AutoUtility currently tracks 53 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Subaru WRX. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 14 complaints (26.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 6 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
14 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
11 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
11 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
6 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
3 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Experienced catastrophic engine failure with no known cause. The car had been inspected and had an oil change 3,000 miles prior to the incident. Thankfully, I had already exited the thruway and was on a quiet backroad but if this had happened 15 minutes earlier on the thruway this could have been a..."
"Car all the sudden stall/ lock up tires at high way speeds due to sudden no warning engine failure causing a massive safety concern My car locked up during a normal drive up a slowly passing a semi when my car died no power steering no engine power transmission locking due engine failure Car was..."
"Hit a deer. Airbags did not deploy, however I have reasonable suspicion to believe my head hit the A pillar during impact."
"Going about 55mph, I struck a deer head on. It struck towards the center, but more so on the passenger side. During the impact, no airbags deployed, however, based off IIHS videos, it seems likely that they should have. Additionally, I have reasonable suspicion to believe I hit my head on the..."
"Likely secondary air injection pump and/or its related relays, CEL P2444 came on 3 separate times. November 2024, brought it in to get replaced under warranty, came on again the day after picking her up in December 2024 due to faulty pump, didn’t get to bring her back in until March 1st 2025, fixed..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Subaru WRX | 55 | 2 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Subaru WRX | 34 | 1 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Subaru WRX Current Page | 53 | 8 | 1 | Current |
| 2018 Subaru WRX | 44 | 6 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Subaru WRX | 30 | 0 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Subaru WRX | 17 | 1 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Subaru WRX | 13 | 0 | 1 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Subaru WRX | 25 | 3 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Subaru WRX | 7 | 2 | 1 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Subaru WRX | 13 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Subaru WRX | 2 | 0 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Subaru WRX | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 26 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 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 2017 Subaru WRX
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2017 Subaru WRX is Electrical System, appearing in 14 records (26.4% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Engine & Cooling (11) and Powertrain & Transmission (11).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 53 consumer defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign for the 2017 Subaru WRX.
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 2017 Subaru WRX, 8 filings cite a crash, 2 cite smoke or fire, and 6 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.