"How reliable is the 2008 Subaru Impreza?"

"Based on 249 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Subaru Impreza has a median complaint mileage of 57500 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Subaru Impreza?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Subaru Impreza is POWER TRAIN, accounting for a significant portion of the 249 total complaints filed."

2008 Subaru Impreza: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 249 complaints

249

Total Complaints

57,500mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

16,582 25th Percentile

57,500 Median Mileage

80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN

AIR BAGS

VISIBILITY

STRUCTURE:BODY

SERVICE BRAKES

ENGINE

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE VIBRATES AND RUMBLES EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD 19.5 MILES WHEN IT WAS PURCHASED BUT, WHEN ..."

"PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR STAYS IN "OFF" POSITION WHEN MY DAUGHTER - WHO IS 5'7" AND 136 LBS. - IS IN THE SEAT. WE HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR OVER LONG DISTANCES AND I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES HARD ENOUGH TO EMPLOY THE ABS, TO NO AVAIL. THE SENSOR CONTINUES TO STAY IN THE "OFF" POSITION. *JB"

"BOUGHT NEW SUBARU 2008 IMPREZA OUTBACK SPORT WAGON- PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL AIRBAG DOES NOT TURN ON IF PASSENGER WEIGHS 100-107 LBS (THAT IS US)AND ONLY NOTICED WK 3 SINCE NO PASSENGER UNTIL THEN. ONLY WORKS WITH HEAVIER GUYS. NO FIX PER SUBARU. APPARENTLY I SEE ONLINE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN EARLIER C..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28