2013 Subaru Impreza reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 249 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Subaru Impreza over 14 years — 11 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 4 recalls on file, including Switch, Engine, and Electrical system.

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

Complaints

249

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (79 of 249), then Engine (74) and Electrical system (33). Those filings include 13 that report a crash, 7 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Impreza has 243 complaints, 21 per year, and the 2014 has 108 complaints, 7 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

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 2013 Subaru Impreza. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

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 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.

Complaints by component (249 total)

Air bags

Engine

Electrical system

Powertrain

Service brakes

Steering

Speed control

Seats

Exterior lighting

Seat belts

Structure

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Fuel and propulsion system

Engine and engine cooling

Hydraulic brakes

Visibility and wipers

Equipment

Forward collision avoidance

Fuel system, gasoline

Visibility

Wheels

Show 13 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The brakes failed due to a leak in the brake lines (pedal to the floor). Location of the leak is just after a union on the passenger side rear (just in front of the rear tire). Location is not well protected from…"
Service brakes · filed 2026-08-08
"Subaru stutters stalls, torque converter malfunction"
Engine · filed 2026-04-11
"Air bags did not go off after a car accident with a commercial box truck, car seems to be totaled. Insurance is going to inspect vehicle to confirm it being totaled. No warning lights were on at the time. Just passed…"
Air bags, Unknown or other · filed 2025-11-27
"A crack appeared in the area noted as the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) Gear Box housing Assembly. The dealership said it was in fact dangerous as it could affect the steering. My car has a distinct 'pull to the left'…"
Steering · filed 2025-10-14
"My steering is randomly lurching left. It has happened off and on intermittently since it started in early September 2025. It happens at various speeds, but currently only when turning the steering wheel slightly to the…"
Steering · filed 2025-09-08

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Subaru Impreza 4 DR AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	5 stars
2013 Subaru Impreza SW AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 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	Manual 5-speed	All-wheel drive	24	33	28 MPG	$2300
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	2.5L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	All-wheel drive	17	23	19 MPG	$4200
Impreza Wagon all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Manual 5-speed	All-wheel drive	19	25	21 MPG	$3800
Impreza Wagon all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	All-wheel drive	17	23	19 MPG	$4200
Impreza Wagon all-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	All-wheel drive	27	35	30 MPG	$2150
Impreza Wagon all-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Manual 5-speed	All-wheel drive	24	33	27 MPG	$2400

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

Previous year 2012 Subaru Impreza Next year 2014 Subaru Impreza See every Subaru Impreza model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Subaru Impreza reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Subaru Impreza?

Is the 2013 Subaru Impreza more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2013 Subaru Impreza been recalled?

The 2013 Subaru Impreza has 4 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 2013 Subaru Impreza?

Owners have filed 249 complaints about the 2013 Subaru Impreza with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Subaru Impreza get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 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.