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2012 Subaru Impreza Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 243 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Subaru Impreza, most often about the air bags (43% of complaints, typically around 37,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Impreza model year since 2000 and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2012 Subaru Impreza problems
Air bags
105 complaints · 43%Half of these problems showed up before 37,000 miles. Parts named most often: sensor.
At any speed, while carrying a passenger, the passenger airbag on light will turn to the off position. Passenger airbag is disabled while passenger is in vehicle at any given speed randomly. Could potentially cause severe injury/death in an accident. I have owned multiple 2012+ imprezas with this exact issue.
The dashboard "airbag malfunction" light turns on and the passenger airbag light switches to "off" while there is a passenger in the car. This probably means that if there was a collision, the passenger airbag would not deploy, with passenger in front seat. It was happening about 40% of the time that I had a passenger…
Engine
56 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 30,500 miles.
Excessive oil consumption: I am experiencing a significant problem with my Subaru Impreza 2012 with excessive use of oil and the oil light going on. I understand from the service people that this is caused by "blowback" past the cylinders, causing excessive oil use, inconvenience to owners, and an inflated cost of…
Purchased the car use at 28000 miles. Checked oil at time of purchase and it was full. Drove the car for approximately 1200 miles before a low oil light came on. Sought the help of Subaru and got an oil consumption test. Oil light came on again at 700 miles burning 16.5 quarts. Highly unacceptable. Car was oil changed…
Electrical
30 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles.
Warning lamps for stability control air bag randomly light up on my dash board panel. The passenger air bag will also switch to off even when a passer is sitting in the seat or the passenger seat belt warning sound will go off if a small object is placed on the seat. My mechanic can't find the issue as I cannot…
Passenger airbag occupant detection system (ods) turns airbag off with adult in the front passenger seat. Adult passenger had seat upright, everything dry. No devices plugged in. We had been driving for 5 hours when light came on saying passenger airbag off. Stopped for gas, turned car off and back to normal for only…
Transmission
26 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 71,000 miles.
2012 Impreza sport with 71,000 miles, one owner, all manufacturer recommended maintenance performed. Mechanic noticed increased noise from rear of vehicle while doing test drive after performing maintenance. Reported rear wheel bearing failure after inspection requiring replacement of bearings.
My son's 2012 Subaru Impreza, was bought used, with 59,000. Miles, with hope of owning a reliable, safe vehicle on 2/11/16. On 6/26/16 he went for a routine oil change and within one week the car was completely seized. He was driving home, no warning lights, or anything just made a loud sound then he was just barely…
Brakes
15 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 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…
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…
Seats
15 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles.
At any speed, while carrying a passenger, the passenger airbag on light will turn to the off position. Passenger airbag is disabled while passenger is in vehicle at any given speed randomly. Could potentially cause severe injury/death in an accident. I have owned multiple 2012+ imprezas with this exact issue.
When a passenger of 215lbs or more sits in my 2012 Subaru Impreza passenger seat for more than 10miles the airbag light comes on and the passenger airbag is turned off.
Other or unspecified
12 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 82,000 miles.
We were riding along at less than 40mph, and with no warning, there was a sudden, loud, explosion noise on the roof of the car. We pulled over to discover that the sunroof had shattered. There was no one on the road near US at the time, and there is nothing above to send anything down. We are positive that nothing hit…
The Impreza consumes a lot of oil. Between 800-1200 miles im having to top it off. I have been having issues with it shutting off immediately after starting it in my driveway. I have had it in the shop several times with no ideas. No lights turn on to figure out what's going on. It's throwing no code either.
Speed control
11 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 41,000 miles.
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…
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…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2012 Subaru Impreza recalls
Lights: switch
Risk: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began april 15, 2019. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is wue-90.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 forester, 2008-2016 impreza sedans, 2012-2016 impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 wrx sedans (including sti), and 2013-2017 crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of park.
Engine
Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. Toyota will notify the fr-s owners. Dealers will replace the valve springs, free of charge. The recall began december 26, 2018. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614, toyota owners may contact the toyota customer experience center at 1-888-270-9371. Subaru's number for this recall is wty-84.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2012-2014 subaru impreza, 2012-2013 impreza stationwagon, 2013 subaru brz, xv crosstrek and toyota scion fr-s vehicles. The engine valve springs in these vehicles may fracture causing an engine malfunction or a possible engine stall.
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began december 2016. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is wtm-73.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year legacy and outback vehicles, 2008-2014 impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
Air bags: occupant classification
Risk: If the ods deactivates, the front passenger air bag will be turned off and the front passenger air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the occupant control unit with a modified one, free of charge. The recall began august 21, 2015. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is wqt-55.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2012 model year subaru impreza 4-door and station wagon vehicles (except wrx/sti models) manufactured april 21, 2011, to february 16, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the occupant detection system (ods) may deactivate if a front seat passenger operates a device that is plugged into the power outlet such as a music player or cell phone, or touches a metal part of the vehicle such as the forward/rearward seat adjuster lever.
Equipment
Risk: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the res key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on april 22, 2013. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Full defect summary
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 legacy and outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an audiovox remote engine starter (res) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an audiovox remote engine starter (res) accessory, and certain model year 2013 xv crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an audiovox remote engine starter (res) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 legacy and outback vehicles that may have received replacement res fobs. If the res fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Brakes: pedals and linkages
Risk: The driver might misjudge the amount of brake pedal travel required to achieve the desired stopping distance. This could occur unexpectedly and without prior warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder and if necessary, replace it, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during december 2011. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Full defect summary
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2012 impreza sedans and wagons (except wrx/sti models), manufactured from april 21, 2011, through november 15, 2011, and legacy and outback vehicles manufactured from october 17, 2011, through november 23, 2011. These vehicles may be equipped with a brake master cylinder that could malfunction and cause an increase in the amount of brake pedal travel distance required to slow or stop the vehicle.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Passenger front air bag suppression
Summary
The office of defects investigation opened this investigation on april 10, 2015 based on 26 vehicle owner questionnaire reports involving the passenger frontal air bag in my 2012 subaru impreza vehicles.these vehicles use a capacitive type occupant detection system (ods), which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full sized, small stature, a child seat, or other object.the reports alleged that the ods failed to operate properly and incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied.in a frontal crash sufficient to warranty deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.on ju
Questions about the 2012 Subaru Impreza
- What are the most common problems with the 2012 Subaru Impreza?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (105 complaints, typically around 37,000 miles); engine (56 complaints, typically around 30,500 miles); electrical (30 complaints, typically around 45,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2012 Subaru Impreza have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 28, 2019 (lights). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2012 a bad year for the Subaru Impreza?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Impreza model year since 2000, with 243 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.