Buyer Research

2014 Subaru BRZ — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $12,000–$18,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

Six complaints on the whole model year, which is far too few to grade a car on — read this page as what six owners reported, not as a survey. Five of those six are the engine, and they describe the same unsettling thing: rough running, knocking, a flashing check-engine light and a stall, on a car whose immediately preceding model year was recalled for valve springs that could break. This 2014 sits outside that campaign by build date, and at least one owner here says so explicitly while describing the same symptoms. One of the six is an engine-bay fire on an unmodified car. None of that makes the BRZ a bad buy — it is still one of the best-handling cheap rear-drive cars ever sold — but it does mean you want a cold-start test, a compression or leak-down check, and a hard look at whether this one has lived on a race track.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 6 owner complaints for the 2014 Subaru BRZ, and no recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under the engine (5), the fuel system (2), the transmission and drivetrain (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2014 Subaru BRZ

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

Rough running, knocking and a stall while drivingHigh — wallet impact

Five of the six complaints on this year are the engine, and they line up: a repeating jerk at highway speed with the check-engine light flashing, terrible rattling and knocking with the car stalling in traffic, and an owner whose car was in for engine work reporting that it cut out again at a red light. Subaru and Toyota recalled the 2013 BRZ and Scion FR-S for valve springs that could break and shut the engine down, with a build cut-off in September 2013; one 2014 owner here points out their December 2013 car falls just outside it while showing the same symptoms. Outside a campaign this is your bill. A flashing check-engine light means an active misfire and should end the test drive. Insist on a cold start and a compression or leak-down test before you buy.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,000–$5,500 for valve spring work or a replacement short block at an independent shop — about 37% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (5), the transmission and drivetrain (1).

Fuel pump chirps when warm, and one car in this record burnedMedium

Two fuel-system complaints on this year. One is a metallic chirping from the fuel pump once the car is warm, audible enough that the owner filed video with it and said Subaru acknowledged noise complaints. The other is the serious one: in 2024 an owner driving on the highway had a fire start in the engine bay after about five miles, on a car they describe as entirely standard. One fire in a six-complaint record is one fire, and the filing does not establish a cause — but it is the only fire on this year and it deserves saying out loud rather than being averaged away. Stand at the back of the warm car with the engine running and listen, and look for fuel staining or heat damage around the engine bay and lines.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$900 for an in-tank fuel pump assembly

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (2).

Track use starves the FA20 of oil and the bearings pay for itMedium

Not in this year's NHTSA record in any form, so treat it as knowledge about how these cars get used rather than a finding. The BRZ is light, cheap and brilliant on a circuit, and a large share of them see track days. With no factory oil cooler and a shallow sump, sustained high-load cornering can pull oil away from the pickup, and the result is bearing damage that shows up later as a knock at idle. Look for the giveaways of a tracked car: a bolted-in roll bar or its patched holes, numbered decals or their adhesive shadows, shredded outer tyre shoulders, heat-blued brake rotors and a driver's seat bolster far more worn than the mileage suggests.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,500–$6,000 for a rebuilt or replacement engine if bearings have been damaged — about 40% of what this car is typically worth

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Check-engine light that flashes rather than staying steady
✗Knocking or rattling that changes with engine speed at idle
✗Metallic chirping from the rear of the car once it is warm
✗Roll bar mounting holes, harness bolts or decal shadows that point to track days
✗Heat-blued brake rotors paired with shredded outer tyre shoulders

Good Signs

✓Cold start that settles to a steady idle with a clean, even exhaust note
✓A compression or leak-down test result the seller is willing to show you
✓Steady check-engine lamp that lights at ignition and then goes out
✓Oil change records at or inside Subaru's interval, with the correct grade
✓Even tyre wear across all four corners and original brake rotors with clean faces