Total Complaints
4 filings
SUBARU WRX · model year
2012 SUBARU WRX
4 NHTSA complaints, and 12 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2012SUBARUWRX carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 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 2012 WRX is vehicle speed control with 1 filings, followed by engine (1) and power train (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. This model year has 12 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 14 investigation files overlapping the 2012 WRX. 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.
4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
Recalls (12)
14V83000031/12/2014
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Impreza, 2008-2014 WRX and STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshi
19V14900028/02/2019
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing
19V29700011/04/2019
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part.
14V31100010/06/2014
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michi
17V01400010/01/2017
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Ha
19V00900009/01/2019
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mont
19V00800009/01/2019
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Ma
19V00700009/01/2019
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, Amer
18V01200009/01/2018
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, Am
20V00200002/01/2020
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbi
20V00100002/01/2020
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawai
20V00300002/01/2020
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa,
Recent Complaints
20180313ENGINE
I HAD CHECKED MY OIL ABOUT A WEEK PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING. I WAS OUT ON THE INTERSTATE ON MY WAY TO GET MY OIL CHANGED WHEN I HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING AND LOST ALL POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAD IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME ALL OF MY FULL SYNTHETIC OIL WAS GONE FROM THE ENGINE AND IT WAS BLOWN. THERE WAS NO SMOKING NO LEAKING NO LIGHTS OR ANYTHING TO LET ME KNOW SOMETHING WAS GOING WRONG UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. SUBARU HAS BEEN ARGUING WITH ME FOR MONTHS AND FINALLY SAID THEY WOULD COVER HALF OF THE REPAIRS BUT I DO NOT FEEL I AM RESPONSIBLE AT ALL. I SHOWED MY MAINTENANCE RECORDS TO A SUBARU ENGINEER WHO SAID IT WOULD BE NO PROBLEM GETTING THE ENGINE FIXED AT NO COST TO ME. WELL APPARENTLY THAT DECISION WAS REVERSED BY SOMEONE AND NOW I ONLY GET HALF OF THE HELP THEY PROMISED ME. MY ENGINE HAS BEEN DEFECTIVE FROM THE GET GO AND SUBARU NEEDS TO OWN UP TO IT. SHOULD NOT BE REPLACING THAT ENGINE AT 56K ORIGINAL MILES AND I HAVE EVERY
Mileage: 56,000
20180313POWER TRAIN
I HAD CHECKED MY OIL ABOUT A WEEK PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING. I WAS OUT ON THE INTERSTATE ON MY WAY TO GET MY OIL CHANGED WHEN I HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING AND LOST ALL POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAD IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME ALL OF MY FULL SYNTHETIC OIL WAS GONE FROM THE ENGINE AND IT WAS BLOWN. THERE WAS NO SMOKING NO LEAKING NO LIGHTS OR ANYTHING TO LET ME KNOW SOMETHING WAS GOING WRONG UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. SUBARU HAS BEEN ARGUING WITH ME FOR MONTHS AND FINALLY SAID THEY WOULD COVER HALF OF THE REPAIRS BUT I DO NOT FEEL I AM RESPONSIBLE AT ALL. I SHOWED MY MAINTENANCE RECORDS TO A SUBARU ENGINEER WHO SAID IT WOULD BE NO PROBLEM GETTING THE ENGINE FIXED AT NO COST TO ME. WELL APPARENTLY THAT DECISION WAS REVERSED BY SOMEONE AND NOW I ONLY GET HALF OF THE HELP THEY PROMISED ME. MY ENGINE HAS BEEN DEFECTIVE FROM THE GET GO AND SUBARU NEEDS TO OWN UP TO IT. SHOULD NOT BE REPLACING THAT ENGINE AT 56K ORIGINAL MILES AND I HAVE EVERY
Mileage: 56,000
20180313STEERING
I HAD CHECKED MY OIL ABOUT A WEEK PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING. I WAS OUT ON THE INTERSTATE ON MY WAY TO GET MY OIL CHANGED WHEN I HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING AND LOST ALL POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAD IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME ALL OF MY FULL SYNTHETIC OIL WAS GONE FROM THE ENGINE AND IT WAS BLOWN. THERE WAS NO SMOKING NO LEAKING NO LIGHTS OR ANYTHING TO LET ME KNOW SOMETHING WAS GOING WRONG UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. SUBARU HAS BEEN ARGUING WITH ME FOR MONTHS AND FINALLY SAID THEY WOULD COVER HALF OF THE REPAIRS BUT I DO NOT FEEL I AM RESPONSIBLE AT ALL. I SHOWED MY MAINTENANCE RECORDS TO A SUBARU ENGINEER WHO SAID IT WOULD BE NO PROBLEM GETTING THE ENGINE FIXED AT NO COST TO ME. WELL APPARENTLY THAT DECISION WAS REVERSED BY SOMEONE AND NOW I ONLY GET HALF OF THE HELP THEY PROMISED ME. MY ENGINE HAS BEEN DEFECTIVE FROM THE GET GO AND SUBARU NEEDS TO OWN UP TO IT. SHOULD NOT BE REPLACING THAT ENGINE AT 56K ORIGINAL MILES AND I HAVE EVERY
Mileage: 56,000
20160831VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
DURING NORMAL DRIVING ACTIVITIES, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WILL STOP FUNCTIONING. AT THIS TIME, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND THE ENGINE IDLE IS HELD STEADY AT APPROXIMATELY 1500RPM. THE CAR CANNOT ACCELERATE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. SHUTTING THE CAR OFF FOR 60 SECONDS OR MORE IS REQUIRED. ATTEMPTING TO START BEFORE THE 60 SECOND TIME RESULTS IN THE ENGINE NOT STARTING. AFTER THE 60 SECONDS, THE ENGINE STARTS AND APPEARS TO OPERATE NORMALLY EXCEPT WITH THE CEL ILLUMINATED. THE ASSOCIATED CODE FROM THE ECM IS P2138.
Mileage: 57,500
Compare 2012SUBARUWRX to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
PE19009Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Occupant Detection System (ODS) Failure
PE15012Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Passenger Front Air Bag Suppression
PE11011Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Front suspension control arm failure
EA09007Engineering AnalysisClosed
FUEL PUMP LEAKS
PE09017Preliminary EvaluationClosed
FUEL LINE LEAK
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2012 SUBARU WRX have?▼
The 2012 SUBARU WRX has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2012 SUBARU WRX?▼
Yes, the 2012 SUBARU WRX has 12 recall(s). The most common affected component is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 SUBARU WRX?▼
The most-complained component for the 2012 SUBARU WRX is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2012 SUBARU WRX safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.