Buyer Research

2011 Subaru Impreza — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $5,500–$15,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 15 Subaru Impreza years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The last year of the third-generation Impreza and the same recall load as the 2010 — fourteen campaigns, nine of them the Takata passenger inflator. That recall is also the reason airbags are 30% of this car's 57 complaints: most of the cluster is owners waiting years for parts, not airbags failing. The rest of the record is small and specific — a seat heater that burned a hole in the driver's seat, a brake-light switch recall, two sunroofs that shattered on their own, and the sun visor that every Impreza of this era drops in your lap. The 2.5i with a manual or the four-speed automatic is a plain, durable all-wheel-drive car if the recalls are closed and the head gaskets are dry; the WRX and STI bring the oil-starvation and air-pump-fire risks covered on the 2010 page. Read the whole recall list on the VIN before you drive it.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 57 owner complaints for the 2011 Subaru Impreza, and 14 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 airbags at 30%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

14 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 2011 Subaru Impreza

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Takata passenger inflator — nine campaigns, and a cluster of owners who waited years for the part (recall)High — wallet impact

Seventeen airbag complaints, and most are the same complaint: a Takata recall notice with no part available, sometimes for two years, one from an Alaskan bush town with thirty affected cars and no technician. Subaru issued the fix in zones — 16V358, 17V014, 18V012, 19V007, 19V008, 19V009, 20V001, 20V002 and 20V003 — so a VIN can show several closed and one still open. The inflator can rupture in a deployment and throw metal at the passenger; parts have been available for years now, so an open campaign in 2026 is a seller who did not bother. Four of the complaints are crash reports, one a facial laceration from a deployment.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (17); 14 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Brake-light switch recall, a seat heater that caught fire, and a battery that leaves you strandedMedium

Nine electrical complaints with three threads. Recall 19V149 covers 2008–2016 Impreza sedans whose brake-light switch can stop working from contamination — two owners here were told the dealer had no parts; check the VIN and have someone watch the lights while you press the pedal. One driver's seat heater burned a hole through the cushion within ten minutes of switching it on — turn both seat heaters on for the length of the test drive and put your hand on the cushion. A battery that would not hold a charge, smoke from around the ignition, and one owner whose VIN was excluded from the turbo air-pump recall make up the rest.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $150–$500 for a seat heater element or battery

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (9); 14 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Sun visors that drop, a rear-view mirror that fell off, and two sunroofs that shatteredLow

Eight visibility complaints. The visor pivot cracks and the visor swings into the driver's line of sight — both sides on one car — and the only fix is a new visor. A rear-view mirror fell off its windshield mount on the freeway; the dealer called it a known campaign but not a recall. Two owners heard a gunshot overhead at speed and found the sunroof glass blown outward with nothing having hit it. Flip both visors, tug the mirror, and if the car has a sunroof, open the shade and look for chips at the glass edge.

Repair cost (estimate): $50–$150 for a visor; $600–$1,200 for sunroof glass

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under glass, wipers and mirrors (8).

Brake lines rust through at the four-way joint in salt-belt cars (recall)High — wallet impact

Recalls 14V311 and 14V830 cover 2008–2011 Imprezas registered in the salt states, where the brake line's four-way joint under the floor corrodes until fluid leaks and the pedal goes long. The remedy was an inspection and a coat of anti-corrosion wax, which protects the joint that was dry in 2014 and nothing that has rusted since. Six brake complaints on this year, one a crash. On a lift, look at every line and fitting for scale and dampness; a car from a dry state is a real advantage here and the title history will show where it lived.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $400–$1,200 to replace rusted lines

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (6); 14 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

2.5L head gaskets on the 2.5i; oil starvation and the air-pump relay fire recall on the turbo carsMedium

Six engine complaints, one a fire. The EJ253 in the 2.5i can weep coolant at the head gaskets past 100k — look for a coolant smell after a drive, a bubbling overflow tank, or a heater that goes cold at idle. The WRX and STI's turbo engines burn oil with no low-oil warning and can spin a rod bearing. Recall 16V738 covers turbocharged 2008–2014 Imprezas whose secondary air-pump relay can stick on until the pump melts; the fix is a free relay. Check the oil cold, ask what it uses, and on a turbo, listen for a knock at warm idle.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $1,800–$3,000 for head gaskets; $5,000–$8,000 for an engine — around 78% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (6); 14 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Replacement ignition switch can let the key turn off while driving (recall)Low

Recall 19V297 applies only if the mechanical ignition switch was ever replaced with a certain service part; the spring in it can let the key rotate back to off on a bump, stalling the car and disarming the airbags. Ask the seller whether the ignition switch was ever changed. If it was, the dealer inspects and replaces it free; if not, the recall does not apply to this car.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 14 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Any Takata campaign still open on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✗Rusty scale or damp fittings on the brake lines and the four-way joint under the floor
✗Burning smell or a hot spot on the seat cushion with the heater on
✗Coolant smell or bubbles in the overflow tank after the test drive
✗Low oil on a cold dipstick, especially on a WRX or STI

Good Signs

✓Every recall on the NHTSA VIN lookup shown closed, with the latest Takata wave done
✓Title history from a dry southern or western state
✓Head gaskets replaced with receipts on a 2.5i
✓Timing belt and water pump replaced at the 105k interval with paperwork
✓Brake lights confirmed working with a helper behind the car