Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Subaru Impreza owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, she noticed that the air conditioner was intermittently blowing warm air into the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
I purchased a Subaru for reliability and safety reasons. This car has placed my family in some dangerous situations. Every time the outside temp is 90+ degrees F and it is driven on a road trip of 200+ miles, the car's acceleration shuts off. There is never any warning or check engine/trans lights until after this happens. Nate Wade Subaru in Salt Lake City cannot find any codes and does not know how to help. The car will not restart after being turned off, even after waiting up to an hour. We have had to tow it. The last incident taking place 7/30/2022 with our 19 year old son driving. The worst part is that twice it happened in the far left lane with no option to get over to the right side of the highway safely due to traffic. Cars/trucks from behind have narrowly missed hitting us because there was not enough shoulder to pull out of the way. …
Yesterday, March 28, 2022 I stopped to run into a shop. Left my windows down because it was hot. My AC fan doesn't work half the time. When I put my keys in the ignition, the key would not turn to accessories or ignite the car to start. The steering wheel was locked. The park gear shift wouldn't move. I tried forcing these for at least 15 minutes. I had my emergency key fob and tried it repeatedly,too, but still I don't know why it turned finally. I took to Subaru today who had a technical bulletin about it, fixed it for no charge. Says letter has gone out but I hadn't received it. Why? I live alone, am 73, and do not have anyone to call to help. It's unsafe because one could be stuck in the car when bad weather is outside creating a dangerous situation. Subaru called this Park-Range repair.
When put key in ignition, the car doesn't start. The key can not be taken out of ignition. Numerous jiggles. Put foot on the brake, take foot off the brake. Eventually starts. Fear will be unable to take key out of ignition.
The vehicle was park at my home. Upon starting the vehicle the airbag light illuminated. Subaru of America was contacted and an appointment was set up with the local Subaru dealership. The vehicle was dropped off that evening and was looked at the next day. After inspecting the vehicle I was notified that the passenger seat occupancy sensor had an issue and the passenger seat would need to be replaced. They claimed this was due to the seat being wet. The vehicle was purchased used in 2018 with 35,278 miles and now has around 46,000 miles. The seat has never been wet in my time owning it and was not wet prior to owning it to my knowledge. The vehicle is equipped with heated seats and I believe this issue is in line with last years forester passenger airbag sensor recall in which 366,000 vehicles where recalled for a very similar issue. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start while depressing the brake pedal and pushing the start button. The brake pedal traveled to the floorboard numerous times before the vehicle was able to start. Also, while driving, the check engine and other unknown warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to bill kolb jr. Subaru (located at 252 ny-303, orangeburg, ny 10962, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact replaced the battery, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer and was not repaired. On another occasion, while the vehicle was parked, it rolled backwards independently. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that upon placing the vehicle in park, the key intermittently remained stuck inside the ignition. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted and excessive effort was needed to remove the key from the ignition. The contact called Subaru santa monica (1229 santa monica blvd, santa monica, ca 90404) and was informed her that there was a cost for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
I had the brake light switch (recall) replaced a month ago. Now the key won't come out of the ignition as it should when the vehicle is placed in park. I have to put the shifter in drive and pull forward, then reverse again to try and see if it will come out. It May take several attempts before it works properly. I had no problems of this nature before and it was working fine until just this week. I have 70,800 miles on the vehicle and am greatly disappointed it already needs to go back to the dealership to be serviced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that after shifting into park, the contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition switch. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer grand prix Subaru located at 500 s broadway, hicksville, ny 11801, to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ignition switch was defective and needed to be replaced. The ignition switch was replaced however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,000.
The key gets stuck in the ignition because the shift guide plate assembly is faulty. It doesn't not recognize the car is in park and other ranges do to the plate being bad. When shifting from reverse to drive the car doesn't always switch into gear because the plate doesn't recognize that you have changed gears and leaves you going in reverse when you have the gear selector in the drive position and vice versa. This problem has been going on for a few months now but has become more frequent.
Electrical complaints in other Impreza years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2015 Subaru Impreza?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2015 Subaru Impreza, 26% of the model year's 77 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 Subaru Impreza electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2015 Subaru Impreza, though it has 2 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 2015 Subaru Impreza electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 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.