NHTSA has received 85 owner complaints about the 2020 Subaru Impreza, or 12.5 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.31, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 83 model-year 2020 vehicles we track, it ranks #27 of 83 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Subaru models its rate is 66% lower; against other Compact cars it is 43% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2019-12-30 and 2026-06-24. Median delay from incident to filing: 3 days.
85Complaints
12.5Complaints per year on the road
0.31Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
1Recalls
4.7%Share involving a crash or fire
4Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2019) drew 24.9 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2021) drew 2.4 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2020 model collected 52 complaints, 8% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Body & structure (65.9% of complaints), followed by Unspecified or other (12.9%) and Brakes (5.9%). Body & structure complaints are 7.2 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 4 reports (4.7%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 2 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 17 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (33% of incidents). 4 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall for this model year.
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.31
vs. other Subaru models0.34
vs. other 2020 models0.33
vs. other Compact cars0.57
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (52)0.92
The electrical system failed and battery then exploded. The vehicle is behind held at a tow yard and has been inspected by allied insurance CPI of tower federal credit union. It is available to be inspected for the time being but will be scrapped soon.
Electrical · 2026-06-24 · ODI 11746233 · Fire
I got into an accident going 60 miles an hour I crash into a guardrail totaled the car but no airbags deployed I broke my wrist and dislocated my thumb
For the second year in a row my windshield has cracked. Nothing hit it, or happened to make it crack. Both cracks were long and coming from the bottom of the windshield under the passenger wiper blade.
Body & structure · 2026-04-28 · ODI 11734220
I have now had 4 windshields crack and break and need to be replaced. It seems like every time one little rock hits the windshield boom another full replacement is needed.
Body & structure · 2026-02-02 · ODI 11715092
Reference complaint no.11684658 confirmed. From email from Tech representative "VDC HYDRAULIC UNIT REPLACEMENT. IT IS AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. THERE ARE SENSORS INSIDE THAT MEASURE BRAKE LINE PRESSURE.
Brakes · 2025-09-27 · ODI 11690067
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
