2006 Subaru Impreza Problems, Recalls & Reliability
68 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Subaru Impreza, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 20/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Airbags leads the reports.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2006 Subaru Impreza has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2006 sits among all Impreza years
What owners report
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 41 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 60,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 12,000 and 83,550 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
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 (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 (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 2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback and 2006-2009 Impreza (including WRX and STI models) and Tribeca vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas,…
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at…
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…
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2006-2008 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), Tribeca, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa,…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2017. Subaru owners…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2006-2008 Impreza, Tribeca, 2006 Saab 9-2x, and 2003-2006 Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016. Owners may…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, Forester, 2006-2011 Impreza, Tribeca, 2003-2006 Baja, and 2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016. Owners may…
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 VEHICLES, THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MAY HAVE BEEN PINCHED DURING PRODUCTION. PINCHING OF THE WIRING HARNESS BETWEEN THE FLOOR CROSSMEMBER AND THE SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET COULD RESULT IN…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT TO SEE IF THE WIRING HAD BEEN INCORRECTLY ROUTED UNDER THE SEAT BRACKET. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPAIR ANY DAMAGED WIRING, REROUTE AND SECURE THE WIRING HARNESS IN THE CORRECT…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 11V464000.
Technical service bulletins
137 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2006 Subaru Impreza. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2006 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 2006 Subaru Impreza reliable?
The 2006 Subaru Impreza drew 68 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 20/100, scored against the model's worst year (2012).
What are the most common 2006 Subaru Impreza problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Subaru Impreza are airbags (20 complaints), engine (12), and transmission & drivetrain (7).
At what mileage do 2006 Subaru Impreza problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Subaru Impreza problems around 60,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 12,000 and 83,550 miles.
Does the 2006 Subaru Impreza have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 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.