Most common 1998 Subaru Impreza problems
Share of the 30 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Subaru Impreza complaints by model year
Best Impreza years: 2023, 2021, 2022. Years to avoid: 2012, 2013, 2019, 2018, 2017. Compare all years →
What 1998 Subaru Impreza owners say
Suspension
Rear wheel bearing failed twice. I believe that this a potentially a serious safety problem. Subaru is aware of the problem. They quietly superseeded the old ball bearing used in imprezas and foresters with a new roller bearing from the legacy. Please see this url for more info: http://www.I-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110396&perpage=25&pagenumber=1.
Consumer has experienced numerous failures of left rear wheel bearing, consumer states very noisy and just failed without warning while driving at high speed the car began to vibrate quite violently, causing some difficulty in maintaining control of the vehicle, consumer was able to brake and move to emergency lane.
Transmission & drivetrain
Transfer clutch on the powertrain of my 1998 Subaru Impreza bucks and binds in turns, apparently due to the transfer clutch hanging up and staying applied. This has occurred at least since the 50,000 mile mark and continues to date. Despite this problem falling under Subaru's powertrain warranty, two separate Subaru dealers have refused to fix it under warranty, and instead have "added limited slip differential additive" to the differential-a fix I have been told by another Subaru dealer is not an authorized fix for this problem. I am now faced with $900 in repair bills. This problem has been previously reported for 1997 Subaru imprezas (NHTSA item number sb053575).
The first clutch went bad at about 6500 miles, dealer said it was driver error, replaced for 1300.00, 2nd clutch went bad about 14,000 miles dealer said was driver failure but honored warranty and replaced, driver modifies driving habits that May be causing failure, 3rd clutch went bad about 22,000 miles went to a private Subaru garage and they rplaced it with a older model clutch , stated that many late 90's subaurus are coming in for clutch failure, 4th clutch failed at about 35,000 miles,wheel bearings in rear replaced after a minor accident involving a collision with tire and pole, 2nd rear wheel bearing replaced after mechaninc noticed rear wheel noise about a year 10,000 later, hubcaps fell off repeatedly, finallly gave up replaceing, starter went bad, it made a noise took into garage immediately, it already had damaged the fly wheel, both replaced under warranty, speedomter …
Engine & cooling
The engine kept overheating and air would appear in the radiator. Antifreeze would be pushed out of radiator and the heater would blow cold air. The car had to be shut off repeatedly and allowed to cool down and the antifreeze replaced. A check of the cooling system detected no leaks. We were took the car to a number of garages until finally one garage told us that the engine block was most likely cracked and the engine needed to be replaced at a cost of $3600. According to the garage, they have replaced a number of engines for this particular model, specifically one with the dohc.
Head gasket failure engine overheated on 16 hour trip.. Took to Subaru dealership, they put in a new "starter bolt" stated it was a bad ground?? On return home car over heated again.. Was repaired by Subaru, tech said it was common. 2nd head gasket failure, two months later, oil in antifreeze... Driving 55-65 MPH for 10 min in 75-80f weather, not under hard acceleration. Fear that it will happen again. Current recall on 99-01 models for "coolant additive". Poor head gasket design is leading to failure... Seems to be common problem on 98's (2.5rs dohc ej25 phase 1)
1998 Subaru Impreza engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 2.2L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 19 / 26 / 22 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 19 / 25 / 21 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Subaru Impreza a good car?
Based on 30 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1998 Impreza rates average: 35% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Impreza at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Subaru Impreza?
The suspension — 11 complaints, 37% of all complaints for this model year, most often about multiple axle. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (9) and engine & cooling (7).
How many recalls does the 1998 Subaru Impreza have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1998 Subaru Impreza. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Subaru Impreza?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2023, 2021 and 2022. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2012, 2013, 2019, 2018 and 2017. See the full Subaru Impreza years comparison.
At what mileage do 1998 Subaru Impreza problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 72,000 miles; 17% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.