Buyer Research

2022 Subaru BRZ — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $26,000–$33,000. 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

The first year of the bigger 2.4-litre BRZ, and the first year of a problem that defines it: six of the ten complaints on file are owners finding excess RTV sealant from the factory circulating in the oil and collecting on the pickup screen, which starves the engine. That is the one question that decides this purchase. The turn-signal recall is real but free. Ten complaints is a small record and a small record proves nothing either way, so do not let it reassure you — ask for oil-change history from the first 1,000 miles, ask whether the pan has ever been dropped and checked, and take a closed recall as the minimum, not the finish line.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 10 owner complaints for the 2022 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 (6), the lights (3), wheels and bearings (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 2022 Subaru BRZ

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

Excess factory sealant in the oil can block the pickup screen and starve the engineHigh — wallet impact

Six of ten complaints for this year describe the same thing: owners pulling a dipstick or a filter at a few hundred to a few thousand miles and finding grey RTV silicone that came off the oil pan and timing cover during assembly. The sealant collects on the oil pickup screen, oil flow drops, and the engine can be destroyed without a warning light — one owner's car stopped moving at 5,498 miles. You cannot see it from the driver's seat. Ask whether the pan has ever been dropped and the screen inspected, and get a shop to cut open the current oil filter and look for silicone before you buy.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$800 to drop the pan and inspect the pickup; $8,000–$14,000 for a replacement engine — about 47% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (6).

Rear turn signals go dead while the dash flashes fast (recall)Medium

Recall 23V609000 covers the 2022 BRZ and its Toyota GR86 twin: the rear turn signals can intermittently stop working, and the giveaway is the dash indicator hyperflashing while nothing happens at the back of the car. Owners reported it most often with the sun behind them. Dealers replace both rear combination lamp assemblies at no charge; letters went out in January 2024. Have someone stand behind the car while you work both indicators — it takes thirty seconds and settles whether the free fix was ever collected.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the lights (3); 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Wheel bolts working loose on early carsMedium

One owner reports the wheel bolts loosening shortly after buying the car new, wrecking the wheel and the brake components on that corner. They believed a hub-bolt campaign covered it; we could not find one on this year's record, so treat it as an owner report rather than a settled fact and ask a Subaru dealer to check the VIN for open campaigns. Practically, this costs you nothing to check: have the bolts torqued to spec at the first service after you buy, and look for bright metal or fretting marks around the bolt holes on all four wheels.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$900 — a torque check and new bolts at the low end, hub and brake damage at the high end

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under wheels and bearings (1).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Grey silicone specks on the dipstick or in a cut-open oil filter
✗A dash indicator that flashes fast while the rear signal stays dark
✗Fretting marks or bright metal around the wheel bolt holes
✗Oil level sitting near the low mark at a routine check

Good Signs

✓An invoice showing the oil pan dropped and the pickup screen inspected
✓Recall 23V609000 shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Oil changed at 1,000 miles and then every 5,000, with receipts
✓Wheel bolts torqued to spec at a documented service