2005 Subaru IMPREZA: complaints, problems and recalls

SNOWSTORM DURING WHICH I LEFT WINDSHIELD WIPERS LOCKED OUT AWAY FROM THE WINDOW. IN MORNING, HEATED VEHICLE UNTIL WIPE OF ICE/WATER (NO SCRAPE). CLEANED WIPER BLADES OF MOST ICE, SET/DROPPED WIPER BLADE ON WINDSHIELD, CRACKING/PITTING WINDSHIELD, SHORTLY A CRACK HALF THE WINDOW LONG RAN OUT.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10110137 at NHTSA ↗

HI, MY WIFE HAS A NEW SUBARU IMPREZA WRX (4000 MILES). A FEW DAYS AGO WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING IT, THE DRIVER?S SIDE WINDOW COMPLETELY SHATTERED. HERS WAS THE ONLY CAR ON THE ROAD AT THE TIME, AND NO VEHICLES HAD RECENTLY COME BY TO KICK UP A STONE. SUBARU ASSUMES SOMETHING EXTERNAL SHATTERED THE WINDOW, SO THAT WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR (ABOUT $500, WHICH IS OUR INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE), BUT WE?RE WONDERING WHETHER A STRUCTURAL DEFECT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. I WAS WONDERING WHETHER YOU HAD EVER HEARD OF A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM LIKE THIS IN G…

Owner-reported narrative. 4,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10114447 at NHTSA ↗

AFTER ~3,000 MILES ON MY 05 IMPREZA WRX STI A CLUNKING NOISE APPEARED IN THE REAR DRIVER SIDE SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS, BUT IT DEFINITELY IS AN ANNOYANCE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED IT AS A MISALIGNED SPRING AND CORRECTED THE PROBLEM FOR 3 DAYS, BUT THEN IT REAPPEARED. MANY OTHER OWNERS I'VE SPOKEN TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND IT'S SUPPOSEDLY A MFR DEFECT WITH THE STRUT ASSEMBLY. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10116084 at NHTSA ↗

THE LEFT REAR STRUT OF MY 2005 STI HAS FAILED TWICE IN LESS THAN 13K MILES. THE FIRST FAILED AT AROUND 10K AND THE SECOND AT 12.6K MILES. STRUT FAILURE ON A BUMPY ROAD AT HIGH SPEED COULD CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICHLE CONTROL AND COULD RESULT IN VERY SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. SUBARU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND REMEDY THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY. ON A WEBSITE FOR STI OWNERS, THERE ARE OVER 100 OWNERS REPORTING THIS SAME PROBLEM.

Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10116170 at NHTSA ↗

RAW FUEL ODOR INSIDE CABIN OF VEHICLE. 2005 SUBARU IMPREZA RS, RESEARCH FROM THE WEB RESULTED WITH MANY COMPLAINTS FROM ALL IMPREZA MODELS AND ONGOING PROBLEM PAST FEW YEARS.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 365 miles reported. Look up ODI 10116245 at NHTSA ↗

I WAS TRAVAILING 40-45 MPH ON A 2 LANE ROAD IN MY 2005 SUBARU WRX STI. I CAME OUT OF A SMALL S CURVE AND WENT OVER A ROUGH PATCH OF ROAD, AND THE TAIL END OF THE CAR STARTED SLIDING OUT TO THE RIGHT, THE NEXT THING I KNEW I HAD RAN INTO THE BANK AND I WAS FACING TRAFFIC, I HIT THE BANK AT LEAST 40 MPH, THERE WAS A CAR IN FRONT OF ME AND ONE BEHIND ME, AND ONE COMING IN THE OTHER LANE OF TRAFFIC. IT FELT LIKE THE TAIL OF THE CAR HAD TIGHTENED UP AND SENT POWER TO THE REAR WHEELS AND KEPT ME SLIDING UNTIL RIGHT BEFORE I HIT THE BANK IT SWUNG T…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10118595 at NHTSA ↗

IT WAS A 95F DAY ,USING MY AIR CONDITIONER AND AFTER PULLING INTO MY GARAGE AT HOME MY DRIVER'S SIDE REAR WINDOW HAD AN EXPLOSIVE FAILURE CAUSING GLASS TO FLY INTO AND OUT OF THE CAR. THE SUBARU IS A MONTH OLD AND HAD NOT HAD PRIOR IMPACTS TO THE WINDOW GLASS. I BELIEVE THAT IMPROPER TEMPERING AND IMPROPER WINDOW DESIGN/INSTALLATION DIDN'T ALLOW FOR THERMAL EXPANSION / CONTRACTION AND LED TO THE FAILURE. *NM

Owner-reported narrative. 2,150 miles reported. Look up ODI 10132240 at NHTSA ↗

I BOUGHT AN 05 WRX IN THE END OF AUGUST. 2 WEEKS AND LESS THAN 500 MILES LATER THERE WAS A QUARTER SIZED SPOT ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR WHERE THE PAINT HAD COME OFF DOWN TO THE METAL. I NOTICED THE SPOT IMMEDIATELY AFTER WASHING MY CAR. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE DEALER I CONTACTED SUBARU AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT. FOR THE PAST 5 WEEKS I HAVE BEEN CONTACTING SUBARU AND THEY HAVE AGREED TO REPAINT ONLY THE AFFECTED BODY PANELS. HOWEVER, SINCE THE INITIAL SPOT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OTHER SPOTS ALL OVER …

Owner-reported narrative. 480 miles reported. Look up ODI 10135856 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2011-09-06 (September 6, 2011)

SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2007 IMPREZA, MODEL YEAR 2003-2008 FORESTER, AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 SAAB 9-2X VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2000 THROUGH NOVEMBER 26, 2007 ORIGINALLY SOLD, OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN, MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IOWA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MAINE, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW JERSEY, OHIO, RHODE ISLAND, WEST VIRGINIA AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS MAY BREAK AT THE HANGER BRACKETS DUE TO CORROSION IF THE HANGER BRACKET IS EXPOSED TO SALTY AND HUMID ENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS ROADS CONTAINING SNOW MELTING AGENT.

Consequence: A BROKEN CONTROL ARM CAN RESULT IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: SUBARU WILL HANDLE THEIR VEHICLES AND SAAB WILL HANDLE THEIRS. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DEGREE OF CORROSION OF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS, AND WILL EITHER RUSTPROOF OR REPLACE THEM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING DECEMBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SAAB AT 1-800-955-9007.

Reported: 2015-05-28 (May 28, 2015)

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V-399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V-763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.

Reported: 2020-01-02 (January 2, 2020)

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.

Reported: 2020-01-02 (January 2, 2020)

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.

Reported: 2020-01-02 (January 2, 2020)

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.

Reported: 2023-02-13 (February 13, 2023)

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2004-2005 Impreza and WRX vehicles that received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The replacement air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.

Consequence: An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the passenger inflator and if necessary, install a new inflator kit, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 14, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRF-23.