10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,350 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Subaru Impreza Owner Comments

problem #11

May 082019

Impreza

  • 136,000 miles

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

Leased from bizzaros the car was inspected with a broken seat belt there's recalls the car keeps eating bearings and hubs the car is simply not safe and bizzaros told me nothingness is wrong with it the power train brakes and rotors and tires were filled to 69psi when got

- Albion, PA, USA

problem #10

May 122019

Impreza

  • 47,000 miles
1. 5/12/17. Random surge from stop or slow speed. Stopped at light, gently stepped on gas to pull ahead, car surged hard and quickly into the car in front of me. $1500 damage to my car. 2. 1/11/18. Stopped at light, gently stepped on gas to pull ahead, car surged very hard and quickly into the car in front of me, that was quite some distance away! as I knew the car has an issue with surging. This time $9500 damage to my car, unknown amount to other car. State farm should have totaled car, said interior was in great condition. So now we have to keep driving a car that is not safe. 3. 3/5/18 (approx) this time I went to pick up my grandson at afternoon program, the parking lot on hill overlooking the school. Stopped to park, needed to pull up a bit, gently stepped on gas and car surged hard and quickly. If curb had not been big enough, I would have went down hill into classroom full of children. The response from Subaru has been there's nothing wrong, just very responsive gas pedal. Bs! I have been driving for 40 years with no accidents now 2 in 6 months and I almost was involved in a major tragedy. This needs to stop now before someone is killed. Make Subaru recall immediately and fix this issue. I am not the only one, I found out online. The reason we bought a Subaru was for safety, now it is not safe to drive.

- El Cajon, CA, USA

problem #9

Apr 012019

Impreza

  • 88,000 miles
Lost throttle control on the highway(throttle disconnected?) doing 60+mph, car behind almost hit me. Code shows a faulty pedal position assembly.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #8

Dec 152017

Impreza

  • 29,826 miles

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

My wife was driving the car to a friend's house. As she entered the parking area, the car accelerated and crashed into the house. The front and side airbags came out. The only injury to her was a badly scraped right leg and chest pain. The house suffered damage.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #7

Aug 052016

Impreza

  • 45,000 miles
On three separate occasions (April 10, 2016, June 13, 2016 and August 5, 2016),suddenly and without warning, the car stopped responding to gas pedal input, stopped running, and coasted to a stop. The engine would continue to run, but the car would not move. Fortunately the incidents occurred while on city streets, and not on the freeway. Had I been on the freeway, I would have been rear ended. That would have had tragic, perhaps fatal consequences. The car is currently at the dealer's for repair after the third and latest incident. I had taken it to the dealer's after each of the other incidents as well.

- Bountiful, UT, USA

problem #6

Jun 272016

Impreza 4-cyl

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. While attempting to exit a parking lot, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. The contact mentioned that the vehicle resumed normal operation after engaging the brakes. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 57,000. Updated 09/28/16

- Somerset, NJ, USA

problem #5

Apr 172016

Impreza

  • 41,000 miles

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

I was driving on the highway and I was accelerating to pass someone when all of a sudden my car revved up very high and accelerated very fast to an unintended speed. I braked with no effect. I put all my weight on the brake, almost standing up, for about 10 seconds, then I heard a loud snap under the car, like I just unstuck something, then it revved back down to a controllable speed. If it wasnt for the fact it was early morning and there weren't as many cars around me on this highway I would have surely been hit or hit somebody else. Very scary. Luckily, I didn't, and my car's been driving okay for past few days ; it is at the dealership as I write this (4/21/16) getting checked out.

- Paoli, PA, USA

problem #4

Aug 042014

Impreza 4-cyl

  • 40,543 miles
Upon entering a parking garage and parking, the car accelerated on its own and crashed into a cement wall. I was driving slowly having just made several turns within the garage and then aligned, as usual, with the lines to park. The car revved extremely high and took off straight into the wall throwing me back in to the seat. I only needed to softly tap the brakes to break normally, but it took off. After the incident, I made sure to check the foot pedal area to see if anything was interfering with the gas, but nothing was near. The mats are cut well away from the pedals. I suffered burns/scrapes from the seat belt across my collar bone, whiplash from the impact, as well as, a sore chest also from the impact and seat belt. I felt like the car was possessed and took over. I refuse to drive this vehicle again. I am scared that someone could have been hurt, or worse, due to this defect in the car.

- Attleboro, MA, USA

problem #3

Aug 022013

Impreza 4-cyl

  • 18,000 miles
Driving about 30 - 35mph when all of a sudden the car lost power. The car did not stall, but engine went down to idle speed and my accelerator pedal had no throttle control. The "check engine " light came on as well as the "traction control" light. I drifted to the right shoulder of the road and turned engine off. After opening the hood to check engine - observed nothing unusual - I re-started the car. The car seemed back to normal, but the engine code lights stayed on. The warning lights eventually turned themselves off - 3 or 4 re-starts later. Subaru dealer reported a P2138 obd code, but he did not replace/repair anything. The same exact thing happened 9 months later (July 2, 2014), and Subaru dealer reported a P2138 code once again. No repairs or replacements done!

- East Islip, NY, USA

problem #2

Sep 122012

Impreza 4-cyl

  • 6,175 miles
While driving in normal circumstances, engine power was lost, and complete loss of throttle control occurred. Car would accelerate extremely slowly, and not past 20-25 mph (presumably 'engine fail-safe mode'?). thankfully not on a high-speed road. Obd code was P2138, indicating a faulty accelerator position sensor, which was replaced by dealer under warranty.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #1

Jan 052014

Impreza 4-cyl

  • 34,310 miles
While driving in normal circumstances, engine power cut out, and complete loss of throttle control occurred. The car could only accelerate extremely slowly, and not past 20-25 mph. Thankfully not on a high-speed road. Managed to get home (barely), car worked fine the next day. Dealer found obd code P0128, reprogrammed ECM to remove the code. The same problem had occurred ~1 year previously due to a faulty accelerator position sensor (NHTSA complaint recently filed). Dealer claims causes are unrelated. This can be a serious safety concern if it occurs on a highway, we no longer feel safe driving this car.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

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