Subaru WRX Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Subaru WRX model year from 2002 to 2025, benchmarked against each other with 1,232 federal complaints, 24 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2002. These years top the WRX's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2004, 2009, 2015–2016, 2019, 2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the WRX's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Fuel system tops the Subaru WRX file with 375 complaints, concentrated in the 2002 model years, most often reported around 73,500 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Few reports | 4 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 2024 | Few reports | 15 | 0 | — | 3 |
| 2023 | Few reports | 7 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 2022 | Better year | 36 | 1 | Engine | 9 |
| 2021 | Few reports | 21 | 1 | — | 4 |
| 2020 | Few reports | 23 | 1 | — | 7 |
| 2019 | Better year | 44 | 2 | Electrical | 8 |
| 2018 | Typical | 63 | 2 | Engine | 21 |
| 2017 | Typical | 73 | 1 | Electrical | 30 |
| 2016 | Better year | 40 | 3 | Electrical | 9 |
| 2015 | Better year | 73 | 3 | Transmission & drivetrain | 17 |
| 2014 | Few reports | 9 | 10 | — | 2 |
| 2013 | Few reports | 11 | 11 | — | 2 |
| 2012 | Few reports | 4 | 12 | — | 1 |
| 2011 | Few reports | 5 | 11 | — | 1 |
| 2010 | Few reports | 3 | 12 | — | 1 |
| 2009 | Better year | 72 | 10 | Transmission & drivetrain | 13 |
| 2008 | Typical | 119 | 7 | Transmission & drivetrain | 23 |
| 2006 | Few reports | 14 | 4 | — | 3 |
| 2005 | Few reports | 24 | 5 | Fuel system | 4 |
| 2004 | Better year | 46 | 5 | Fuel system | 12 |
| 2003 | Typical | 65 | 2 | Brakes & stability | 25 |
| 2002 | Avoid | 461 | 2 | Fuel system | 100 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 4,966 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Subaru WRX. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Subaru WRX TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Subaru WRX years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2002 as the Subaru WRX years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Subaru WRX problem?
Fuel system tops the Subaru WRX file with 375 complaints, concentrated in the 2002 model years, most often reported around 73,500 miles.
What are the best Subaru WRX years to buy used?
The quietest Subaru WRX years in federal records are 2004, 2009, 2015–2016, 2019, 2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
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. Counts cover the Subaru WRX only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.