The Subaru WRX (and the STI) is a compact sports sedan based on the WRC Impreza introduced for the 1992 Word Rally Championship. The road-going model entered its second generation in 2014 and is still one of the most fun-to-drive Subaru cars out there. In this article, we will focus on all the issues 2014 and later WRX tends to suffer from, so if you are interested in buying one, be sure to read this article!
The Subaru WRX (and the STI) mainly suffer engine issues such as rod bearing failures, oil burning, and leaking, turbocharger issues, engine knocking, and/or misfiring. Other issues are related to the clutch and/or transmission getting stuck, as well as several recalls for the airbags and the brakes.
Now it’s time to go a bit more in-depth about these issues and tell you what causes them, how serious they are, and how you can approach fixing them!
Engine Issues
The Subaru WRX is known for its 2.0L and 2.5L 4-cylinder engines, which are reliable for the most part, but they do suffer from a few issues worth talking about. These include problems with rod bearing failures, oil leaking/burning turbocharger issues, engine knocking/misfiring, and issues with the oxygen sensor.
Rod Bearing Failures
One of the most common issues the WRX tends to suffer from is a faulty rod bearing which tends to happen on both newer and older generations of the WRX. Moreover, rod bearing failures are also common on low-mileage, well-maintained examples, and higher-mileage tuned examples, which means this issue is likely due to a design flaw. Some say these issues are even more common with newer FA engines than with older EJ engines.
Subaru didn’t issue a recall or anything like that to combat this issue, prompting numerous owners to file a lawsuit against Subaru. The issue here is that the engine crank comes in direct contact with the bearing, which causes it to fail. To repair this, your engine needs a complete overhaul which can be really pricey.
The worst part of it all is that a spun road bearing can send tons of metal shards throughout the engine’s internals and cause damage to the camshaft, the turbocharger, and many other components. The worst-case scenario will require you to replace your engine, possibly your turbocharger.
Oil Burning and Leaking
There are two types of oil-related issues that plague the post-2014 WRX. The first one is due to leaks which predominantly tend to happen to all WRX models equipped with the 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo, especially the 2015-2019 models. These leaks tend to occur near the PVC baffle plate, piston access rings, crank seals, and spark plug tube seals.
Camshaft seals might as well be the most common locations where a WRX leaks oil, so check these as well. The second issue is associated with the WRX burning oil like crazy, which can cause a lack of oil which can lead to severe engine damage. These are common across all models of the WRX, but some are sure worse than others.
If you notice blue smoke coming out of your exhaust, check your piston rings, as these are usually the reason why too much oil finds its way into the combustion chamber.
Turbocharger Issues
The WRX’s turbocharger is why these relatively small engines can push so much power, which means that if they break, your Subaru will be a lot slower.
Sadly, the turbocharger is known to cause some issues, but the most common one is where the turbocharger intake duct cracks on 2014-2015 Subaru WRX models.
This may also cause an engine stall which is why Subaru issued a recall for specific 2015-2016 Subaru WRX models back in March 2016 (16V162000) due to concerns that a cracked turbocharger intake duct can cause the car to stall and possibly even lead to an accident. To fix this, a brand-new intake is needed, exactly what Subaru did with this recall.
While it’s more common on other turbocharged engines, the WRX rarely suffers from an underbust issue.
Engine Knocking and Misfiring
Several complaints roaming the internet about the WRX experiencing engine knocking and misfiring. These are more common on older WRX models, but there are a few reports about newer WRX models suffering from the same issue. The most common culprits are coil pack issues and issues with the ignition leads.
Understandably, the spark plugs can also become damaged, bent, or whacked out of space which could also cause your engine to knock and misfire. We also need to mention that the aforementioned rod bearing failure can cause internal engine damage, which might not have been visible when the rod bearing failure occurred. In rare cases, you can also inspect if your fuel delivery system is potentially clogged.
Oxygen Sensor Issues
The oxygen sensor (O2 sensor) monitors and alters the air-to-fuel ratio within your engine to always get the best and most efficient combustion process. If you sense any fuel efficiency downgrades, lack of power, rough acceleration, and increased vibrations, your O2 sensor could very much be the case.
These issues seem to be the most common on the 2015 WRX but are also present with later generations. To fix this, you will often have to replace the sensor with a new one.
Powertrain Issues
The Subaru WRX also tends to suffer from powertrain-related issues, primarily associated with the transmission. The WRX uses an automatic 6-speed TY75 and TY85 transmission, while the 2nd generation also comes with a 6-speed manual and the Performance CVT box. The most common issues are the transmission now wanting to go/stay in gear and clutch issues.
The Transmission Not Wanting To Go/Stay In Gear
There are numerous reports about different generations of the WRX where the transmission mostly refuses to shift from neutral to any other gear as if something is blocking the transmission from doing it. Others have described similar issues where the transmission shifts out of gear into neutral for no apparent reason.
One owner of a 2019 WRX said that his car refuses to shift into second gear, while one 2015 owner noted that his WRX does not want to shit to any gear from neutral. Replicating these issues tends to be difficult as these problems do go away later on. As such, we don’t know the exact causes of these issues.
Clutch Issues
Quite possibly, the most severe issue with the WRX transmission is one where the 6-speed manual clutch fails in just a few thousand miles. This issue is common across the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 models. It is said that the car starts making weird noises, which later causes your RPMs to go up, but you are not getting any speed.
This issue was later traced to a failed clutch throw-out bearing which sadly seems to be happening to brand-new models. The sad ending is that these issues can cost upwards of $1,000 to fix, even without including labor and the time needed to fix this car. Subaru did not recognize this issue, and the corporate HQ is denying that these have anything to do with how Subaru designed the WRX.
Airbag Issues
Airbag issues are almost always there for any car, as these must be perfect for adhering to modern-day safety standards. Because airbags are federally mandated in various sections, any fluctuations are soon to be covered with a recall. This is precisely what happened to the WRX, especially the 2014 WRX, which had 6 different air-bag related recalls. These go as follows:
- 19V007000 – Subaru recalled specific 2014 WRX models back in January 2019 due to the passenger airbag inflator exploding and sending sharp metal fragments, which can cause serious injuries or even death for the front two passengers.
- 19V008000 – Subaru recalled certain 2014 WRX models back in January 2019 due to the passenger airbag inflator exploding and sending sharp metal fragments, which can cause serious injuries or even death for the front two passengers.
- 19V009000 – Subaru recalled certain 2014 WRX models back in January 2019 due to the passenger airbag inflator exploding and sending sharp metal fragments, which can cause serious injuries or even death for the front two passengers.
- 20V002000 – Subaru recalled certain 2014 WRX models back in January 2020 due to issues where the airbag inflator can explode and send sharp metal fragments, which can strike the driver and other occupants and cause serious injury or even death.
- 20V001000 – Subaru recalled certain 2014 WRX models back in January 2020 due to issues where the airbag inflator can explode and send sharp metal fragments, which can strike the driver and other occupants and cause serious injury or even death.
- 20V003000 – Subaru recalled certain 2014 WRX models back in January 2020 due to issues where the airbag inflator can explode and send sharp metal fragments, which can strike the driver and other occupants and cause serious injury or even death.
Issues With The Brakes
Brake system-related issues also seem to be fairly common with the Subaru WRX. These include rusty brake components and issues where the brakes can’t stop the car or enable it to roll away.
Rusty Brake Components
These issues are almost exclusive to the 2014 WRX, but a few 2015 WRX owners also reported the same issue but didn’t get nearly the attention needed to fix these issues. The problem is that some brake system components suffer from corrosion buildup, which can affect how effective the brakes are when used. The issue was soon acknowledged by Subaru, which issued two recalls to combat the issue:
- 14V311000 – Subaru issued a recall for certain 2014 WRX models back in June 2014 due to the brake lines becoming corroded and eventually causing them to leak and affecting the car’s stopping distance.
- 14V830000 – Subaru issued a recall for certain 2014 WRX models back in December 2014 due to four-way connector brake line corrosion buildups, which cause leaks and affect the car’s stopping distance.
The Car Refuses To Come To A Stop
A few reports stated for the 2017-2020 WRX indicate that the car might not be overly inclined to come to a complete halt when the brakes are completely engaged. One owner of a 2020 WRX said that his son experienced these issues a few times, which have often led to an accident. One owner of a 2017 WRX said the brakes weren’t strong enough to stop the car from rolling downhill.
Equipment Issues
The last group of issues we will mention today is associated with various equipment and electrics-related items with the WRX. These include problems with exterior lighting, issues with the subwoofer, and problems with the collision avoidance system.
Exterior Lighting Issues
There are a few significant issues with the exterior lights on the Subaru WRX, some of which also were the reason for two separate recalls. These include problems such as the exterior lights not functioning or not illuminating correctly. These recalls include:
- 19V149000 – Subaru recalled certain 2014 WRX models back in February 2019 due to the brake lights not illuminating properly and thus not communicating to rear drivers that the car is decelerating, which can cause accidents.
- 22V522000 – Subaru recalled certain 2015-2021 WRX models back in July 2022 due to inoperative rear backup lights, which also caused the rearview camera not to function and thus significantly lower your visibility during reversing.
Subwoofer Issues
The 2015 Subaru WRX suffered from a weird issue where the rear trunk-mounted subwoofer amplifier can short circuit and cause the car to burst into flames. This also prompted Subaru to recall (17V625000) back in October 2017 to replace the subwoofer to avoid fire-induced damage.
Collision Avoidance System Issues
The final issue we are going to mention today is one where the 2015 WRX suffers from faulty pre-collision avoidance systems, which also prompted Subaru to do a recall (15V366000) back in June 2015 due to the car not reacting to obstacles in its path inherently increasing the chances of ending up in an accident.
Marko´s interest in cars runs in the family. His father was a car trader and regularly took him to car dealerships when he was younger.
These days, when he isn´t watching Drivetribe or Doug DeMuro videos, he´s building up quite a resume as an automotive writer since he´s also a regular contributor on Cararc.com, Tirehungry.com, and Luxurycarsa2z.com.