AutoUtility currently tracks 149 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Subaru Impreza. Exterior Lighting issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 64 complaints (43% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 5 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 2 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
64 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
39 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
12 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
11 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"I bought a new Subaru Impreza and there is a cam carrier leak that was reported last time I took it for service at the dealership two weeks ago. There are only 41k miles on the car, and there were no warning lights/messages. Upon my research, this is a common problem with Subarus due to the sealant..."
"The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated and the high-temperature warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that an engine reseal had failed..."
"The problem started on towards the end of Dec 2025. The primary latch that holds the hood down failed, and the safety latch kept the hood from flying off. I pulled the car over and shut it, and it seemed okay. Because the hood hadn't been lifted for a few days ( since its last service ), I was at a..."
"My vehicle has repeatedly displayed a “low tire pressure” warning despite having been serviced twice for this issue. In addition, there is an open case with Subaru of America regarding ongoing performance concerns – fuel tank?! In addition, I have reported both verbally and in writing to the..."
"This making model has become known for a parasitic drain of the DCM module. It’s all over the public forums that this module doesn’t shut down properly and causes a drain on the battery system. The remedy is to plug your car into a battery tender system."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Subaru Impreza | 79 | 5 | 2 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Subaru Impreza | 75 | 7 | 1 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Subaru Impreza | 125 | 10 | 7 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Subaru Impreza Current Page | 149 | 5 | 5 | Current |
| 2019 Subaru Impreza | 193 | 6 | 5 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Subaru Impreza | 85 | 2 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Subaru Impreza | 14 | 1 | 2 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Subaru Impreza | 12 | 0 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Subaru Impreza | 4 | 0 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Subaru Impreza | 30 | 1 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Subaru Impreza | 5 | 1 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Subaru Impreza | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 25 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 58 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| CARRY HANDLE, SHELL, BASE,OTHER/I AM NOT SURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2018 Subaru Impreza
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2018 Subaru Impreza is Exterior Lighting, appearing in 64 records (43% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Visibility, Wipers & Glass (39) and Electrical System (12).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 149 consumer defect complaints and 5 safety recall campaigns for the 2018 Subaru Impreza.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Subaru Impreza, 5 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 2 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.