2010 Subaru Impreza — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $5,000–$14,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.
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Kestrel Take
A third-generation Impreza with 46 complaints and fifteen recalls — the recalls are the story, not the complaints. Ten of the fifteen are the Takata passenger inflator, in waves by state; two are brake lines that rust through in salt-belt cars; one is a turbo-only air-pump relay that can start a fire; one is a brake-light switch. The complaint record is small and mostly what you would expect of a 2.5L Subaru at 15 years old — oil use, a head gasket, a rod-bearing failure on a WRX, and a sun visor that will not stay up. The price spread is the base 2.5i at one end and WRX/STI at the other; the turbo cars carry the engine risk and the fire recall. Run the VIN first: with every recall closed and a dry brake system on the lift, a base 2.5i is a cheap all-wheel-drive car worth having. A WRX with no service history is a gamble at any price.
What we checked
Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25
NHTSA holds 46 owner complaints for the 2010 Subaru Impreza, and 15 recall campaigns.
A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. The largest single group is the engine at 22%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.
15 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2010 Subaru Impreza
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.
Ten of this car's fifteen recalls are the same defect: the Takata front passenger inflator can explode in a deployment and throw metal into the cabin. Subaru issued them in zones — 16V358, 17V014, 18V012, 18V013, 19V007, 19V008, 19V009, 20V001, 20V002 and 20V003 — as the humid-state cars were called first and the rest followed. A given VIN may show several closed and one still open, so read the whole list on the NHTSA lookup rather than the first line. The replacement is free at any Subaru dealer and takes an hour; a seller who has not had it done in six years of notices tells you something about the rest of the maintenance.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (6); 15 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Recalls 14V311 and 14V830 cover 2008–2011 Imprezas registered in the salt states: the brake line's four-way connector under the car corrodes until fluid leaks, and the pedal goes long or to the floor. The 2014 remedy was an inspection and, if dry, a coat of anti-corrosion wax — so a car that passed then can still rust later. Three of the seven brake complaints are exactly this: a pedal to the floor at 30 mph with fluid on the ground, a front hose rusted at its fitting. Get it on a lift and look at every line and fitting for scale and weeping; the rest of the cluster is a WRX clutch-pedal bracket that flexes at the firewall and a rear-pad wear complaint.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $400–$1,200 to replace rusted lines
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (7); 15 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Ten engine complaints, one a fire at 60 mph with a bang and smoke. The 2.5i's EJ253 is past the worst head-gasket years but not clear of them; a coolant smell and a bubbling overflow tank are the tells. The WRX/STI EJ255 and EJ257 burn oil, have no low-oil warning light, and a starved rod bearing ends the engine — one owner had exactly that at 73k miles. A cracked piston with a cylinder-2 misfire is also in the record. Check the oil cold, ask what it uses between changes, and on a turbo car listen for a knock at idle after warm-up; a compression and leak-down test before purchase is $150 well spent.
Repair cost (estimate): $1,800–$3,000 for head gaskets; $5,000–$8,000 for an engine rebuild or replacement — around 84% of what this car is typically worth
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (10).
Recall 16V738 covers 2008–2014 turbocharged Imprezas: the relay for the secondary air-injection pump can fail closed, the pump runs continuously, overheats, and can start a fire. Dealers replace the relay free. One owner blamed a constantly running pump for over-pressurising a cylinder head and coolant trouble. Applies to WRX and STI only; the 2.5i has no such pump. On a turbo car, listen for the air pump still running a minute or two after a cold start — it should shut off quickly.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $600–$1,500 for a cooked pump
Source: 15 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Recall 19V149 covers 2008–2016 Impreza sedans: contamination on the brake-light switch contacts can keep the brake lights from coming on. Free switch replacement. Recall 19V297 only matters if the mechanical ignition switch was ever replaced with a certain part — the spring can let the key rotate to off while driving. Ask whether the ignition switch has been replaced; if not, that one does not apply. Have someone stand behind the car while you press the pedal.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Source: 15 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Six complaints, all the same part: the plastic sleeve on the driver's visor pivot breaks and the visor swings down, sometimes at 65 mph in traffic. It is a nuisance, not a defect that costs real money, but it appears on enough Imprezas of this era to be worth checking — flip the visor up and down and see whether it holds. A replacement visor is a bolt-on job.
Repair cost (estimate): $50–$150
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under glass, wipers and mirrors (6).
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Any Takata or brake-line recall open on the NHTSA VIN lookup
- ✗Rusty scale or damp fittings on the brake lines under the car
- ✗Low oil on a cold dipstick or a knock at warm idle on a WRX/STI
- ✗Coolant smell or bubbles in the overflow tank after a drive
- ✗Sun visor that will not stay up — a small tell about how the car was kept
Good Signs
- ✓Every recall on the NHTSA VIN lookup shown closed, including the latest Takata wave
- ✓Brake lines replaced or freshly waxed, with the invoice
- ✓Head gaskets replaced with receipts on a 2.5i, or a passed leak-down test on a WRX
- ✓Oil-change receipts at 3–5k miles on a turbo car
- ✓Timing belt and water pump done at 105k with paperwork
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Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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