2005 Subaru Impreza: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 75 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is suspension (21% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2023
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 75 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The dealership is refusing to fix my car free of charge on a recall they confirmed would be able to do and now they are refusing to do it due to price and have made me wait two months for this to be the answer while also not giving me any sort of pay for the inconvenience of waiting for so long, while also having already ordering the parts and they have decided to decline my recall repair”Owner report · Suspension · Jan 2025
“goodyear all season f1 p225/45 ZR 17 psgr right sidewall looks like a few chunks are missing and some tread from tire to sidewall is peeling”Owner report · Tires · Apr 2022
“In April 2022 hood latch malfunctioned and caused hood to open while driving on interstate. Caused damage to Hood, Fenders, Windshield and Roof. I was able to get stopped safely without injury.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Apr 2022
Show 7 more owner reports
“While my son was backing out of the driveway, his passenger side lower control arm snapped in 2. He struggled to get it even back into the driveway. I ran the VIN number and it does no show that this car has a recall that needs to be done. Does this mean it was already done? Or is this car not covered for the recall?”Owner report · Suspension · Dec 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. While the contact's wife was driving 40 mph, she heard a snap in the engine that caused her to lose control of the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contact's father's home where he discovered that the front lower control arm was fractured. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 11v464000(suspension). The contact spoke with vic bailey mazda subaru (400 e daniel morgan ave, spartanburg, sc 29302, (864) 568-3338) and was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 158,000.”Owner report · Suspension · Dec 2019
“I believe my vehicle needs added to the safety recall: wqk47. NHTSA campaign: 14v311000. I own a 2005 subaru impreza rs. Driving down residential street I lost all brake pressure coming to a stop. Problem was from brake line had leak from corrosion. It's the same problem and exact spot described in the recall for wqk47. Yes, I live in the salt belt. This needs to be looked into more and as soon as possible. Definitely a safety issue. Thank you.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Oct 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v323000 (air bags). The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to mark miller subaru midtown at (801) 268-3734 (3535 state st, salt lake city, ut 84115) where the front passenger side air bag was replaced. Soon after the recall repair was completed, the air bag indicator remained illuminated. The manufacturer stated that the recall was completed and the contact would be charged a diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 161,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. When the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a yearly inspection, the technician noticed that the front subframe was corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.”Owner report · Structure · Jun 2017
“I was driving on the highway when I lost control of my car. I was able to safely pull off to the side, and have the car towed home. The control arm on the passenger side was rusted and snapped snapped while my car was traveling straight. My car is affected by the wvx34 front lower control arm (transverse link) corrosion recall, which was performed before I purchased the car. The control arms had anti-rust spray applied at that time, and were not replaced. The spray was not effective in preventing further damage. Fortunately I was unharmed because the highway was not very busy and traffic was minimal.”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. While driving 70 mph, the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. As a result, the contact almost lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front lower driver side control arm failed and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was previously serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 11v464000 (suspension), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,260. ...updated 12/06/16 *bf *tr”Owner report · Suspension · Sep 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 10 of these complaints and injuries in 3 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2005 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Impreza by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Subaru Impreza reliable?
NHTSA has 75 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2005 Subaru Impreza. The most complained-about area is suspension (21% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2005 Subaru Impreza problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 76,190 miles or less.
Does the 2005 Subaru Impreza have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning suspension:front:control arm:lower arm. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.