Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Subaru Impreza owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The spot welds under windshield cowl broke causing the bracket holding clutch pedal assembly to break. Because of these issues, I can only engage my reverse gear half the time and while shifting gears in motion, it tends to be a bit difficult. I've almost crashed a couple times because of this issue. My car is a 2008 Subaru wrx sedan with only 74,000 miles and I'm currently making payments on the car. Money is really tight due to me being a full time college student and full time worker so I'm not sure how to go about this really big problem. My car is everything to me right now and if it fails on me, I have no means of transportation. I also have no modifications to the vehicle other than wheels, and a blow off valve. The vehicle tends to give me the most difficulty engaging reverse every morning.
I was out all morning running errands. I came home from about 4 hours of doing the run around. At 12:25 pm I got home , took my babies out of the car and put them down for a nap. I went out about 40 mins later to the car and the key fobs were not working so I then went to unlock the driver door with the key and when I opened it black smoke started rolling out. I then called 911 and reported the fire. The fire itself was out but the inside of the car all under the driver seat was burned up. The fire department started going threw the car and said they are claiming it as electrical. I reported it to my insurance company and now they are investigated it as well. The car was totaled out by the insurance company since there was so much damage to the inside.
Vehicle was not stationary, it was being tuned and the fire wall got to hot and started to smoke. In addition the third cylinder in the motor went bad as well and the motor was replaced due to a rod knock and the 3rd cylinder going bad. The vehicle has 80000 miles on the vehicle.
My 2008 Subaru Impreza wrx has had a "hard clutch pedal". Im an auto tech at a dealer so I took a look at it. I checked the spring and the pedal. I found the pedal would bend the mounting location under the dash when pushed in. I looked on the firewall under my wiper arms where the welds are at. The weld that holds the clutch and brake pedals to the firewall is cracked and now is cutting a hole in the firewall. I checked online for some help with the problem, and I found out im not the only one with this problem. I took the car to my local Subaru dealer. The dealer told me I needed a clutch. I ask them to look at the firewall welds that hold the clutch and brake pedals to the car. They told me to go away and not bring my car back to them! I called Subaru of America after this all happened. They told me to take it to another dealer. So I did to one " 3 hours away ". …
The clutch pedal on my 2008 wrx makes a loud creaking noise every time it's depressed (it will also pop if cold out). After reading other complaints online I found the entire clutch pedal bracket assembly (attached to the forward firewall) shifts approx 1/4 inch every time the clutch pedal is depressed, also causing the brake pedal to flex to the left. I can see at least two of my three spot welds securing the clutch pedal bracket to the forward firewall are broken. The whole clutch pedal assembly pulls away from the firewall every time the clutch pedal is depressed, the slave cylinder unit visibly moves. This allows the entire clutch pedal bracket assembly to move, causing the creaking noise. If the bracket completely separates from the firewall, the clutch May become completely inoperative, it already frequently feels like I cannot push the clutch in far enough to get it into gear. …
2008 wrx firewall welds are bad. Dealership wrote up "dangerous. Should not drive vehicle" and gave me an approximate price to fix it telling me they've never seen or heard about this before. Forums state this is an ongoing problem since 2008 and many people have attempted to spot weld it in place or have done non-ome fixes. Dealership told me basically corporate won't help because the car has 137,000 miles on it so its my problem. Car is too dangerous to drive or sell in this shape. I have called the dealership and complained about this problem starting 6 months after I purchased the car new and they always said the same thing "we have no known issues related to what your explaining". 6 years later and now its turned into a dangerous situation where clutch will go while driving.
The vehicle developed a crack in the fire wall. Every time I press my clutch pedal there is flexing in the assembly and makes a loud crack/squeak sound. Its a daily driver vehicle so its never been raced or tracked. Due to this fire wall crack (which might be dangerous in fire/accident) my transmission gears and syncros have been worn out due to the clutch not releasing properly. I know I am not the only one with this problem, I would hope that Subaru of America will one day make a recall for this terrible problem because I don't think that I should be responsible for a huge defect like this, the vehicle is no longer safe for many reasons and is wearing out my internal components every day. Please help me!
This 2008 Subaru Impreza has been plagued as have many others by a manufacturer chassis defect. The firewall/bulkhead between the driver and engine has 5 spot welds broken which initially are meant to secure the clutch and brake assembly. These weld breaks are a serious safety issue as they are causing difficulty in engaging clutch and brakes, as well as a squeak noise every time the clutch is depressed. As this is not an insignificant wear item but part of the chassis/frame which is a dangerous defect as complete failure during operation of the vehicle can cause catastrophic accidents, further investigation and action on this matter should be taken by the NHTSA. This is certainly a recall issue.
This 2008 Subaru Impreza has been plagued as have many others by a manufacturer chassis defect. The firewall/bulkhead between the driver and engine has 5 spot welds broken which initially are meant to secure the clutch and brake assembly. These weld breaks are a serious safety issue as they are causing difficulty in engaging clutch and brakes, as well as a squeak noise every time the clutch is depressed. As this is not an insignificant wear item but part of the chassis/frame which is a dangerous defect as complete failure during operation of the vehicle can cause catastrophic accidents, further investigation and action on this matter should be taken by the NHTSA. This is certainly a recall issue.
There is a clicking and popping noise coming from under my dash board on the driver side only when pressing and releasing the clutch. Also, the clutch master cylinder is moving due to flex on the fire wall. This is a known problem to Subaru of America and its engineering department and they have also fixed cars with this problem. My car has not been fixed because they have so far yet refused to fix it. The main fault is the clutch pedal bracket which is welded to the bulkhead has a bad weld which can lead to the driver being unable to clutch the car posing a safety issue and the possibility of an accident incurring.
Body complaints in other Impreza years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2008 Subaru Impreza?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the body & structure of the 2008 Subaru Impreza, 14% of the model year's 176 complaints. The component named most often is body (18 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Subaru Impreza body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2008 Subaru Impreza, though it has 14 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Subaru Impreza body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.