10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,995 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Subaru Impreza brakes problems

brakes problem

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2012 Subaru Impreza Owner Comments

problem #12

Apr 012023

Impreza

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brake Lamp Switch failed in 2018 - we diagnosed the issue, based partly on information from other Subaru owners who had the same problem, and replaced the switch. Since that time, the brake lights have worked fine. We reported this in a letter to Subaru after their recall for the brake lamp switch replacement in 2019. They refused to pay for the part as we no longer have the receipt (not having a crystal ball, we couldn't see any reason to keep it for more than a year in 2018). We did not contest this - in fact, I had merely asked, in my letter, that they note that the part had already failed and been repaired in their records - however, they continue to flag the car as an open safety recall and insist that we bring the car in to replace a switch that no longer needs replacing. I am filing this complaint in the hope that an official record of the incident will fix the records on our car, as their constant recall notices are becoming increasingly more insistent and annoying, and they have also inaccurately noted it as an open recall at the DMV.

- Salisbury, MD, USA

problem #11

Jan 102023

Impreza

  • miles
While driving, I suddenly lost braking ability and the brake pedal would go to the floor before slowing the car. I drove slowly approximately 1-2 miles, using the emergency brake and downshifting to control my speed, stopping at a local auto repair garage. On inspection, on the brake lines had rusted through completely and the other was soft, leaking brake fluid.

- Littleton, NH, USA

problem #10

Nov 112020

Impreza

  • 40,000 miles
When depressing the clutch pedal, there is a squeak coming from under the dashboard within the footwell area. Squeak is constant. For Subaru has issued a service bulletin #12-190-15R to fix the clutch & brake pedal assembly for model years 2015-2016 but not before. It is my understanding that a crack in the assembly is causing this issue and if left unattended, ultimately could cause decreased or complete failure of the clutch and/or brake functionality. Subaru has redesigned the original part (#36004fg050) with a new one (#36004fg051) but has not offered to fix under an extended warranty. I feel this should be a lifetime part, which is critical to safely operating the vehicle, and any replacement cost to fix should be paid for by the manufacturer regardless of the vehicle's age. The attached picture is not from my car. I was able to find many of these photos on the internet as this is a very common problem.

- Oradell, NJ, USA

problem #9

Jan 162019

Impreza

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Bent frame: 2012 Subaru Impreza sport, AWD w/pzev, ordered 03/2012 new from joseph Subaru, florence, ky, w/42228 to date 09/27/19. Original complaints described to dealer and manufacture include: *when ordering thought the car had a higher road clearance for rural driving from pictures on internet, *driving car it wanders over the road, *tires deflate (wore out before 20,000 mi., saved to replace @ sears, mi 23850 in 04/2016), some *paint chipped off, w/*sluggish 'transmission' & 'braking system, ' & belt or screech noise upon start-up (no assistance from manufacturer & dealers who denied problems). With unresponsive joseph Subaru dealer/service being 75 miles drive 1-way, so by 6/12/12 took car to dealer neil huffman service (nhs), louisville, ky, ~22.4 mi 1-way, for service & hoped for help w/original complaints: New complaints; *masters cylinder & *coolant are topped-off w/most oil changes as fluids seem to evaporate, *windshield fogs-up unless a window is open, engine overheated & lost oil after 3rd oil change (seemingly due to valvoline OW20 synthetic oil of 08/07/2013, so replaced w/synthetic oil stabilizer), windshield wiper fell off & piece of body-part bumper cover was falling off; plus had to replace battery & alternator @ 22767 mi. Had to take car to a local/reputable repair service (morton's) to get reimbursed from sears tire/auto center for nhs, reporting, on 01/2019, the sears tires had been mounted improperly, also showed rear-brakes need replaced, hundreds of dollars of maintenance needed done & the car has 2 recalls. However, after morton's fixed the improperly mounted tires, asked if I had trouble w/the alignment of the vehicle (Y) or if it had been in a accident (N), then informed the car has a *'bent frame.' My vertigo got worse, so I have not been able to get back to ky for the recalls, & confused & bummed-out about the bent-frame. What can I do?

- Floyds Knobs, IN, USA

problem #8

Oct 052018

Impreza

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that the manufacturer failed to provide the part within a reasonable timeframe for NHTSA campaign numbers: 18V772000 (engine and engine cooling) and 19V149000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was contacted and provided a case number. The parts were not available and the contact had been waiting for months for the parts to arrive. In addition, the contact had to pump or apply excessive force to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. Kearny mesa Subaru (4797 convoy St, san diego, ca 92111, (858) 278-7100) was notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #7

Sep 282016

Impreza

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. While driving 30 mph, the bolt attached to the brake caliper fractured. The vehicle was taken to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Manhattan Beach, CA, USA

problem #6

Aug 082016

Impreza

  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car with only 65,000miles, minimal braking since live and travel on country road. Had rear brake pads replaced. One month later, after long drive then car sitting for a week, master cylinder failed. Noted no brakes when started up the car again.

- Freeport, ME, USA

problem #5

Jul 312015

Impreza

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. While driving at 10 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the contact crashed into a metal power box and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Renton, WA, USA

problem #4

Dec 162013

Impreza

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. While driving on an icy road at approximately 30 mph, the brakes were engaged and failed to stop the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle and the frontal air bags failed to deploy. It was unknown if any injuries were sustained or if a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound yard and then to the dealer. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Raspid City, SD, USA

problem #3

Jan 012014

Impreza

  • 26,500 miles
Addendum to 12/30/13 complaint: In addition to the previously outlined problems: 1. car is now loosing oil. At 26,500 miles the low oil level light came on. Checked oil level and revealed car had lost approx 1.5-2 qt since last regularly scheduled oil change. 2. brakes squeal when you first compress the pedal. I had the brakes inspected and was told nothing was wrong with them or the brake pad. I do not think this is normal to occur every time you touch the brakes unless something is wrong. Brakes did not start making noise until 25,000 miles. * confidence this car is trustworthy. Seriously worried about its reliability/ cost to repair after warranty expires.**

- Waldorf, MD, USA

problem #2

Jan 282013

Impreza

  • 47,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and abnormally traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle continued to accelerate until constant pressure was applied to the brakes. The failure recurred three times. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 11V562000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician was unable to duplicate the problem. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 47,000.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

problem #1

Jan 122013

Impreza 4-cyl

  • 9,441 miles
This issue has happened twice, so I feel it's necessary to report it to the NHTSA. The first time this issue was happening, I was following another car going slightly downhill at about 30mph. The posted speed limit was 35mph so I felt like I was constantly switching back and forth between throttle and brake, but not so quickly as to press them at the same time. When this issue occured, there were three solid yellow/orange/gold (depending on how you look at colors) lights lit up solidly in the instrument cluster: The traction control light, the ABS light, and the hill hold assist light. I immediately pulled into the nearest parking lot which was about 15 feet away. I tried everything to get the lights to go away before turning the car off, and when nothing worked I finally just cycled the ignition off then back on. All three magically went away by doing this. The second time this happened was only a few days ago and I was literally just sitting in my driveway on a level surface. My house is recessed into the ground about 10 feet from the top of my driveway, where the top is actually level and it is where I was sitting at. Sitting there, I revved my engine and slowly rolled down the driveway (in neutral, so I didn't go anywhere). Before the rpms went back to an idle I started rolling down our driveway (which is at least a 30 degree slope downhill) but when rolling down I was definitely on the brakes a little as to not go even past 1mph -- so very slow. I noticed all three lights came on again. This time I decided to let it sit for a while so I can try even more troubleshooting. Still no results unless I cycled the ignition. I took it into the dealer today for an ECM update they sent me in the mail, and they said they did see a "brake switch error" for code "history" but there were no current codes. A simple google search shows hundreds of people with the same problem.

- Lake Oswego, OR, USA

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