Buyer Research

2022 Subaru Impreza — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $14,000–$20,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 15 Subaru Impreza years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Thirteen complaints, two of them fires, and no single fault that repeats: that is the whole public record on the 2022 Impreza, and it is too small to call the car good or bad. What it does contain is worth reading. One recall is unusual — some cars left the factory with a clearcoat that stops the windshield glue from bonding, and Subaru's remedy was to buy the car back rather than fix it — and three owners had windshields crack from the bottom edge on their own, which is a Subaru-wide complaint in these years. The four powertrain reports are four different stories, including one CVT that locked its front wheels at 75 mph. Check the VIN, check the glass, and on the test drive listen to the CVT and feel the brake pedal; if all of that is in order, this is the same well-mannered all-wheel-drive compact as the 2021, and we found no expensive recurring fault in the record for this year.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 13 owner complaints for the 2022 Subaru Impreza, 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 transmission and drivetrain (4), glass, wipers and mirrors (3), the brakes (2). 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 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; a bonding recall Subaru fixed by repurchaseMedium

Three of the thirteen complaints are a windshield cracking in an arc from the base of the glass with nothing hitting it — one in a garage, one when the defroster came on. Separately, recall 22V712 found that a wrong clearcoat on some 2022 Impreza and Outback bodies keeps the windshield from bonding properly, so it could come loose in a crash; Subaru's remedy was to exchange or buy back the car, which means an affected VIN that is still on the road needs an explanation. Run the VIN on NHTSA. Then look along the bottom edge of the glass in raking light, and if the windshield has been replaced, ask for the invoice and whether EyeSight was recalibrated afterwards.

Repair cost: $500–$1,200 for a Subaru-spec windshield with EyeSight recalibration; $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under glass, wipers and mirrors (3); 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Four scattered powertrain reports, including one CVT that locked the front wheels at speedMedium

The largest cluster is four unrelated complaints: a CVT that locked the front wheels at 75 mph on a car serviced a week earlier, a car that would not move from a green light with every warning light on and a burning smell (a failed rubber hose, per the dealer), a steering feel that wanders, and a brake booster that leaked into the intake. None of them repeats, so we are not calling the CVT a pattern on this year. We are saying a CVT is the expensive part on this car. Pull the dipstick if the car has one, or ask a Subaru dealer for a fluid-condition check; on the drive, listen for a whine that rises with speed and feel for a shudder from a stop.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$300 for a CVT fluid inspection; $4,000–$7,500 for a replacement CVT — about 44% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (4).

Brake booster failure and ballooning rear brake hosesMedium

Two brake complaints, both from 2026 and both on cars under 50,000 miles: a brake booster that failed outright and leaked vacuum into the intake, taking an air-fuel sensor with it, and both rear brake hoses swelling under pressure, spotted by an independent shop and confirmed by a Subaru dealer. Two reports is not a pattern; it is two things a mechanic can check in ten minutes. With the engine off, pump the pedal a few times, hold it, and start the car — the pedal should sink a little as the booster takes over. Have the rubber hoses at each rear wheel squeezed while someone stands on the pedal.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 for a pair of brake hoses; $500–$1,100 for a brake booster

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (2).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗VIN that shows recall 22V712 open, or a seller who cannot explain how a bought-back car is for sale
✗Crack starting at the base of the windshield near the defroster vents
✗Whine or shudder from the CVT on the test drive, or dark, burnt-smelling fluid
✗Brake pedal that stays hard with the engine running or sinks slowly under steady pressure

Good Signs

✓Recall 22V712 shown as not applicable or complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Original windshield, or a Subaru-branded replacement with an EyeSight recalibration invoice
✓CVT fluid checked by a Subaru dealer with the result on a receipt
✓Firm, consistent brake pedal that holds steady under a hard stop from 40 mph