2008 Subaru WRX: problems, recalls and reliability
7 recalls and 65 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (50% of complaints); the 2006 and 2007 and 2010 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2020
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 65 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Firewall welds broke and clutch needs replacement at 88,000 miles. The clutch is still stiff and makes a creaking noise despite the firewall welds being repaired.”Owner report · Power Train · Oct 2018
“There are 3 weld spots on my firewall that are snapped. Because of this I constantly hear snapping sounds and my break pedal moves when the clutch is depressed. This was a recall on the car but subaru of america says that I cant get it fixed under warranty. I bought the car used from a subaru dealership in ramsey nj pre-owned certified and this problem should have been fixed before I purchased the car. Ive had the car for about 6 months or so. The sound is driving me crazy and the cracks are getting worse.”Owner report · Structure · Jun 2018
“I purchased a 2008 subaru impreza wrx. Every time the clutch is engaged or disengaged a creak/pop noise can be heard. You can also see the clutch and brake pedal move significantly. The spot welds on the firewall/bulkhead have separated making it very difficult to get into gear and making the clutch very firm. This needs to be a recall. People can not afford this very expensive while making payments on their vehicle. This problem is also causing premature wear on transmission parts as well. I have 4 subarus and if they don't make this right I will not buy another. Very sad to say considering I work for them building engines.”Owner report · Power Train · Feb 2018
Show 7 more owner reports
“The firewall is cracking which can cause the clutch pedal to become inoperable. After I had work done on my car the mechanic told me that the firewall was cracking and that I would need to contact subaru of america for possible coverage. They denied me coverage because it would be too costly despite the firewall being a known issue on the wrx from 2008-2014”Owner report · Structure · Jan 2018
“I bought the car used with the clutch pedal squeaking. Ignored it because I thought it just needed grease. I was driving home last night when the clutch pedal got stuck pressed all the way down. I started researching and found many posts of people with the same problem. The squeaking was caused by the clutch pedal mounting bracket separating from the fire wall. I crawled under the dashboard to look, and sure enough it is broken.”Owner report · Structure · Mar 2017
“While driving the vehicle I noticed while depressing my brakes or clutch, I would hear a "popping sound." also I noticed the clutch pedal and the brake pedal would move towards the left together (oppose to just up and down) when depressing the clutch pedal. It seems like the whole firewall where the clutch and brake pedals are attached too is moving when depressed. This happens all the time now when clutch pedal is depressed.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Sep 2016
“Clutch bracket spot welds let go of fire wall. Making the clutch and brake pedal move and squeak when clutch is engaged.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2016
“A couple years ago my clutch started to creak. I asked the local subaru dealer to check it when I took it in for a scheduled oil change. I got told they couldn't find a problem. So I thought nothing of it. I just took it back to the dealer and got told the spot welds on the firewall. Subaru offered to fix the welds but I have to pay for a new clutch assembly. If the welds totally fail this could become a serious safety issue as it will affect the brake motion also.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Mar 2016
“I had an issue previously with the welds for the clutch pedal assembly cracking on the firewall. It got so bad that the whole pedal assembly with the brake and gas pedal shifted left every time I depressed the clutch. It eventually caused the clutch to not disengage entirely and burn out. Subaru of america fixed the problem by sending it to a body shop to re-weld the pedal assembly to the firewall but now, just a few years later, the pedal is squeaking again just like it did last time the welds broke. I haven't taken it in yet but it is an unmistakable sound.”Owner report · Structure · Nov 2015
“The spot welds that hold my clutch pedal assembly on the fire wall are breaking and causing problems getting car into 1st and reverse”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2015
Recalls - 7 campaigns
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 2014 and second notifications will run through November 2014. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQK-47. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-110 which applied to certain 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback vehicles. Vehicles that were remedied under the previous campaign still need additional areas rust-proofed.
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 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 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.
Remedy: 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.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Impreza, 2008-2014 WRX and STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia that were remedied under recall 14V-311 prior to December 23, 2014. The brake lines may experience brake line corrosion due to salt water splashing on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will apply an anti-corrosion wax to the four-way joint connector area of the brake line system, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQQ-52. Notes: This recall is specific to affected Forester, Impreza, WRX, and STI customers who had their car remedied under NHTSA recall no. 14V-311 prior to December 23, 2014. Subaru has determined that this remedy was inadequate due to incomplete repair instructions provided to dealers. Affected Forester, Impreza, WRX, and STI vehicles that were not repaired under NHTSA recall no. 14V-311 prior to December 23, 2014 will continue to be processed under NHTSA recall no. 14V-311. Affected vehicles not currently, or formerly, registered in the salt belt states identified in this recall are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact WRX 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 2008 Subaru WRX reliable?
NHTSA has 65 owner complaints and 7 recall campaigns on record for the 2008 Subaru WRX. The most complained-about area is power train (50% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2008 Subaru WRX problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 80,000 miles or less.
Does the 2008 Subaru WRX have open recalls?
7 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings. 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.