Buyer Research

2022 Subaru WRX — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $24,000–$31,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

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

Kestrel Take

First year of the new VB-generation WRX: a bigger 2.4L turbo (FA24) replacing the failure-prone 2.0L, a six-speed manual or the CVT, and the plastic wheel-arch cladding everyone argued about. The record is 25 complaints, and 15 of them — filed in one wave in 2023 — are the same worry: factory sealant found inside the oil pan, clogging the oil pickup screen. Not one of those reports describes an engine that actually failed, so it is a documented concern rather than a documented failure, and we have priced it that way. The only recall is an owner's-manual insert. For a buyer, the pre-purchase list is short and specific: proof the oil pan was dropped and the pickup inspected (many owners did this), a clean cold start, and a check that the big centre screen has not been going blank. A first-year car with those three in hand is a reasonable buy.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 25 owner complaints for the 2022 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. 60% of them are about one thing — the engine. 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 2022 Subaru WRX

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

Factory RTV sealant breaking off inside the oil pan and clogging the oil pickup screenMedium

Fifteen of 25 complaints, all filed in 2023 after owners started dropping their oil pans and posting photos: chunks of grey and black RTV, over-applied at the factory where the pan and timing cover seal, sitting in the pan and caught in the pickup screen. A blocked pickup starves the engine of oil, and one owner had a low-oil-level warning a month after a service. The honest reading of the record is that this is fear of a failure, not a failure — none of the 15 reports an engine that died — but the inspection is cheap compared with the alternative. Ask whether the pan has been dropped and the pickup cleaned, and get the invoice. If not, budget for it as part of the purchase; a Subaru specialist can do it in a couple of hours.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$800 to drop the pan and clean the pickup; $8,000–$12,000 for a replacement engine if it starves — about 44% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (15).

Hesitation then a lurch to the rev limiter; push-button ignition unresponsive after a stallMedium

A small power train cluster, and two of its four entries are the oil-pan sealant story filed under a different heading. The other two are worth a test drive: one 2026 owner describes the car failing to accelerate when merging at 55 mph, then jumping forward and hitting the rev limiter, on multiple occasions; another stalled the manual by letting the clutch out too early and found the push-button start would not respond while every accessory stayed on. On the test drive, do a few hard merges from a roll and a couple of deliberate restarts from a stall, and ask a dealer to check for ECU and body-control software updates — Subaru has issued several for this generation.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$200 for software updates; $400–$1,200 if a throttle body or ignition switch is at fault

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

11.6-inch Starlink screen goes blank, taking the EyeSight display and camera with itLow

One of the three electrical complaints is the big vertical touchscreen going black while audio keeps playing, with no way to reset until the car has sat overnight — and when it does, the owner reports EyeSight warnings are affected. The 2022 Subarus' large screen has been through several over-the-air and dealer firmware updates for exactly this. On a CVT car with EyeSight, ask the dealer to confirm the head unit is on current software, and on the test drive leave the screen on for the full drive and watch for a flicker or freeze. The other two electrical entries are the lurch and the push-button issue above.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$150 for a firmware update; $1,500–$2,500 if the unit is replaced outside warranty

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (3).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Low oil level warning on a car that was recently serviced
✗A hesitation followed by a surge when accelerating from a roll
✗Centre screen that flickers, freezes or is dark on startup
✗Seller has never heard of the oil-pan sealant question
✗Aftermarket tune or intake on a car still under the factory powertrain warranty

Good Signs

✓Invoice showing the oil pan was dropped and the pickup screen cleaned
✓Head unit firmware confirmed current by a Subaru dealer
✓A quiet, clean cold start with the oil level on the full mark
✓Remaining factory powertrain warranty (5 years/60,000 miles) confirmed by VIN
✓Owner's manual insert for the High Beam Assist recall present in the glovebox