Impreza wagon comes in at fifth place behind the first place (but discontinued) Tribeca. Repair Pal rates the Impreza's reliability at a 3 ½ out of 5, putting it at 33rd out of 36 compact cars ranked.

SlashGear has ranked all six generations based on reliability metrics from several sources, including the opinions of longtime Subaru mechanics and information from public databases, balanced with reviews of Imprezas across every product generation.

With over 1,100 complaints on Car Complaints and 30 recalls over six years, it's no surprise that the fourth generation of Impreza lands at the bottom of our reliability ranking. And these aren't minor issues that affect the 2011-2016 model years, either — we're talking about major engine problems, airbag issues, transmission failures, and electrical concerns. Car Complaints rates the 2012 model year as the single worst for the Subaru Impreza due to the high cost of repairs due to its many issues, including excessive oil consumption and unintended acceleration.

234 complaints and six recalls were issued for the 2012 Impreza on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website. 118 of those complaints are related to the airbags, leading to a recall of passenger-side airbags that affected over 30,000 2012 Imprezas. Other recalls involving the 2012 Impreza were for issues involving brake lights, engine valve springs, air pump relays, starter fob malfunctions, and brake pedal problems. If your car gets recalled, it's usually a pretty straightforward process to get repairs performed. However, they don't instill much confidence in the integrity of the machine. 

It's a shame, too, because the fourth-gen redesign of the Impreza wasn't all bad. A huge variety of body designs meant there was something for everyone, in theory, from the affordable base sedan to the crossover-before-that-was-a-thing Outback Sport and turbocharged 305-horsepower WRX STI.

Unfortunately, the fourth generation Impreza's multiple issues and expensive repair costs combine to make the model's 2011-2016 versions the least reliable among the Subaru Impreza's lineup.

The shortest-lived generation of the Impreza suffered from several issues that became common knowledge among mechanics. Is the check engine light on? It's probably the front 02 sensor, which is known for cracking. Engine misfires also plague later years of the third-gen Impreza. Excessive oil consumption often led to engine damage as well, especially for Subaru owners who weren't aware that the oil in these Subaru needed to be checked frequently.

While Car Complaints lists the 2012 Impreza as the worst version of the model, the 2008 has more recalls and more complaints lodged with the NHTSA. It's also on SlashGear's list of used Subaru models to avoid. The '08 Impreza's recalls cover a number of vital systems, making a terrifying list of possibilities for owners: the passenger frontal airbag may explode or rupture, the ignition switch may randomly turn off on its own, brake lights may not illuminate, the air pump may overheat, brake lines may corrode and fail, aftermarket roof load carriers may break off, and an engine oil supply pipe may crack, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire.

Later years of the third-gen Impreza weren't much better, either. The 2009 and 2010 also had 15 recalls each, enough for Subaru to realize what they had on their hands. The company abandoned the third generation of the Impreza just four years into its lifespan and moved into the model's fourth generation in 2011.

The second generation of the Subaru Impreza was made with some interesting design choices. At the top of that list was the "bugeye" headlight style, which would be replaced by equally beloved "blobeye" and "hawkeye" headlight assemblies in the years to follow. Scoobie fans argue to this day about which is the superior headlight design in both Imprezas and WRXs — which were still considered Impreza trims in the gen-two models — but it's a choice that is mostly rooted in personal preference.

Engine and clutch issues plagued Imprezas from 1997-2005, which unfortunately means that the vast majority of Imprezas made for its second generation fell into that category. Noises, belt failures, and head gasket issues were the norm for these vehicles. Transmission, cruise control, and front lower control arm issues all resulted in recalls for early second-generation model years, and several massive airbag recalls related to the 2004-2011 model years added to problems for this subset of Impreza owners.

Overall, the second generation of Impreza was a middling example of a Subaru. Available as a sedan, wagon, or Outback Sport in the 2000 redesign year, the Impreza's reliable engine and safety-minded design fell victim to some large recalls, making it difficult to rate higher than the midpoint of our ranking.

Subaru is generally considered a maker of trustworthy vehicles, earning a spot on SlashGear's list of the most reliable car brands. The current generation of Imprezas is tough to rank because of its brief lifespan, so far. With only two model years of history behind it, one can't really base a reliability rating on much more than design impressions and immediate issues that have come to the surface. However, we do have a few data points already available that help us rank this most recent set of Imprezas. For example, both the 2023 and 2024 Impreza have earned perfect safety ratings from the NHTSA, with both getting five-star ratings on every metric the government tests.

The 2024 Impreza has a projected reliability score of 69/100 from Consumer Reports, based on the company's customer surveys, previous model year reliability, and CR's own testing. The 2023 Impreza has a less impressive reliability score of just 29/100, although any redesign year is hard to measure due to new problems popping up, and Consumer Reports' reliability ratings are based on the last three model years, making the 2023 year a victim of previous years' issues.

For now, we'll put the current generation of the Subaru Impreza in the middle of the pack, although if its current reputation holds steady it could move up in a future list.

The fifth-generation Impreza had plenty to improve upon when it was introduced at the 2016 New York International Auto Show. Introducing a new "Subaru Global Platform" provided the bones for this redesign, making for a slightly larger Impreza that also improved crash energy absorption.

While most Subarus including the all wheel drive Impreza are considered some of the safest and most reliable cars to drive, Subaru nevertheless added more steel to its newest platform, improving rigidity and several other design changes were implemented in the fifth generation of the model that improved performance and comfort for both the wagon and sedan flavors of the Impreza. Handling, visibility, infotainment, and cargo space were also all improved with the fifth-generation Impreza.

This new platform paired well with Subaru's FB20 engine, a 2.0-liter engine that kicked out 152 horsepower. The replacement for the invincible EJ22 would never live up to its predecessor's legendary reputation. However, Subarus, which utilized the FB20, still made for some of the best years of the Impreza in terms of reliability.

The Impreza was initially offered in both wagon and sedan versions, and in terms of reliability, these first eight years of the model are considered some of the best. They had to be — replacing the Subaru Leone was a risk, and Subaru knew it would have to introduce a model as versatile and durable as the 22-year-old Leone it was taking off the market. Fortunately, the company born from Fuji Heavy Industries knew a thing or two about versatility, itself having gone from a Japanese World War II aircraft manufacturer to one of the biggest Japanese automakers.

That first generation of Imprezas introduced the world to another first for Subaru. Not only did both the wagon and sedan variants of the Impreza share a platform with the Subaru Legacy, but Subaru's engineers unleashed a rally monster in the Impreza-adjacent WRX. These days, the WRX is its own separate model, with new versions appearing annually. If you're interested in more about these iconic rally cars, SlashGear has you covered with our generational list of WRXes, ranked by speed.

The dependability of these vehicles rests mostly on the merits of the legendary Subaru EJ22 engine. Used in Imprezas made from 1995 to 2001, including the bulk of the Gen-1 models, the "EJ" powerhouse is often referred to as the most reliable engine that Subaru ever produced. That engine's bulletproof nature means that well-maintained first-gen Imprezas are still rolling today.

[Featured image by OSX II via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

Rankings were achieved through the aggregation of data from a number of sources. Reliable websites like Consumer Reports, iSeeCars, and Repair Pal were consulted for year-by-year reliability ratings of Subaru Imprezas. Databases like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and CarComplaints.com were referenced for complaints logged and recalls issued by model year. My 15 years of experience as a mechanic in Colorado, a state known for its large Subaru population, was also factored into the rankings, along with the opinions of current and former mechanics, including dealership techs and Subaru specialists.