Buyer Research

2019 Subaru BRZ — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $17,000–$24,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.

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

Kestrel Take

One owner complaint and one recall is the entire public record for the 2019 BRZ, and one complaint tells you almost nothing about how these cars hold up — it tells you that very few people filed. The recall is the part that matters and it is easy to settle: the low-pressure pump inside the fuel tank can quit and stall the car, and Subaru replaces it for nothing. Run the VIN through NHTSA's lookup before you drive anywhere, then spend your inspection money on how the car was treated — a stock, unmodified 2019 with service records is a genuinely good buy, and a boosted one is a gamble you are taking on someone else's workmanship.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 1 owner complaint for the 2019 Subaru BRZ, and 1 recall campaign.

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 (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.

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 2019 Subaru BRZ

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

Low-pressure fuel pump can fail and stall the car in traffic (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 21V587000 covers 2018–2019 BRZ along with a long list of Subaru and Toyota models: the low-pressure pump that lives inside the fuel tank may fail, and when it does the engine stalls while you are driving. Dealers replace the pump at no charge and notification letters went out in September 2021, so most cars have had it — but plenty of low-mileage sports cars sat with an unopened letter. Put the VIN into NHTSA's recall lookup before the test drive; if it comes back open, that is a free dealer visit and a reason to take the seller's word for nothing else either.

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

Source: 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Engine hiccups once it is warm, with nothing showing on the dashMedium

The single complaint on file for this year describes the engine stumbling at random once it reaches temperature, with no warning light and no stored fault to chase. That description overlaps with what a weak in-tank fuel pump feels like before it dies outright, which is the same part the recall covers, so settle the recall first. If the recall is closed and it still stumbles, the next suspects are coil packs, plugs, or the high-pressure side of the direct-injection system. Drive it long enough to get the temperature gauge to the middle before you judge it.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,400

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (1).

Boosted cars: the stock engine internals were never designed for a turbo kitMedium

The 2.0-litre boxer in this car makes its power with high compression and no boost, and owner communities are full of accounts of piston ringlands cracking on cars running aftermarket turbo or supercharger kits — sometimes within a season. This is not in NHTSA's file for this year and we are flagging it from owner reports, not from the public record. If the car you are looking at is boosted, either walk or budget for a compression and leak-down test by someone who knows these engines before you pay.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$400 for a compression and leak-down test; $6,000–$10,000 for a replacement engine — about 49% of what this car is typically worth

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Recall 21V587000 showing open on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✗Any stumble or stall during a long, fully warmed-up test drive
✗A turbo or supercharger kit the seller cannot document who installed
✗Blue smoke on a hard pull after a highway cruise

Good Signs

✓Recall 21V587000 shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Oil change receipts at 5,000-mile intervals
✓A compression test across all four cylinders within 10 percent of each other
✓Original, unmodified intake and exhaust hardware still on the car