SUBARU BRZ · model year

2017 SUBARU BRZ

10 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2017SUBARUBRZ carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2017 BRZ is unknown or other with 3 filings, followed by air bags (2) and electronic stability control (esc) (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 2017 BRZ. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

10
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

10 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: 4/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER3
AIR BAGS2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1
SEATS1
POWER TRAIN1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20241215ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The stock head unit (Model #: CA645UL) in my vehicle has been having Bluetooth issues. Every since I purchased the vehicle in 2016, from time to time, the audio from my Bluetooth would cut out and then come back on. It was only once in a blue moon ever since I bought the car, so I never paid much attention to it. However, recently it's been cutting out more frequently than usual. When I took my vehicle in for the 60,000 mile service on 12/12/24, I decided to mention this audio problem to see if the service center could address it while they are working on it. The technician attempted to update the software for the audio unit. After attempting the software update a few times, the technician found the old software was corrupted, causing the system to completely fail. This points to an internal fault in the audio unit. This issue affects my safety in two ways: 1) I can no longer make phone calls via Bluetooth. This poses a safety concern as I would need to take my eyes off the road to m

20241215UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The stock head unit (Model #: CA645UL) in my vehicle has been having Bluetooth issues. Every since I purchased the vehicle in 2016, from time to time, the audio from my Bluetooth would cut out and then come back on. It was only once in a blue moon ever since I bought the car, so I never paid much attention to it. However, recently it's been cutting out more frequently than usual. When I took my vehicle in for the 60,000 mile service on 12/12/24, I decided to mention this audio problem to see if the service center could address it while they are working on it. The technician attempted to update the software for the audio unit. After attempting the software update a few times, the technician found the old software was corrupted, causing the system to completely fail. This points to an internal fault in the audio unit. This issue affects my safety in two ways: 1) I can no longer make phone calls via Bluetooth. This poses a safety concern as I would need to take my eyes off the road to m

20240612POWER TRAIN

-Manual Transmission issues with grinding or failure to go into gear. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. -Merging into highway traffic can be dangerous when I'm more focused on my transmission grinding loudly and having difficulty shifting gears to get up to speed. -Unknown -Unknown -No warning lights of any kind

20230308AIR BAGS

This week when I started my car, a yellow caution light appeared on my dash and a “check SRS warning light” appeared next to it. It would turn on and off, so i am unsure of what the problem is. I brought my car in for an inspection on January 28th, and they didn’t detect any issue regarding airbags or anything related to it. One thing i noticed is whenever the passenger seat is pulled forward or backward, it then turns on.

20230308SEATS

This week when I started my car, a yellow caution light appeared on my dash and a “check SRS warning light” appeared next to it. It would turn on and off, so i am unsure of what the problem is. I brought my car in for an inspection on January 28th, and they didn’t detect any issue regarding airbags or anything related to it. One thing i noticed is whenever the passenger seat is pulled forward or backward, it then turns on.

20230308UNKNOWN OR OTHER

This week when I started my car, a yellow caution light appeared on my dash and a “check SRS warning light” appeared next to it. It would turn on and off, so i am unsure of what the problem is. I brought my car in for an inspection on January 28th, and they didn’t detect any issue regarding airbags or anything related to it. One thing i noticed is whenever the passenger seat is pulled forward or backward, it then turns on.

20210420CrashFireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

2017 SUBARU BRZ LIMITED WITH PERFORMANCE PACKAGE WAS INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT ON 4-5-21. SUBJECT VEHICLE HAD STOPPED AND WAS SLOWLY ENTERING TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION OF A DIVIDED HIGHWAY WITH A 50 MPH SPEED LIMIT WHILE BEING STRUCK BY AN ONCOMING CAR AT AN APPROXIMATE 90 DEGREE ANGLE WHICH IMPACTED THE LEFT FRONT FENDER NEAR THE HEADLIGHT AND BUMPER AREA.. UPON IMPACT, THE FRONT ENGINE PORTION BURST INTO FLAMES. THE LEFT FRONT DOOR WAS NOT IMPACTED AND DRIVER WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE AS FLAMES IMMEDIATELY ENGULFED THE PASSENGER SECTION. WHAT WOULD LIKELY HAVE RESULTED IN A REPAIRABLE LEFT FRONTAL DAMAGE CLAIM ACTUALLY BECAME A TOTAL LOSS DUE TO THE FIRE DESTRUCTION. THIS AUTOMOBILE WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM A SUBARU DEALERSHIP ON 10-9-17 AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT APPROXIMATELY 3,300 MILES. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO JIM KARAS SUBARU IN MEMPHIS, TN FOR REPAIRS. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FOR REPAIRS. ACCORDING TO MECHANIC'S INSPECTION AND REPAIR REPORT 521894S DATED 4-20-18, 'FOR P219A

Mileage: 15,000

20201017FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THE CAR STALLED THREE TIMES; THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THEN TURNED OFF. WHITE, SWEET SMELLING SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE. I PULLED OVER SAFELY. UPON INSPECTION OF THE CAR, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE VALVE SPRING COVER CAME OUT OF THE RIGHT SIDE (PASSENGER) ENGINE HEAD. SEE ATTACHMENT FOR A LIST OF ALL PARTS AFFECTED.

Mileage: 39,867

20200606AIR BAGS

THE PASSAGER AIR BAG TURNED OFF WITH ME IN THE SEAT

Mileage: 46,785

20181010ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON ,TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON, LIGHT PLATES OFF. ACCELERATOR STUCK WHILE DRIVING NOISE WHILE DRIVING. CAR HAD WATER DAMAGE FEW DAYS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA. INSURANCE COMPANY (GEICO) IN THE REPAIR PROCESS DECLARED ONCE TOTAL LOST THEN CHANGE ITS MIND. I HAD BEEN OFF AND ON THE SHOP SINCE THAT DATE. STUCK WITH THIS LEASED CAR

Mileage: 1,000

Compare 2017SUBARUBRZ to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2017 SUBARU BRZ have?
The 2017 SUBARU BRZ has 10 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2017 SUBARU BRZ?
The 2017 SUBARU BRZ received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 SUBARU BRZ?
The most-complained component for the 2017 SUBARU BRZ is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC).
Is the 2017 SUBARU BRZ safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2017 SUBARU BRZ has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.