Buyer Research

2020 Subaru Impreza — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $15,500–$20,500. There is 1 high-severity known issue 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

A record with one subject: 56 of this car's 85 complaints — two-thirds — are windshields that crack from the bottom edge with nothing having hit them, sometimes twice on the same car, at $800 to $1,300 a time. Set that aside and the file is thin: one recall for a fuel pump that can quit and stall the engine, a couple of VDC/ABS hydraulic units with a stuck pressure sensor, a battery that exploded, and rear doors that will not open from either side. The headlight-reflector recall that dogged the 2017–2019 cars does not apply to the 2020. This is an easy car to recommend if the fuel-pump recall shows closed on the VIN, the glass is unchipped edge to edge, and the seller can show a windshield invoice with an EyeSight recalibration if it has been replaced. Budget for one windshield anyway.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 85 owner complaints for the 2020 Subaru Impreza, 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. 66% of them are about one thing — glass, wipers and mirrors. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

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 2020 Subaru Impreza

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

Windshield cracks from the bottom edge on its own, and can do it again after replacementMedium

Fifty-six complaints, 66% of the record, and every one is the same: a crack starting under the wiper or at the lower edge, found in the morning after a cold night or after sitting in a parking lot, at 1,300 miles or 16,000, with no mark of impact. Several owners replaced the glass and had the new one crack within a week or a year. Owners of several Subaru models from these years have sued over this glass; ask a dealer whether this VIN has had a goodwill windshield. Inspect the lower edge under the wipers and the area around the EyeSight cameras with a flashlight, and ask for the invoice on any replacement — an EyeSight car needs a camera recalibration with new glass, and a cheap aftermarket windshield can throw the system off.

Repair cost (estimate): $500–$1,300 for the glass; $200–$400 to recalibrate EyeSight

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under glass, wipers and mirrors (56).

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

Recall 21V587 covers 2018–2020 Imprezas: the low-pressure fuel pump in the tank — the Denso pump behind stall recalls across several makes — can fail, and the engine stalls with no restart. Free pump replacement. This is the one recall on the car and it is a stall at speed, so it is the first thing to look up on the VIN. One electrical complaint describes the car powering off three times while driving with tows each time; another describes hard starting that got worse over a year — both are what a failing pump looks like from the driver's seat. Confirm the campaign shows closed before the test drive, not after.

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

Source: 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

VDC/ABS hydraulic unit pressure sensor sticks — EyeSight warning, VDC off, unit on back orderMedium

Five brake complaints and two of them are the same expensive part: the ABS/VDC hydraulic control unit's internal brake-pressure sensor sticks at a false reading, code C1742, and the dealer's only fix is a whole new unit, which one owner found on back order. The EyeSight warning comes on and stability control switches itself off when it happens. Also here: a front caliper leaking with uneven pad wear and a rumble under hard braking, and one unnecessary automatic-braking event with a teenager driving. A scan for C-codes takes a minute; a dash with the VDC and EyeSight warnings lit is the tell.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,500–$2,800 for the hydraulic unit; $250–$500 for a front caliper

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (5).

Rear doors that will not open from either side, a battery that exploded, and hard startingLow

Four electrical complaints and no pattern beyond the fuel-pump symptoms already covered. One owner's battery exploded after an electrical failure and the car was written off — a single report, but open the hood and look at the battery case for bulging or corrosion. Both rear doors on another car intermittently refuse to open from inside or out, trapping passengers, which is a latch or actuator fault. Open and close every door from both sides on the walk-around.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 per rear door latch; $150–$300 for a battery

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (4).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Recall 21V587 open on the NHTSA VIN lookup — the fuel pump is a stall-at-speed recall
✗Chip, star, or short crack at the lower edge of the windshield under the wipers
✗VDC or EyeSight warning lit on the dash, or a stored C1742 code
✗Aftermarket windshield with no EyeSight recalibration paperwork
✗A rear door that needs two tries to open from inside

Good Signs

✓Recall 21V587 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup with the dealer invoice
✓Windshield replaced with OEM glass and an EyeSight recalibration on the invoice
✓A clean scan with readiness monitors set and VDC active on the dash
✓Battery load-tested with a clean, tight case and terminals
✓Every door opens on the first pull from inside and outside