2008 Subaru Impreza Sti: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 49 complaints
49
Total Complaints
35,556mi
Median Mileage
Power Train
Top Issue
3
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

18,400 25th Percentile
35,556 Median Mileage
65,453 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Power Train
11
Engine
8
Engine And Engine Cooling
6
Body
6
Service Brakes
5
Air Bags
3
Unknown Or Other
2
Vehicle Speed Control
2
Engine
2
Frontal
1

Severity Assessment

3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I OWN A 2008 STI AND HAVE JUST UNDER 6,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW WITH JUST UNDER 200 MILES ON IT IN DECEMBER OF 2008. IN JANUARY OF 2009, I BEGAN TO SEE WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY EXHAUST ON STARTUP. I HAD JUST OVER 1,200 MILES AT THE TIME. MY ENGINE FAILED SUFFERED A ..."
"1. HAS HAPPENED SINCE CAR WAS NEW 2. PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT SHOWS OFF AND ON INTERMITTENTLY WHILE SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. OCCURS RANDOMLY WHEN ANYONE IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. CONSEQUENCES COULD INCLUDE INJURY TO THE PASSENGER IF THE AIRBAG DOES NOT DEPLOY WHEN ..."
"AT 15,500 MILES, MY 2008 SUBARU STI EXPERIENCED A RINGLAND FAILURE ON THE #4 PISTON. THIS WAS VERIFIED VIA A COMPRESSION/LEAKDOWN TEST. A LONGBLOCK REPLACEMENT WAS APPROVED BY SUBARU OF AMERICA. MY MAIN CONCERN, WITHOUT TAKING ENGINE COMPONENTS OFF, THIS MILD CRACKED RINGLAND WAS ALMOST UN-DE..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Power Train 11 complaints
25th: 32,575 mi Median: 53,500 mi 75th: 64,214 mi
Engine 8 complaints
25th: 8,812 mi Median: 21,750 mi 75th: 30,815 mi
Engine And Engine Cooling 6 complaints
25th: 2,052 mi Median: 11,125 mi 75th: 26,000 mi
Body 6 complaints
25th: 40,000 mi Median: 65,453 mi 75th: 78,000 mi
Service Brakes 5 complaints
25th: 47,000 mi Median: 65,453 mi 75th: 78,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 10 FL: 5 VA: 4 MO: 3 WA: 3 NJ: 3 IL: 3 CO: 2 OH: 2 AZ: 2

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