2002 Subaru Impreza problems
The 2002 Subaru Impreza has 339 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (29%) concerns fuel system. After that come brakes (19%) and suspension (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 339 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 67,000 miles 225 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 25 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 35 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 34 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 36 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 23 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 23 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 14 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 15 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 10 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 7 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 225 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 67,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 60,000 miles (80 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 9 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 27 model years of the Subaru Impreza with enough data (196 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Brakes did not respond to full pressure applied to the brake pedal after getting in the exit lane of northbound interstate 75 and the I-675 south exchange. Brakes did not slow the car and the car proceeded to swerve off the road, resulting in a rollover of multiple revolutions. Exact number of turns is not known. It was noticed that the brakes had been grinding the day before. Also, the brake pedal had started to feel soft the day of the accident. Air bags, neither front nor side impact bags, did not deploy.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 subaru impreza. While driving 35 MPH the vehicle would not stop when the brake was depressed, this caused him to crash into the rear of the vehicle in front of him. The contact was injured. The police report was filed. As of august 2, 2007, the dealer was inspecting the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 60,000.
While in motion insured approached stop sign. Vehicle 2 stopped and proceeded as insured was already accelerating and was unable to stop, therefore hitting the rear of vehicle 2. May be a possible problem with the ABS system.
Car develops a fuel leak from the defective fuel lines in cold temperature (winter). Gasoline dripping onto engine block and filling inside cabin with heavy smell of gas fumes. Subaru of america is aware of the problem since april of 2003 but unwilling to fix the problem at their expense. Defect is due to the incorrect manufacturer's design of fuel rails and hoses and is being fixed by installation of new updated parts.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 subaru impreza. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance when the technician advised that the front lower control arm was corroded. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 11v464000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower arm) but was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000.