2004 Subaru Impreza Problems, Recalls & Reliability
113 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Subaru Impreza, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 38/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Fuel system leads the reports, typically around 89,107 miles.
Below average
Where 2004 sits among all Impreza years
What owners report
“During cold weather a strong smell of fuel can be detected coming from the engine bay while both moving and stationary. This problem only occurs during colder weather.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Impreza
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 84 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 61,977 miles. Half of those reports fall between 13,000 and 130,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2004-2005 Impreza and WRX vehicles that received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The replacement air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the passenger inflator and if necessary, install a new inflator kit, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 14, 2023. Owners may contact…
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…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may…
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…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may…
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…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7,…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners…
SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2007 IMPREZA, MODEL YEAR 2003-2008 FORESTER, AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 SAAB 9-2X VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2000 THROUGH NOVEMBER 26, 2007 ORIGINALLY SOLD, OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN, MASSACHUSETTS,…
Fix: SUBARU WILL HANDLE THEIR VEHICLES AND SAAB WILL HANDLE THEIRS. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DEGREE OF CORROSION OF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS, AND WILL EITHER RUSTPROOF OR REPLACE THEM. THIS SERVICE…
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE COVER BOLTS FOR THE ENGINE OIL CONTROL VALVE MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED, ALLOWING OIL TO LEAK FROM AROUND THE COVER GASKET.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND RETIGHTEN THE OIL-FLOW CONTROL VALVE COVER BOLTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 8, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER SEDANS, WAGONS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE COULD COME OUT OF ITS TRACK ON THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER AND LODGE ON THE CONTROL LEVER TAB WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED. IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS, THE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A CRUISE CONTROL CABLE RETAINING CLIP TO THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER TAB ON THE THROTTLE SHAFT IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE FROM COMING OUT OF ITS TRACK. OWNER…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 11V464000.
Technical service bulletins
199 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on airbags and electrical — are on file for the 2004 Subaru Impreza. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 Impreza TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Subaru Impreza reliable?
The 2004 Subaru Impreza drew 113 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 38/100, scored against the model's worst year (2012).
What are the most common 2004 Subaru Impreza problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Subaru Impreza are fuel system (37 complaints), suspension (17), and airbags (14).
At what mileage do 2004 Subaru Impreza problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Subaru Impreza problems around 61,977 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 13,000 and 130,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Subaru Impreza have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Subaru Impreza. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.