Total Complaints
13 filings
SUBARU IMPREZA · model year
13 NHTSA complaints, 6 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2001SUBARUIMPREZA carries 13 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 6 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2001 IMPREZA is tires with 2 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (2) and air bags:frontal (2). 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. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 2001 IMPREZA. 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.
Total Complaints
13 filings
Crashes Reported
6 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| TIRES | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 2 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | 1 |
| TIRES:SIDEWALL | 1 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND A
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES
THE CAR HAS A GAS ODOR IN CABIN WHEN STARTED IN COLD TEMPERATURES. THE SMELL WILL GO AWAY AFTER A LITTLE WHILE. JUDGING UPON HOW MANY ARTICLES I HAVE READ , THIS IS A PROBLEM. WHY HAVE THEY NOT EXPANDED THEIR RECALL?
Mileage: 151,000
TL* - THE CONSUMER BLACKED OUT AND DOESN'T REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED. THE CONSUMER HIT A GUARD RAIL POST AND THEN TWO TREES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE STEERING WHEEL BROKE OF FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHICH CAUSED THE AIR BAG FAILED NOT TO DEPLOY. UPDATED 03/19/07. *JB
Mileage: 121,000
TL* - THE CONSUMER BLACKED OUT AND DOESN'T REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED. THE CONSUMER HIT A GUARD RAIL POST AND THEN TWO TREES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE STEERING WHEEL BROKE OF FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHICH CAUSED THE AIR BAG FAILED NOT TO DEPLOY. UPDATED 03/19/07. *JB
Mileage: 121,000
I WAS IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WHEN A WOMAN FELL ASLEEP AND HIT ME HEAD ON. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *JB
Mileage: 42,000
DRIVING ALONG THE FREEWAY AT 60 MPH, THE LEFT REAR TIRE HAD A BLOWOUT. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS THE INTERIOR SIDEWALL WHERE THE FAILURE OCCURRED. I NOTICED THAT IN THE SPECIFIC LOCATION OF THE FAILURE, THE SIDEWALL WAS EXTREMELY SOFT; UNLIKE THE REST OF THE SIDEWALL. THE TIRE WAS TAKEN BACK TO COSTCO; BUT THEY REFUSED TO ACCEPT THAT IT WAS A DEFECTIVE TIRE. THE TIRE HAD 25,000 MILES ON IT; DRIVEN CONSERVATIVELY. I DO STILL HAVE THE FAILED TIRE, AND TWO OTHER TIRES JUST LIKE IT ARE STILL ON THE CAR. THE TIRE IS A BRIDGESTONE POTENZA 205/55R16 91W, ULTRA HIGH PERFORMANCE. *NM
Mileage: 75,000
AFTER READING ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE SUBARU WRX ABS PROBLEMS, I NOW FEEL LIKE THE ISSUE IS BROADER THAN THE NHTSA RECALL SUGGESTS. I DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS A SITE TO FILE THIS TYPE OF COMPLAINT.*AK I DRIVE A 2001 SUBARU IMPREZA 2.5RS. THE ABS SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE INCREDIBLY SENSITIVE TO SMALL BUMPS AND UNDULATIONS IN THE ROAD. IF THE CAR HITS A BUMP WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED, THE ABS SYSTEM BEGINS PUMPING THE BRAKE WHICH CAUSES, IN MY OPINION, LENGTHENED STOPPING DISTANCES AND A FEELING OF LACK OF CONTROL OVER THE CAR. THIS PROBLEM IS EASILY DUPLICATED.
Mileage: 1,000
AFTER READING ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE SUBARU WRX ABS PROBLEMS, I NOW FEEL LIKE THE ISSUE IS BROADER THAN THE NHTSA RECALL SUGGESTS. I DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS A SITE TO FILE THIS TYPE OF COMPLAINT.*AK I DRIVE A 2001 SUBARU IMPREZA 2.5RS. THE ABS SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE INCREDIBLY SENSITIVE TO SMALL BUMPS AND UNDULATIONS IN THE ROAD. IF THE CAR HITS A BUMP WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED, THE ABS SYSTEM BEGINS PUMPING THE BRAKE WHICH CAUSES, IN MY OPINION, LENGTHENED STOPPING DISTANCES AND A FEELING OF LACK OF CONTROL OVER THE CAR. THIS PROBLEM IS EASILY DUPLICATED.
Mileage: 1,000
FOR SOME REASON, THE FACTORY ANTI-THEFT DEVICE HAS CUT OFF THE STARTER AND IT WOULD NOT LET ME START THE CAR. WHEN I TURN THE KEY TO "START", THE ENGINE DOES NOT TRY TO TURN OVER AT ALL. WHEN I OPEN THE HOOD, I CAN HEAR A QUIET HIGH-PITCH NOISE WHEN KEY IS TURNED TO "START", AND THAT'S ALL. ALL THE ACCESSORIES, SUCH AS STEREO, RADAR DETECTOR, WORK FINE WHEN KEY IS IN "ON" POSITION. I HAVE TO HOLD DOWN THE OVERRIDE SWITCH TO START MY CAR. FURTHERMORE, THE REMOTE ENTRY/ANTI-THEFT DEVICE HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DISABLED. TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE "BRAIN" OF THE ALARM SYSTEM, OR THE CONTROL MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT'S SIMPLY DEAD. *LA
ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM OVER REACTS. HAD TO AVOID ACCIDENTS MANY TIMES WHEN CRUISING TO STOP AND HITTING EITHER A DIP,SMALL OR LARGE POTHOLE,SLIGHT IMPERFECTION IN ROAD SERVICE WILL CAUSE ABS TO ENGAGE (BRAKE PETAL DOPS AND ABS STARTS) ESPECIALLY ON DOWNHILL BREAKING. I WILL INCLUDE 1 INCIDENT DATE BECAUSE THAT IS ALL YOU WILL ALLOW ME TO DO ON THE FORM. PROBLEM IS REPEATABLE AND HAPPENS OFTEN (2-3 TIMES A WEEK) I KNOW THIS IS NOT JUST MY CAR OR A PROBLEM RELATED TO ONLY MY CAR IT IS ALREADY KNOWN, SUBARU KNOWS OF PROBLEM. YET DOES NOT OFFER A SAFE SOLUTION. I ACTUALLY FOUND THIS OUT THE HARD WAY 2 MONTHS AFTER GETTING MY NEW CAR THE RS MODEL.NO INJURIES LUCKILY. FROM WHAT I HEAR FROM SUBARU CLUBS THIS HAPPENS WITH OTHER MODEL YEARS AS WELL. SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS BEEN VERY STUBBORN TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE. *NLM
Mileage: 300
THE REAR WHEEL BEARING REPEATIDLY FAILED. THE PART HAS BEEN REPLACED TEN TIMES. THE VEHOICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT RELATED TO THE FAULT BEARING. *AK *CB *NLM
Mileage: 25,000
TIRE FAILURE. *AK
THE BRAKE ROTORS HAVE SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS WHICH CAUSES INCOMPLETE BRAKE SHOE CONTACT TO THE ROTOR AND CONCENTRIC GROOVES IN THE ROTOR. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS FROM WRX OWNERS OF THE SAME PROBLEM, AS WELL AS REPORTS OF BRAKE SHOES WEARING OUT BEFORE 5000 MILES AND GRINDING NOISES. SUBARU HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND CHOOSES TO USE THE EXCUSE "IT IS ONLY A PROBLEM OF APPEARANCE" WHEN IN FACT THE ROTORS, A VITAL PIECE OF A MAJOR SAFETY COMPONENT OF THE VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE AND POTENTIALLY UNSAFE. WE DEMAND A RECALL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFECTIVE ROTORS. SUBARU'S FLIPPANT AND RIDICULOUS ATTITUDE IS IRRESPONSIBLE. PLEASE FORCE THEM TO FIX THIS OBVIOUS MECHANICAL DEFECT.*AK
FIRST OFF THE ROADS WERE WET FROM A PREVIOUS RAIN AND THERE WAS NO STANDING WATER. I WAS TURNING A LEFT HAND CORNER FROM 3040 ONTO SERVICE ROAD OF I-35E SOUTH. WHILE IN THE TURN I HYDRO PLANED INTO THE CURB. I CALLED FOR A WRECKER AND WHILE LOADING THE CAR I'VE FOUND THAT 2 OF THE 4 TIRES WERE PUT ON BACKWARDS. THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE AND THE LEFT REAR. THERE IS A ROTATION ARROW ON THEM. I CALLED B.F GOODRICH AND THEY SAID THAT THE TIRE BEING PUT ON BACKWARDS COULD HINDER THE RAIN SHEDDING OF THE TIRE. HAVE PICTURES OF THE TIRES ON BACKWARDS AND A ESTIMATE OF THE DAMAGE.*AK (TIRESIZE: 235/50ZR16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 235/50ZR16 )
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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.