Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the wipers and visibility, transmission, and steering. The 8 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2022Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/8 checked
2022 Subaru Impreza: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/4
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2022's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2022 Subaru Impreza. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | AWD | 32 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2022 Subaru Impreza, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Windshields crack with no impact. In both reports the glass splits without warning, once in a garage-parked car and once at freeway speed. One crack forms an arch at the middle base of the glass and looks like it starts on the inside. Another spreads widely after it appears. Sun glare through the cracks can block the driver's view and make objects look slightly out of place. One owner says replacement windshields crack the same way.
Transmission failures come on suddenly and without warning. In one report the front wheels lock up at 75 mph, and a shop blames the transmission. That kind of failure at highway speed carries a real crash risk. In another, the car will not move from a stoplight, every warning light comes on, and there is a burning smell. The dealer finds a cut rubber hose to the transmission that let all the fluid drain out. The owner notes the hose sits exposed under the car.
The car wanders in its lane, and the wheel feels loose, overly sensitive, or disconnected. Drivers describe the car jerking side to side and losing its line on long, steady curves. That can push the car toward oncoming traffic or the road edge, even on dry pavement. One report says the problem gets more frequent over time. In another, it shows up within 12 days of delivery. A dealer blames over-inflated tires and lets some air out, but the same complaint returns.
Excerpts from complaints Impreza owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
Windshield cracked spontaneously at the middle base of the windshield in a perfect arch. Crack appears to be on the inside of the glass. No impacts or anything hit the windshield, no reason for this to happen. My car is parked in a garage. Called Subaru, they insist there is no recall.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2023
Front wheels locked up while doing 75 miles an hour. Per shop the transmission locked up. There were no signs of transmission failure car ran perfectly fine and had been serviced and new tires 7 days before. This could have caused a very serious accident.
Filed with NHTSA, June 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2022 ranks sixth for owner complaints among 8 Impreza years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2022 is the sixth model year of the Impreza's fifth generation (2017–2023).
It includes the 2020 update.
What changed for 2020
Recall repairs are free at any Subaru dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Impreza and Outback vehicles. The incorrect paint clearcoat may have been applied, which can cause the windshield to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 212, "Windshield Mounting.".
Risk: An insufficiently bonded windshield can detach during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Subaru will offer owners a vehicle exchange or repurchase, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 21, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-22.
Cars shoppers compare with the Subaru Impreza, with their own 2022 checklists.
2022 owner complaints, side by side
