Used Car Checklists

2024 Subaru WRX: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 13 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the transmission. The 6 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

Subaru WRX2024
Owner complaints
13
Recalls
0
Crashes reported
0
Reliability
Good
78/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Run the VIN before you go

A history report shows accidents, title brands, odometer readings, and open recalls for this 2024 Subaru WRX. Ask the seller for the VIN; it is also on the dash at the base of the windshield.

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/6 checked

1

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2

2

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4

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.

Reported on neighboring WRX years

Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.

2023 WRX

6 owner complaints
  • Suspension 2
  • Engine 2

Worth adding to your 2024 checks

  • Turn the wheel fully left and right while creeping forward, and listen for popping from the front.
  • Drive slowly over rough or uneven pavement and listen for clicking or cracking from the front struts.
  • Ask whether the suspension has been lowered or modified, and look for aftermarket springs.
Open the 2023 checklist

2022 WRX

23 owner complaints
  • Engine 12
  • Transmission 3

Worth adding to your 2024 checks

  • Ask for records of any oil pan removal or pickup inspection, and what debris was found.
  • Check the dipstick cold and ask the seller how often oil needs topping up between changes.
  • After the test drive, sniff around the engine bay and tailpipe for a burning smell.
Open the 2022 checklist

Which WRX is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2024 Subaru WRX. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

VersionDriveEPA rating
2.4L 4-cylAWD22 mpg
  • Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A WRX that averages well under the EPA 22 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2024 Subaru WRX, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

  • Transmission2No crashes

    Third gear in the manual transmission can fail on the upshift from second. Drivers hear a loud pop, then a grinding noise like gravel under the car, and the car loses power. A dealer teardown found almost none of the third-gear teeth left. A separate report describes the shifter slipping past the sixth-gear detent toward reverse at highway speed. Both failures carry a risk of losing control. Repairs are slow. One transmission stayed apart for weeks while the owner waited on a factory engineer's report. In the third-gear case, a Subaru specialist's inspection ended in a denial.

How the 2024 compares with other WRX years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2024 ranks fifth for owner complaints among 8 WRX years, close to the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2024 Average of other years
  • Transmission23

Also looking at these instead of a WRX?

Cars shoppers compare with the Subaru WRX, with their own 2024 checklists.

2024 owner complaints, side by side