2019 Subaru Impreza: What to check before buying

Low beams light too little of the road at night, so drivers struggle to see road edges, worn lane markings in rain, and the ground near the front corners during turns. Most filings come from owners waiting on a headlight recall repair, with dealers confirming the replacement part is not available, in some cases nearly two years after the notice. A few owners say a dealer tied their dim lights to that open recall. One crash involved hitting a curb during a night turn, and others describe near misses.

Windshields crack with no clear impact, sometimes with a loud pop while driving and sometimes while parked in a driveway or garage. Some owners hear creaking before the glass splits. Small pebbles also leave long cracks that keep spreading, especially in sun and heat, and several owners are on their second or third windshield. Cracks show up early, with reports near 3,000 miles. A second pattern is the cowl trim at the base of the windshield lifting or buckling, which returns after warranty replacement and can let water reach the engine bay.

Windshields crack, either from small rocks at normal speeds or with no impact at all, including overnight while parked and right after pulling away from a light. Cracks often spread a foot or two across the glass, sometimes the day after a strike. One owner needed another windshield a month after a replacement. Reported mileages range from about 14,000 to 52,000, so the problem is not limited to new cars.

Batteries go dead after the car sits for a day or a few days, and some owners have replaced three or four. Dealers often find no fault, call the drain within spec, or blame too little driving, so some owners now rely on a battery tender. Rodents chewing engine-bay wiring is another repeat complaint, and owners say warranty does not cover it. Less common reports include a head unit that reboots nonstop, flickering headlights and gauges, and a knee bumping the key and shutting off the engine in traffic.

One car caught fire in the engine compartment while parked about 12 hours and was a total loss, after its first service near 5,000 miles. Other reports describe weak power and odd shifting traced to carbon buildup on the heads, which required taking the engine apart and machining the heads. Owners also report pinging on fuel below 91 octane and the throttle not responding at low speed in parking lots, with one near collision. A knee hitting the key can shut off the engine at highway speed.

Rubber brake hoses swell or bubble between the caliper and the metal lines, sometimes at all four wheels, and one shop advised not driving the car until they were replaced. One crash report describes the brake pedal locking rigid in stop-and-go highway traffic, leading to a low-speed impact with a truck. Other owners report constant squealing that continues after new pads and rotors, and a rear caliper that does not fully engage, along with vibration and noise.

The car wanders and darts within its lane at 50 to 70 mph, even on straight, smooth roads with no wind, and drivers must keep making small corrections. The wheel may not return to center after a turn. Alignments and new tires have not fixed it, and one dealer found the same behavior on new cars from the lot. Owners also describe a floating feel at highway speed and a scraping noise over bumps, which one dealer traced to the shocks and steering rack at 600 miles.

Airbags failed to deploy in three crashes that together injured five people. The crashes include a side impact, a rear-end collision into an SUV at about 35 mph, and a front-quarter impact. Both of the last two cars were totaled, and injuries include a broken foot and a concussion. One owner believes the sensors sit too low to register a hit into a taller vehicle. One more filing describes the SRS warning light staying on in a car with only 150 miles.

Only two complaints fall here, but one involves a crash. The car surged forward at full throttle while creeping into a parking space and hit a parked vehicle, with the driver saying the accelerator was not pressed. The other describes shaking and stumbling at 50 to 60 mph, as if the engine is starved for fuel, and the car will not go faster than 60.