Most common 2008 Subaru Impreza problems
Share of the 176 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 →
2008 Subaru Impreza recalls (14)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019.
Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback and 2006-2009 Impreza (including WRX and STI models) and Tribeca vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783.
Show 8 more recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2006-2008 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), Tribeca, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2017.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783.
Electrical system
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, Forester, 2006-2011 Impreza, Tribeca, 2003-2006 Baja, and 2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2006-2008 Impreza, Tribeca, 2006 Saab 9-2x, and 2003-2006 Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016.
Service brakes, hydraulic
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Impreza, 2008-2014 WRX and STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will apply an anti-corrosion wax to the four-way joint connector area of the brake line system, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2015.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Subaru is recalling 16,715 my 2007-2008 legacy sedans and wagons, my 2008 impreza sedans and wagons, and my 2009 forester vehicles. Some vehicles May have the cylinder head-side oil supply pipe and turbocharger-side pipe improperly assembled.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect for cracking or an oil leak at the oil supply pipe at the cylinder head-side. An additional bracket will be installed to increase rigidity of the pipe and the pipe assembly will be replaced with a…
What 2008 Subaru Impreza owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 59 →
2008 WRX started to make a sqeeking noise when engaging the clutch. The spot welds came apart from firewall and my clutch has gone out twice. The pedal when shifting sticks and while driving I have to put the pedal under my foot and pull upwards for it to work. Very dangerous and the welds are faulty, it should be a recall items. Subaru can request for a inspection anytime as it is very much needed to be addressed.
My sons vehicle started off with a squeaking noise when he depressed the clutch. This went on for a couple of months he is now having difficulty shifting the car into gear and it nearly caused an accident the other day. When the vehicle is stationary, and the clutch is totally depressed it is extremely difficult to get the car into gear. When driving it is less difficult, but still very tricky to get into gear. We also noticed that when the clutch is depressed, if you raise the hood, you can see the firewall flexing quite a bit where the clutch master cylinder is located. We replaced the clutch slave cylinder and it did not help the issue. In my reading online, I have noticed many complaints from people related to the factory welds holding the clutch assembly to the firewall are failing. It seems to be a widespread issue for Subaru imprezas 2008-2014. …
Air bags all 37 →
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 Subaru Impreza. While driving in inclement weather, the vehicle was involved in a side impact collision. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed destroyed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The driver suffered from a concussion from hitting the driver side window. Medical attention was required. The failure mileage was approximately 80,500.
Takata recall- I was driving in the slow (right side) of the freeway going about 68 MPH (between 65-70), there was a small amount of traffic. There was an extra lane (temporary 3 lane for entrance, but normal 2 lane freeway) to my right and I began merging (or possibly swerved from looking over shoulder...and a bee flew into me while I was driving also causing me to swerve a bit). I ended up in the fast (left) lane that was going slower due to an unknown reason...which caused me to slam on the breaks, but I rear ended the car in front of me at an angle (my driver side front to their passenger side back) because I swerved back into the luckily empty spot next to me, but it wasn't fast enough to not hit the car in front of me. …
Engine & cooling all 27 →
2008 Subaru wrx manual trans. 22,500 miles. Between the time the engine comes off high idle (after being started cold) and when it is completely warmed up, the engine will drop its RPM to 0 causing an engine stall when the clutch is depressed in order to change gears. This recently happened when entering a roundabout when I was going to shift down from 3rd to 2nd gear. At this point I only have my left hand on the steering wheel and right on the shift lever. The engine stalls and I loose power steering. Power braking also seems decreased as I was unable to prevent the car from running into the central island of the roundabout. This happens consistently in cold weather. Dealership has tried repairs, but is unable to find anything wrong (3 separate admissions for service for this problem over last 9 months). Computer error codes returned were 301,302,303,304. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Subaru Impreza. While driving at 35 MPH, there was smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact noticed oil leaking from the engine. The contact was an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the valve covers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact then replaced the clamps on the oil return line however the failure persisted. The contact then diagnosed that the oil feed line needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 08V460000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact stated that two weeks after the repairs, while driving at 60 MPH, there was a noise coming from the engine. In addition, the contact noticed smoke in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. …
2008 Subaru Impreza engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 27 / 22 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 25 / 22 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 27 / 22 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 19 / 25 / 21 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 6-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Subaru Impreza a good car?
Based on 176 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2008 Impreza rates avoid: 3.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the Impreza at the same age. It is one of the Impreza years we suggest avoiding. 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 2008 Subaru Impreza?
The transmission & drivetrain — 59 complaints, 34% of all complaints for this model year, most often about clutch assembly. Next are the air bags (37) and engine & cooling (27).
How many recalls does the 2008 Subaru Impreza have?
There are 14 recalls for the 2008 Subaru Impreza, the most recent from January 2, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the 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 2008 Subaru Impreza problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 49,000 miles; 51% 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.