Subaru · Impreza · 2015
2
Recalls
79
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2015 Subaru Impreza has 2 recalls and 79 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: electrical system (12 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
9.9% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Outback vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Impreza vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to April 14, 2015, XV Crosstrek vehicles manufactured October 16, 2014, to April 15, 2015, and 2016 WRX vehicles manufactured March 23, 2015, and equipped with the Eyesight Driver Assist System. If the switch that activates the brake lights fails, the automatic pre-collision braking component of the driver assist system will not function.
Remedy Status
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the driver assist system, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQS-54.
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 CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.
Remedy Status
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.
My front passenger seat belt has been stuck and unusable since November 2025. This issue has been reported to Brandon Tomes Subaru in McKinney TX at the end of November. The seat belt was inspected and was determined faulty and covered under the warranty. The part needed to fix it wasn't unavailable and the dealership said it would be shipped. Today is April 6th of 2026 and my car has not been repaired still. It is not safe to transport passengers and I have 3 children. My oldest [XXX] ) always uses the front passenger seat. I am unable to safely drive the car and transport my family, and it very negatively affecting my family. Please help me to get my car back on the road and safely. With appreciation, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle at 10 MPH, the transmission was shifted into drive (D), and the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration at 30 MPH. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop and instead accelerated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle then crashed into a building. No air bags were deployed. The contact did not sustain any injuries, but medical attention was received on the scene. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop and had not yet been deemed totaled by the insurance company. The contact stated that a police officer later arrived at the residence to deliver a notice suspending her driver's license indefinitely due to a medical condition. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
P0018. P0016
My 2015 Impreza has had its rear wheel bearings fail twice now, and now there’s still a loud noise coming from the end of my vehicle. My most recent trip to the dealer to get a bearing replaced costed me nearly $800. The kicker is, I just rolled over 65,000 on my car. There’s no reason I should be flying through bearings this fast, and have what seems like a never ending rear-end noise that seems to only be getting louder.
Driving the 2015 Subaru Impreza the front hood popped open and crashed into my windshield. Luckily it popped at 30-40 miles per hour and I was able to stop safely. Many damage to the body of the vehicle. It has happened a couple times before (found the hood open) but the safety hook was holding the hood closed. Called the Subaru dealer at San Bernardino and they said that is not a recall for this issue and I asked to talk with a representative and they said someone will call me. After 3 days of waiting to be contacted, I called the insurance to fix the car.
All of a sudden, with no reason whatsoever, my daughter's car has "rod knock" with less than 100,000 miles on it. Bought this Subaru for my daughter so she would have a car that would last a long time and she would be safe. Maintenance was kept up at our local mechanic religiously. I am saddened and disappointed in the mechanical performance of this vehicle. Started with lights going out early in ownership when it was new, and now this. I have a Subaru Impreza as well and am strongly considering trading it in for a Honda. I have family that works for Subaru and I wanted to support family and bought 2 Impreza's based on belief that your brand was highly regarded for longevity and safety. Engine's in vehicles should last more than 100k miles, regardless of the manufacturer. This should be a recall based on internet research. My ask is that Subaru stands up to its marketing and its product and takes care of this repair at no cost.
We bought our 2015 Subaru Impreza from a used car dealer (we are second owner) in February 2020 with 55K miles on it. On our test drive, we noticed the air bag said it was off even with a passenger in the car. We agreed to purchase the vehicle upon repair. It was repaired and the mechanic guaranteed his work, and we had no issues for a year. Then, we moved across the country and the sensor began to sometimes malfunction again. The Subaru dealership quoted something like $3k to fix it. In Googling the issue, I see Subaru has had this issue in previous models. Please open an investigation to see if the problem continues in more recent years.
Battery Drain when plugging into the USB port: This is second battery that had to be replaced since purchase of the vehicle.
Power Steering failed, extremely hard to turn steering wheel, EPS Light on dash illuminated. Luckily happened in driveway. Thinking back steering seemed odd last week was less effort to turn left as opposed to turning right.
Passenger air bag will randomly turn off with passenger riding. This is well know issue with subaru and they still have not sent a recall. With this issue being so wide spread I do not think the dealership should charge over 600 dollars for this repair. I previous did this repair and the same part failed within a year and half.
I purchased a Subaru for reliability and safety reasons. This car has placed my family in some dangerous situations. Every time the outside temp is 90+ degrees F and it is driven on a road trip of 200+ miles, the car's acceleration shuts off. There is never any warning or check engine/trans lights until after this happens. Nate Wade Subaru in Salt Lake City cannot find any codes and does not know how to help. The car will not restart after being turned off, even after waiting up to an hour. We have had to tow it. The last incident taking place 7/30/2022 with our 19 year old son driving. The worst part is that twice it happened in the far left lane with no option to get over to the right side of the highway safely due to traffic. Cars/trucks from behind have narrowly missed hitting us because there was not enough shoulder to pull out of the way. This has happened both in UT and ID where posted speed limits were 70-80 mph and put us in real danger. I don't know what to do other than sell the car. But I don't feel right doing that without sharing this problem -which would then "kill" the sale. It is unacceptable to not have a fix for this issue or at least a warning light so we know when it might happen.?
My transmission completely locked up on me while driving at interstate speeds. I was traveling at 65 MPH with the car in regular driving mode, on cruise control and the transmission completely locked up on me. The front tires locked briefly, causing me to go into a small skid, which I was able to correct, and then the engine revved high and I had no power. This lockup and skid caused a rapid deceleration of the vehicle and had there been lots of traffic around me it would have caused a major accident on the interstate, possibly causing fatalities. My transmission completely locked up once I went through the nearest intersection to get to a side road. This left me stranded in the middle of a major highway intersection with no ability to physically push my vehicle out of the way. The vehicle behind me just about rear-ended me. This has been a major issue with these transmissions and a major safety issue. These transmissions should be put on a recall since this is a major safety issue. The extended warranty that Subaru has put out only waits for a problem to occur, this does not save lives but only puts them in danger. They should be FORCED to do a recall. No warning lights illuminated on the dash prior to the transmission locking up. The vehicle has been inspected by a certified mechanic and has diagnosed that it is an issue with the transmission itself and no other component on the vehicle. This issue of the CVT transmission is well documented.
Hood flew open on interstate. After driving around town running errands I drove onto the interstate got like a mile down the road. I was in the left lane going about 60 mph the hood flew open. Smashing directly into the windshield. I thankfully was able to hit my four ways and get to a stop without any collision. I couldn’t say exactly when the hood had been opened last but certainly was not recent to this occurring. Quite severe damage was caused from this happening. Immediate estimate of damages were shown to the hood, fenders, roof, windshield and unknown damage as of yet under the hood or to the eyesight system.
Yesterday, March 28, 2022 I stopped to run into a shop. Left my windows down because it was hot. My AC fan doesn’t work half the time. When I put my keys in the ignition, the key would not turn to accessories or ignite the car to start. The steering wheel was locked. The park gear shift wouldn’t move. I tried forcing these for at least 15 minutes. I had my emergency key fob and tried it repeatedly,too, but still I don’t know why it turned finally. I took to Subaru today who had a technical bulletin about it, fixed it for no charge. Says letter has gone out but I hadn’t received it. Why? I live alone, am 73, and do not have anyone to call to help. It’s unsafe because one could be stuck in the car when bad weather is outside creating a dangerous situation. Subaru called this Park-Range repair.
When put key in ignition, the car doesn’t start. The key can not be taken out of ignition. Numerous jiggles. Put foot on the brake, take foot off the brake. Eventually starts. Fear will be unable to take key out of ignition.
CAR WON'T TURN OVER IGNITION. ALL BRAKE LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. IT IMPACTED BRAKING, VDC SYSTEM, ABS SYSTEM AND CRUISE CONTROL DIDN'T WORK. OCCURRED AFTER 2 HOUR TRIP WITH NO CONCERNS AND FUNCTIONING SYSTEMS.ONLY NOTICED WHEN TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR.
A BAD OIL VALVE IN THE ENGINE TRIPPED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT UPON STARTING THE CAR. THE BAD VALVE WAS POSSIBLY LETTING SLUDGE GET INTO THE ENGINE. AT ONLY 60K ANDWITH DOING RELIGIOUS OIL CHANGES ON TIME, THIS APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE PART FOR WHICH A SERVICE BULLETIN BUT NOT A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED.
THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS (AT AROUND 16K MILES) THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME WHEN I WOULD TRY TO PARK, I'D PLACE MY CAR IN PARK, HAVE MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, BUT I COULD NOT TURN THE KEY FROM THE ACC POSITION TO THE LOCK POSITION AND ALSO COULD NOT REMOVE THE KEY. I'D HAVE TO CYCLE THE CAR ON, REVERSE A FEW FEET, GO FORWARD TO MY PARKING SPOT, PUT IN PARK AND TRY TO TURN OFF. I OFTEN HAD TO DO IT 5+ TIMES TO BE ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY. ON THIS SITE I FOUND SOME INFORMATION FROM SUBARU CLAIMING THAT SOME CARS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CONTAMINANTS GETTING TO THE "PLATE GUIDE B." ONCE I SAW THE ILLUSTRATIONS I REALIZED THAT A COMPONENT OF PLATE GUIDE B IS A LITTLE SWITCH. THE BUTTON ON THE GEAR SHIFT KNOB HAS A PLUNGER THAT DROPS WHEN THE BUTTON IS RELEASED; WHEN IT FUNCTIONS PROPERLY THAT PLUNGER SHOULD COME TO REST ON THE SWITCH IN PLATE GUIDE B AND DEACTIVATE THE LOCK IN THE IGNITION. IT SEEMS THAT OVER TIME THERE WAS A LOSS OF SPRING TENSION EITHER IN THE GEAR SHIFT KNOB OR IN THE LITTLE SWITCH SO THE PLUNGER WAS NOT ACTIVATING THE SWITCH. AFTER LEARNING ALL THIS I WAS ABLE TO DO THE REPAIR WITHOUT REPLACING ANY COMPONENTS, AND NOW THAT I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, IT CAN BE DONE IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND REQUIRES ONLY A FLAT HEAD SCREWDRIVER, A PHILIP'S SCREWDRIVER, A PAIR OF NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS AND A FLASHLIGHT. I JUST HAD TO REMOVE THE CENTER CONSOLE (TWO SCREWS IN THE BACK SEAT ONE ON EACH SIDE AND ONE UNDER THE HAND BRAKE BOOT, DISASSEMBLE THE GEAR SHIFTER COVER. (ALL PLASTIC CLIPS EASILY UNDONE WITH A FLAT HEAD SCREWDRIVER), KNOB, AND DUST COVER TO EXPOSE THE SWITCH AND THEN BEND THE EXPOSED END OF THE SWITCH SLIGHTLY UPWARD SO THE SHIFTER KNOB'S PLUNGER WILL ACTIVATE IT AGAIN. THE SWITCH LOOKS LIKE A SMALL FLAT PIECE OF METAL. I JUST HELD IT FIRMLY IN PLACE WITH A FLAT SCREW DRIVER THEN PULLED UP (GENTLY) ON THE END OF IT WITH NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS TO BEND IT SLIGHTLY UPWARD.
I HAVE A 2015 SUBARU IMPREZA WITH 31,000 MILES (OUT OF WARRANTYDUE TO AGE). THECAR HAS DEVELOPED A SMALL OIL LEAK FROM THE CAM CARRIER COVER (AKA VALVE COVER) ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND THE O2 SENSOR CAUSING A LOT OF SMOKE THAT THEN ENTERS THE CABIN. SUBARU'S ESTIMATE $4973.87. READING SUBARU FORUMS I'VE COME TO DISCOVER THAT THIS IS A PRETTY COMMON PROBLEM IN VEHICLES DATING BETWEEN 2012 AND 2017. DUE TO THE SMOKE IT CREATES IN THE CABIN, AND THE HEALTH RISKS THERE IN, AND THE SHORT LIFE OF THE PART IN QUESTION, I'D RECOMMEND A RECALL BE ISSUED.
I WAS DRIVING AS I NORMALLY DO AND PARKED MY CAR. WHEN I GO TO START IT AGAIN THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ON MY DASH BOARD LIGHTS UP AND I CAN'T MOVE MY STEERING WHEEL AT ALL. SINCE I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR I HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT THE STEERING SHAFT AND MOTOR WHERE BAD. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT SUBARU HAD THIS ISSUES IN SINCE 2013 MODELS.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2015 Subaru Impreza has 2 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 79 owner-reported complaints for the 2015 Subaru Impreza.
The 2015 Subaru Impreza received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2015 Subaru Impreza are electrical system (12 reports), unknown or other (12 reports), power train (7 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 2 recalls on record for the 2015 Subaru Impreza. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.