2019 Subaru WRX: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 30 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (42% of complaints); the 2021 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 2 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Jul 2022
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 30 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2019 Subaru WRX. The contact stated that the driver's-side rear rim spoke was cracked in two pieces. The contact stated that new tires were installed on the vehicle. The contact replaced the tire with the spare. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the rim was replaced. The dealer indicated that the owner had damaged the rim. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.”Owner report · Wheels · Jun 2026
“fuel pump cut off intermeeting mager loss off power tech at subaru refuse to repair car has 72000 miles on well manetane”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Apr 2026
“There is what looks to be water spots inside the radio screen causing the radio to malfunction. After reading online this is happening to many cars my same year and the website mentioned a recall for this issue. I have less than 60,000 miles on my car.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Dec 2024
Show 7 more owner reports
“With 61,700 miles on the car the engine lost a rod bearing going around a sharp corner on and off ramp of interstate highway. If failure had caused block to crack or break it would have put oil down on the highway and would of caused loss of control of the car. From research done online it seems sharp corners cause engine catastrophic failure. Car is currently at Subaru dealership. Subaru will not do anything about the issue. Vehicle had fresh oil change 2 days before failure with no noise or warning before failure.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2024
“Mid-Drive the Airbag (SRS) light came on indicating here was a fault in the system. After some diagnostic testing it was determined that there was a fault in the Occupant detection system causing the vehicle to not activate the airbag regardless of the fact that someone was sitting in the seat. The issue was present in same type of seats (heated) that were previously recalled shortly before this vehicle was produced.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2024
“The contact owns a 2019 Subaru WRX. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormal popping sound detected, and the engine seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who informed the contacts that the repair was not covered under the warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The technician checked the black box, which indicated that the vehicle had been driven at 144 MPH, the turbo was spun, and the warranty was declined. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2023
“Battery cannot hold a charge even after jumping the car. Once jumped, the car will drive but when the engine is turned off, it cannot turn back on without a jump.”Owner report · Electrical System · Sep 2022
“The STARLINK 7-inch Multimedia Plus unit gets locked-up, sometime not responsive to touch, skips around to different songs, in a phantom way scans different radio stations, disconnects phone calls.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2022
“at random, the vehicle will shut down for a second and start back up without pressing the start button. usually occurs while using carplay but has occurred without using the stereo. will happen back to back and cause the steering wheel to lock up at highway speeds, taking control of the vehicle away from me (driver). steering wheel has locked up several times when the car shuts off while driving. vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostics and they were unable to pinpoint an issue.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2022
“This vehicle has less than 20,000 miles on it and I've had the battery drain on me 3 different times from just leaving a door open with the car off while doing general maintenance things. The car lacks a feature to shut off the dome lights and I thought that was what the problem stemmed from. Each time the car died on me the door was open for no more than 20 minutes or so. Once I saw there's a class action lawsuit against them for issues related to this I knew this issue is the same one. No battery should be going dead from a light being on for 20 minutes with nothing else running.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2022
Recalls - 2 campaigns
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2021 WRX vehicles. The backup light switch may corrode and become inoperative, which can result in the backup lights not illuminating and the rearview camera image not displaying when the vehicle is in reverse.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the backup light switch, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE-22.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2019 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
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 2019 Subaru WRX reliable?
NHTSA has 30 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2019 Subaru WRX. The most complained-about area is electrical system (42% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2019 Subaru WRX problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 29,750 miles or less.
Does the 2019 Subaru WRX have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning exterior lighting:back up lights:switch. 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.