Reliable Auto DB

2012 Subaru Impreza reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2012 Subaru Impreza has 243 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 21 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Impreza years here — over the median of the other years, which is 9. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Switch, Engine, and Electrical system.

2012 Subaru Impreza
Photo by TTTNIS, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC0
Complaints

243

Per year

21

Recalls

6

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (105 of 243), then Engine (55) and Electrical system (30). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 6 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Impreza has 249 complaints, 11 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Subaru Impreza. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall exterior lighting, brake lights, switch 2019-02-28 · NHTSA campaign 19V149000
Summary 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 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.
Recall Engine 2018-11-01 · NHTSA campaign 18V772000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Subaru Impreza, 2012-2013 Impreza Stationwagon, 2013 Subaru BRZ, XV Crosstrek and Toyota Scion FR-S vehicles. The engine valve springs in these vehicles may fracture causing an engine malfunction or a possible engine stall.
Remedy Subaru will notify their owners. Toyota will notify the FR-S owners. Dealers will replace the valve springs, free of charge. The recall began December 26, 2018. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614, Toyota owners may contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-888-270-9371. Subaru's number for this recall is WTY-84.
Recall Electrical system 2016-10-13 · NHTSA campaign 16V738000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
Remedy Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2015-07-01 · NHTSA campaign 15V419000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012 model year Subaru Impreza 4-Door and Station Wagon vehicles (except WRX/STI models) manufactured April 21, 2011, to February 16, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may deactivate if a front seat passenger operates a device that is plugged into the power outlet such as a music player or cell phone, or touches a metal part of the vehicle such as the forward/rearward seat adjuster lever.
Remedy Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Occupant Control Unit with a modified one, free of charge. The recall began August 21, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQT-55.
Recall Electrical system 2013-02-25 · NHTSA campaign 13V061000
Summary Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Remedy Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Recall hydraulic brakes, pedals and linkages 2011-11-29 · NHTSA campaign 11V562000
Summary SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 IMPREZA SEDANS AND WAGONS (EXCEPT WRX/STI MODELS), MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 21, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 15, 2011, AND LEGACY AND OUTBACK VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 17, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 23, 2011. THESE VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH A BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER THAT COULD MALFUNCTION AND CAUSE AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL DISTANCE REQUIRED TO SLOW OR STOP THE VEHICLE.
Remedy SUBARU WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE IT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING DECEMBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

Complaints by component (243 total)

Air bags
105
Engine
55
Electrical system
30
Powertrain
26
Seats
15
Service brakes
13
Speed control
11
Steering
10
Wheels
7
Structure
6
Fuel system, gasoline
5
Suspension
5
Exterior lighting
4
Seat belts
4
Visibility
4
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Hydraulic brakes
2
Tires
2
Chest clip, buckle, and harness
1
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

10

Fire-flagged

4

Injury reports

6

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

12011142012132013362014362015172016162017222018382019232020220216202272023420246202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "My Chicco Fit360 car seat’s magnetic chest clip is failing to stay clipped and is easily unclipped by the tug of one finger. Children are able to easily unclip it as well. Yes it is available for inspection upon…"
    chest clip, buckle, and harness · filed 2026-09-11
  • "My ignition key gets stuck when I shifted into park on my 2012 subaru impreza."
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-05-23
  • "The fan controls in the center of the dash failed. Fan speed 1&2 work, but 3&4 do not. After pulling the center dash controls out, I found that the plug connecting the fan speed controls to the wiring harness was burnt.…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-08-23
  • "HVAC plug pigtail Blower motor resistor Heater control harness Is available for inspection HVAC electrical plugin was badly burned and melted causing risk of fire Summer months created dangerous interior temperatures…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2025-05-15
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop immediately. The brake warning light…"
    Suspension, Hydraulic brakes · filed 2025-03-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Subaru Impreza 4 DR AWD 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars
2012 Subaru Impreza SW AWD 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Impreza all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) All-wheel drive 27 35 30 MPG $2150
Impreza all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed All-wheel drive 19 25 21 MPG $3800
Impreza all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed All-wheel drive 24 33 28 MPG $2300
Impreza all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed All-wheel drive 17 23 19 MPG $4200
Impreza Wagon/Outback Sport all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) All-wheel drive 27 35 30 MPG $2150
Impreza Wagon/Outback Sport all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed All-wheel drive 24 33 27 MPG $2400
Impreza Wagon/Outback Sport all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed All-wheel drive 19 25 21 MPG $3800
Impreza Wagon/Outback Sport all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed All-wheel drive 17 23 19 MPG $4200

Specs and fitment

4th generation (GJ), 2012–2016
Body styles Sedan, Wagon
Oil 0W-20 synthetic (2.0L; 5W-30 if 0W-20 unavailable) , 4.8 qt capacity
Tire size 205/50R17, 205/55R16, 195/65R15 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 19V149000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that 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. Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash. 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. When NHTSA lists multiple Subaru nameplates in one campaign, the published unit count is shared across them.

Compare

Next year 2013 Subaru Impreza See every Subaru Impreza model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Subaru Impreza reliable?

The 2012 Subaru Impreza has 243 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 21 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Impreza years here — over the median of the other years, which is 9. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Switch, Engine, and Electrical system.

What are common problems with a 2012 Subaru Impreza?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (105 of 243), then Engine (55) and Electrical system (30). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 6 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Subaru Impreza more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Impreza has 249 complaints, 11 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Subaru Impreza been recalled?

The 2012 Subaru Impreza has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Subaru Impreza?

Owners have filed 243 complaints about the 2012 Subaru Impreza with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Subaru Impreza get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Subaru Impreza is 24.4 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Subaru Impreza use?

US Impreza manuals specify 0W-20 synthetic for the FB 2.0L, with 5W-30 only when 0W-20 is unavailable.

What generation is the 2019 Subaru Impreza?

5th generation / GK-GT (2017-2022).

What body styles does the Subaru Impreza offer?

US Impreza generations on this site include sedan and wagon (hatchback) body styles.