5.5

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,595 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.

2016 Subaru Impreza miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2016 Subaru Impreza Owner Comments

problem #19

Jan 072024

Impreza

  • miles

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

Key will not turn past ACC after driving and so will not allow key to be removed from the car. This is a sporadic issue but could be a safety concern if needing to leave the car for an emergency as it runs down the battery and will not allow me to secure the vehicle. Driving around for 5 to 10 minutes more usually solves the problem but I might not have that extra time in an emergency! This has occurred several times, most recently today.

- Annapolis , MD, USA

problem #18

Sep 222022

Impreza

  • miles
I was driving on the highway when I experienced a sudden jerking and my car stopped accelerating while going about 67 miles an hour and came to a stop on the highway. It was dark outside and I was left in the road without the ability to turn my car back on. I towed the car to the dealership, and they couldn't diagnose a problem. The same thing happened two weeks later and they told me that because the car was less than a quarter-tank both times, that I shouldn't drive my car with less than a quarter tank of gas or I'd be at risk of this happening again. Being on the highway with cars rushing past in the dark several times put my safety at risk and the safety of other drivers. I later experienced knocking/jerking around 10 miles an hour, that led to a suspected problem with the transmission. The car would also hesitate accelerating when stopped, and would experience the same jerking motion with a thud at the same time. I brought the car in again, and they couldn't diagnose the problem, but recommended a service that may fix the issue. I experienced the same issue so I brought the car back in. They replicated the issue and did work under warranty to replace the torque converter. I experienced the same problem and brought the car back in, but they can't diagnose the issue now. I believe my car transmission is still faulty and puts me at risk of stalling while driving at highway speeds, which could very easily put me and others at risk. I had to bring my car in several times for them to acknowledge a problem, and have been put into the same car which i believe is unsafe each time. When the car stalled on the highway there were blinking warning lights, but there was no diagnosis at the dealership. The car is currently at the dealership and they want me to drive it for them to show them the problem again with jerking/knocking. I'm getting all my invoices together to have more documentation, and will have more by the end of the day.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #17

May 022022

Impreza

  • miles
Intermittently unable to remove the keys from ignition after placing the car into Park and shutting off the engine. (Instances where keys remain stuck/locked in the ignition requiring someone to 'muscle' them out of there). I believe this is linked to a faulty sensor not allowing the keys to be released. Second complaint: The headset unit on the car, (starlink), has a touchscreen that no longer responds to touch and I believe is slowly draining the battery from the car. Subaru is unwilling to service the vehicle for either problem without a service fee.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #16

Jan 092022

Impreza

  • miles

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

Windshield cracked with a small pebble

- Sunnuvale, CA, USA

problem #15

Jan 132022

Impreza

  • miles
Recently, when trying to park and turn off the vehicle, the key gets stuck in the battery position. The engine will turn off, but the car doesn't fully turn off so you can remove the key. The shifter is in park and there is no steering wheel lock or anything else that might ordinarily prevent the vehicle from being turned off. This process is no different from every other time I've turned the vehicle off previously. To finally retrieve the key, the car needs to be restarted numerous times (often 1-3 more times) while trying a combination of moving the steering wheel, putting the shifter into drive and back into park, and/or releasing the brake pedal and reapplying it firmly. My car is only lightly used and judging by internet research, this is a common issue with Subaru vehicles around this age due to a faulty part, not normal wear and tear.

- Celebration, FL, USA

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problem #14

Sep 202021

Impreza 4-cyl

  • miles
After turning off the engine in Park, the keys are not being released from the ACC position of the ignition in my 2016 Subaru Impreza, which has 32,000 miles. I must repeatedly depress the shift lever and/or shift gears back and forth and/or restart and turn off the car in order to get the key out. This has been going on for two months now for at least half the time although not every time I turn off the car. There are no warning messages or diagnostic lights, just the malfunction itself. The issue has been documented in TSB 16-112-18 in numerous models of Subaru. My spouse and I have contacted Subaru of America and a local Subaru dealer, who have disclaimed responsibility for the problem, but did admit that this was a known issue. The dealer also insinuated that the fault could be the customers' by spilling beverages or something into the shifter linkage. As indicated in the YouTube printout I have attached (Yakfish Taco 2014 - 2018 Subaru Forester Key Stuck in Ignition - Quick fix solution), many people are working around this problem by disabling the key removal safety feature in the wiring of the steering column. This allows the key to be removed from the ignition at any time, such as when the vehicle is driving or stopped but not in Park. It is my belief that people are going to die from this. Subaru should be forced to issue a recall.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #13

Sep 202021

Impreza

  • miles

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

There seems to be an issue with keys getting stuck in the ignition on a lot of various years and makes of Subaru's. So much so, that Subaru put out a service bulletin (Bulletin Number: 16-112-18R) to remedy this. Unfortunately, those who are out of the warranty time frame, are no longer eligible for a replacement without charge. This is not a safety issue per-say, but rather an issue of the car possibly getting stole due to Subaru's unwillingness to make this a recall issue and making it free to current owners regardless of the warranty status. What I would like for you folks to do is push subaru's hand into making this a recall issue and fixing the issue free of charge even if the vehicle is outside of the warranty time period. Thank you for taking the time to read my concern. PS: I got the recall serviced on this vehicle on 09/17/2021

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #12

Jul 122021

Impreza

  • miles
For the past few months, whenever I reach my destination, my key has been getting stuck in the ignition when I'm trying to park the car. This happens intermittently although it's becoming more frequent. I park the car, shift into "P", turn the key and it only turns partially. I have to keep shifting in & out of "P" until it finally turns the rest of the way and comes out. I've started to carry a second key with me. I have an appointment with a dealer next week.

- Mountain View , CA, USA

problem #11

Mar 162021

Impreza

  • 38,000 miles
Driving and hit a small pothole and the entire passenger front headlight fell out of the car. It was not dark out. The car was fine prior to today. I was on a city street just after a snowstorm and roads were plowed.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #10

Aug 302020

Impreza

  • 53,000 miles
When my car is parked I cannot remove my key from the ignition. I have to take it out of park put it back in park press park all the way forward jiggle my key move my steering wheel and then take my key out. Sometimes it still will not remove and it will take me a very long time to remove it. Other times I have to reverse my car and drive forward and park to try and take it out.

- Rapid City, SD, USA

problem #9

Jul 152020

Impreza

  • 28,288 miles

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

Key on the Subaru Impreza would not turn to the off position. Difficult to get key out of the ignition. Took car to napleton's Subaru in palatine and mechanic tech replaced park switch. I believe mechanic stated the key would have fallen out of the ignition if this was not fixed. My Impreza has 28,289 miles and is in great condition. Why did this happen? car has key ignition and would not go to final position.

- Glenview, IL, USA

problem #8

Oct 012019

Impreza 4-cyl

  • miles
Key ignition requires multiple tries to remove key from ignition lock. This happens each time I drive the car. It is impossible to remove the key from the ignition without restarting the car and compressing the brakes over and over.

- Halethorpe, MD, USA

problem #7

Feb 172020

Impreza

  • 0 miles
When the car is stopped and turned off, the key gets stuck in the ignition and can't be removed without turning the car back on and shifting from park back to drive and then back to park again. Have to do this twice to be able to remove the key from the ignition.

- Carson City, NV, USA

problem #6

Nov 062019

Impreza

  • 24,000 miles
After stopping the vehicle and when trying to take key out, key gets stuck in the key slot - cannot take out. Complained to dealer and dealer immediately said it is is a brake shift lock problem and will cost $700 to fix - so Subaru knows of the problem. Car is only 24K miles old. Many people are reporting it online. Dealer says if I do not fix it, you will get stuck outside without being able to take key out at a super market, for example

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #5

Oct 172019

Impreza

  • 48,000 miles
The key routinely gets stuck in the ignition, requiring me to sometimes restart the car multiple times in order rip remove it. I have seen posts on the internet suggesting a sensor does not tell the car that it is in park and gove directions to disconnect it.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #4

Aug 152019

Impreza

  • 44,000 miles
When car is stopped/parked I am unable to turn ignition off and remove the key. This happens 25% of the time. It is an ongoing issue.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #3

Jul 012019

Impreza

  • 25,000 miles
There is a common known issue with Subaru's that when put into park and turned off, the key cannot be removed. This causes the car to be turned on and off, while putting into drive, moving and then back into park. With children around, this is very dangerous and an unnecessary risk. Currenty this is only covered under standard warranty and dissuading people from repairing. Subaru's answer to our inquiries at the shop and online is that it is not covered by warranty. The shop said they see this commonly. Https://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/F88/cannot-remove-key-698170/ Subaru needs to be held accountable for this design flaw before it causes someone harm.

- Amesbury, MA, USA

problem #2

Nov 072018

Impreza

  • 55,000 miles
Intermittently unable to remove key from ignition after placing car in park. Upon restarting vehicle and turning it back off, key is able to be removed.

- Shoreline, WA, USA

problem #1

Nov 162016

Impreza

  • 15 miles
The bluetooth has a connectivity issue. It happens when I'm driving, when I hit the brakes, when I put the car in gear, when I'm stationary. There is really no telling when it will skip, but it happens one to two times every hour. It is a safety hazard because it causes my heart to race and sometimes I feel I'm having a panic attack. I bought the car brand new, the dealership and the manufacturer know about the problem. The manufacturer said the problem is not the car, it's not the phone, but it's the way it connects, and they have no solution. I previously owned a 2013 Subaru Impreza and it did not have this problem. They replaced the radio unit, made sure the car's operating system is up to date, and basically told me it's just the way it is and there's nothing they can do about it.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

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