2016 Subaru Impreza problems & reliability
75 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Subaru Impreza, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Sep 21, 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 components.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Subaru Impreza vehicles were involved in 15 fatal crashes with 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown / Other | 19 | 25% |
| Electrical System → | 14 | 19% |
| Power Train → | 13 | 17% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 11% |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 8% |
| Steering | 5 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 5% |
| Structure | 4 | 5% |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 21 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 37 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 28,288 miles (middle 50% between 15,000 and 43,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I contacted Subaru in Mentor Oh at adventure subaru under TSB 19V065000 and was told to take it in to get looked at, my issue when I purchased the car at 67k miles i found that the car had a loud clunky sound while steering and going over bumps. After seeing the dealer and the stated the issue was from the steer rack…”
Steering · filed Apr 10, 2026
“Hello, I just purchase this vehicle from a dealership, 615 auto sales. After purchasing the vehicle I decided to go and get the recall done that was never done to the vehicle at the repair shop they did the recall but then ask me where did I purchase this vehicle from then I told them. The repair shop told me the grim…”
Suspension · filed Dec 8, 2025
“While driving a multi lane road with traffic going same direction in front of me, if one or more cars begin to slow for a left or right turn, the auto braking feature begins to slow and will try to stop my car. Problem is that the car in front of me turning isn't in my lane. I have a clear lane ahead and suddenly the…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Jan 1, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
354 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Subaru Impreza. The 10 most recent:
This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
16-156-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or…
15-308-23R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
15-304-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2026
Techtips newsletter locator index.
Article Locator · Other · issued Aug 5, 2026
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin
15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2026
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 announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. (This is an revised version of the orignal bulletin.)
16-156-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 2, 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 bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability.
16-156-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 13, 2026
This announcement provides information on the remanufactured CVT transmission program.
SubaruNet Announcement (R · Other · issued May 4, 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 2016 Subaru Impreza has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — 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 2016 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 28,288 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.