2002 Subaru Impreza problems & reliability
292 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Subaru Impreza, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
8 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Subaru Impreza vehicles were involved in 21 fatal crashes with 18 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 88 | 30% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 56 | 19% |
| Suspension | 49 | 17% |
| Power Train | 25 | 9% |
| Structure | 21 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 19 | 7% |
| Visibility | 17 | 6% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 3% |
| Steering | 8 | 3% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 64,000 miles (middle 50% between 36,000 and 104,111 miles), based on 194 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2002 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle felt as if there was a flat tire on the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the front driver's side tire was about to detach. Additionally, the driver’s side front lower control arm was fractured. Prior to the…”
Suspension · filed Dec 16, 2021
“The passenger side lower control arm was rusting out without my knowledge and while driving, a part of it broke in half which caused my front passenger side while to turn the wrong way and ripped apart the CV Axle causing me to swerve to the left and promptly stopping the vehicle causing cars behind me to swerve out…”
Steering · filed Jun 8, 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 subaru impreza. The contact stated that the horn would sound inadvertently without being activated by the driver. The contact stated that at first the horn would sound once however, recently the failure was more frequent and for a longer period of time. The contact had not taken the vehicle…”
Electrical System · filed Nov 19, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Front suspension control arm failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE11011 · opened Apr 7, 2011 · closed Sep 23, 2011 · led to recall 11V464000
- FUEL LINE LEAK
Engineering Analysis EA09011 · opened Jul 2, 2009 · closed Dec 14, 2009 · led to recall 09V468000
- FUEL LINE LEAK
Preliminary Evaluation PE09017 · opened Mar 10, 2009 · closed Jul 2, 2009
- FUEL LINE LEAKAGE IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE04002 · opened Jan 7, 2004 · closed May 27, 2004
Technical service bulletins
169 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Subaru Impreza. The 10 most recent:
This announcement is requesting retailer staff to retain the EyeSight protective hood covers from Generation 4 EyeSight cameras.
SubaruNet Annoucement (E · Other · issued Jun 12, 2026
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 18, 2026
This announcement provides information on the remanufactured CVT transmission program.
SubaruNet Announcement (R · Other · issued May 4, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin was developed to provide interim guidance for vehicles exhibiting DTC B2A20.
07-240-26R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2026
This bulletin announces the service manual correction regarding clutch master cylinder reservoir service procedures.
03-97-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2026
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2026
This Bulletin provides the diagnostic procedures to be followed when addressing customer concerns of steering wheel/vehicle body vibration when driving at highway speeds when tire/wheel balance is suspected.
05-97-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 20, 2026
This bulletin announces the new procedure and Warranty Fail Code for FirstTime air conditioning (A/C) performance concerns possibly resulting from an undetected A/C refrigerant leak.
10-105-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2026
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2026
This bulletin contains information to help when attempting to complete the STARLINK Telematics subscription process, an Error Code 202 and / or 204 may occur preventing the process from completing successfully
15-219-18R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 16, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Subaru Impreza has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Subaru Impreza?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 64,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.