There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2005 Subaru Imprezain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE KEY INTERMITTENTLY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH WHEN THE GEARSTICK IS SET IN THE 'PARK' POSITION. THE CAR CAN BE TURNED OFF, BUT THE KEY CANNOT BE MOVED FORWARD INTO THE #1 POSITION (LOCK/OFF) AND CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION IN THE #2 POSITION (ACCESSORY). THIS SCENARIO RETAINS THE ELECTRICAL IN THE 'ON' POSITION WHICH POTENTIALLY DRAINS THE BATTERY AND FORCES THE DRIVER TO INDEFINITELY REMAIN WITH THE VEHICLE TO AVOID A DEAD BATTERY AND/OR VEHICLE THEFT. SUBARU HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS ISSUE IN SERVICE BULLETIN 16-112-18R (NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10155220). THE SUMMARY IS AS FOLLOWS: 'THIS BULLETIN ANNOUNCES A DESIGN CHANGE TO THE CVT SELECT LEVER (SHIFTER) MECHANISM IN RESPONSE TO ISOLATED CUSTOMER CONCERNS OF NOT BEING ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK. THE CAUSE IS CONTAMINATION OF THE PARK-RANGE SWITCH INTERNAL COMPONENTS.' MANY CONSUMERS BELIEVE THAT IF THIS PROBLEM WAS SERIOUS ENOUGH TO REQUIRE A REDESIGN TO THE CVT (CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION), THEN IT IS SERIOUS ENOUGH TO REQUIRE A RECALL.' PLEASE NOTE THAT EVEN THOUGH YOUR INCIDENT REPORT FORM REQUIRES THE USER TO SELECT "ONE DATE" WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENED, THAT THIS INCIDENT IS ONLY THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OUT OF MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES. THE PROBLEM IS NOW ONGOING AND UNRESOLVED FROM THE REPORTED DATE FORWARD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU IMPREZA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE. THE CONTACT SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND REGAINED ACCELERATION AFTER RESTARTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE BUT SUGGESTED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY BE REPLACED. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED AFTER THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,000.
WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITHIN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, AROUND 35 MPH AND TRANSMISSION JUST DIED. ENGINE AND POWER WERE WORKING, HOWEVER THE CLUTCH AND TRANSMISSION WERE NOT RESPONDING. CAR WAS PICKED UP AND TOWED TO NEAREST SUBARU DEALER. DEALERSHIP REPORTED THE CLUTCH WAS WORN OUT BY DRIVER AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. AT ONLY 9,000 MILES. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. THEN IT WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026