Buyer Research

2017 Subaru WRX — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $16,000–$22,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 10 Subaru WRX years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

A third-year VA-chassis WRX with the 2.0L direct-injection turbo (FA20DIT) and either a six-speed manual or the CVT. NHTSA holds only 53 complaints, which is thin for a car this popular, so treat it as a list of what to check rather than a rating. What it does show lines up with what WRX owners already know: engine failures with little warning, the manual's clutch release bearing rattling early, and batteries that drain. Eight of the 53 mention a crash. Buy one that has been driven by an adult — stock tune, oil changed on a short interval, invoices for the clutch work — and have a Subaru specialist do a compression and leak-down test before money changes hands. A modified or tuned example with no service history is the one to walk from.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 53 owner complaints for the 2017 Subaru WRX, and 1 recall campaign.

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 electrics and electronics at 26%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

One recall campaign covers 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 2017 Subaru WRX

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

FA20DIT engine failure — spun bearings or cracked piston ringlands, often with no warningHigh — wallet impact

23% of this year's complaints are the engine, and the samples read the same way: a tapping noise at idle, a flicker of the oil light, then a dead engine at speed with the power steering gone. The 2.0L direct-injection turbo is known among WRX owners for cracked piston ringlands and spun rod bearings, and a tune or a lean fuel mixture makes it worse. One 2019 report is a pampered CVT car with 61k highway miles and documented oil changes, so stock cars are not immune. Before buying: compression and leak-down test at a Subaru specialist, check the oil level and colour, and ask point-blank whether the ECU has ever been flashed with an aftermarket tune (an Accessport or similar leaves a record with Subaru if warranty work was refused).

Repair cost (estimate): $5,000–$9,000 for a short block or replacement engine — about 47% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (12), the transmission and drivetrain (11).

Manual transmission clutch release (throw-out) bearing rattles and fails earlyMedium

The power train cluster on this car is almost entirely the six-speed's clutch: a rattle in first and second that goes quiet when the clutch pedal is pressed, then the release bearing or release fork failing, sometimes before 36,000 miles and in more than one case twice on the same car. Owners describe it as a known 2015–2018 WRX flaw, and dealers have replaced the bearing under warranty when the noise was reproduced. On the test drive, sit in neutral with the engine idling and the clutch out, listen for a metallic rattle, then press the pedal — if the rattle stops, that is the bearing. Ask for the invoice showing the bearing was replaced with the updated part.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,200–$2,500 for a clutch, release bearing and fork job

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (11).

Battery drains overnight; secondary air injection pump throws P2444Medium

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM is the largest cluster at 26%, and most of it is the battery: dying overnight, replaced at the dealer, dying again two years later. Subaru has acknowledged parasitic drain on several models of this era, and on the WRX the usual suspects are the DCM telematics module and the factory battery's small capacity. The other repeat item is the secondary air injection pump and its relays, which trip a check-engine light with code P2444 and were replaced under warranty more than once for one owner. Two of the 14 complaints mention a fire, one after wipers and steering had also failed. Have the battery load-tested and ask for a parasitic-draw test, which takes an hour.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$400 for a battery; $700–$1,500 for a secondary air pump and relays

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (14).

Steering that seizes or goes heavy at speed — a small cluster with three crashesMedium

Six steering complaints, and three of them involve a crash: the wheel seizing or becoming very hard to turn at highway speed, in one case at 70 mph. That is a small number and there is no recall on this year's record for it, so we cannot call it a documented pattern, but the outcomes are serious enough to mention. On the test drive, take a highway on-ramp and a parking lot at full lock, and listen for a whine or a moment where the electric assist drops out. Any dash message about the power steering is a walk-away until a dealer has read the codes.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,200–$2,500 for an electric steering rack

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (6).

Backup light switch corrodes — reverse lights and rear camera stop working (recall)Low

Recall 22V522 covers 2015–2021 WRXs: the backup light switch on the manual transmission can corrode and stop working, so the reverse lights and the rear camera image do not come on when you select reverse. The fix is a free inspection and a new switch. Cheap to check on the lot: put the car in reverse with the engine running and confirm both reverse lights and the camera come on. Run the VIN on the NHTSA recall lookup to see whether the campaign shows closed.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the lights (4); 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Tapping or knocking from the engine at idle, or an oil level below the dipstick's low mark
✗Metallic rattle in neutral that stops when the clutch pedal is pressed
✗Aftermarket intake, exhaust, or a tuner's sticker in the window — ask about the ECU flash
✗Battery terminals with a fresh replacement and no explanation for why
✗Reverse lights or rear camera that do not come on in reverse

Good Signs

✓Compression and leak-down test results within Subaru spec, on paper
✓Oil changed every 3,000–4,000 miles with receipts, on synthetic
✓Invoice for a clutch release bearing and fork replacement with the updated part
✓Recall 22V522 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Stock ECU confirmed by a Subaru dealer scan