Subaru WRX: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Subaru WRX model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 52 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 42.3 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2016 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 47.1 Medium | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2017 | 53 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 188.7 High | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2018 | 42 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 100.0 High | ENGINE |
| 2019 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 Low | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2020 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 70.6 Medium | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2021 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 Low | POWER TRAIN |
| 2022 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 72.0 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 Low | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
Across 9 model years, the 2017 Subaru WRX carries the highest severity index (188.7, driven by electrical system), while the 2019 is the cleanest at 0.0.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.