2023 Subaru Impreza — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $17,000–$23,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.
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Kestrel Take
Four complaints. That is not a clean bill of health; it is a car too new and too few of them sold for the record to mean much yet, and the last year of the fifth-generation Impreza before the 2024 redesign. What the record does hold is two recalls, and one of them is serious: the driveshaft's center support bolts can loosen and let the front of the shaft drop, which is a crash risk on an all-wheel-drive car. The other is a brake light switch set wrong, which can let the car shift out of Park without a foot on the brake. Both are free, both are a VIN lookup away, and both are the entire inspection checklist for this year beyond the ordinary. The two tire complaints and the one hesitation report are noted below. With the recalls closed, buy on condition and price, and know that we are working from a thin file.
What we checked
Checked against public records, 2026-09-25
NHTSA holds 4 owner complaints for the 2023 Subaru Impreza, and 2 recall campaigns.
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 tyres (2), electrics and electronics (1), 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.
2 recall campaigns cover 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 2023 Subaru Impreza
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.
Recall 23V647 covers 2023 Impreza, Legacy, Outback and Ascent vehicles whose driveshaft center support bolts may not hold; if they back out, the front end of the driveshaft disconnects while the car is moving, which Subaru lists as a crash risk. The fix is to clean the mounting faces and fit new bolts, free, with letters mailed in November 2023. Check the VIN on NHTSA's lookup and ask for the repair order. A driveline vibration that starts around 40 mph, or a clunk from under the middle of the car when you shift from Reverse to Drive, is what a loose support feels like.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Source: 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Recall 23V292 covers 2023 Imprezas where the gap between the brake light switch and its stopper was set wrong. Two effects: the brake lights can glow with nobody touching the pedal, so the car behind gets no warning when you actually brake, and the shift interlock can release without the pedal pressed, so the car can be shifted out of Park unexpectedly. Dealers measure the gap and adjust it, free. Two tests at the car: with the engine running and your foot off the brake, try to move the shifter out of Park — it should refuse — and have someone watch the tail lights while you do it.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Source: 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
One owner, filed under two headings: the car sits for a couple of seconds after the pedal goes down from a stop before it moves. On this 2.0L and CVT that is usually the throttle mapping and the transmission's launch behaviour rather than a fault, but it is also how a dirty throttle body or an early CVT problem shows up, and it is easy to feel for yourself. From three or four stops on the test drive, note whether the response is consistent; a delay that comes and goes is worth a scan for stored codes before you commit.
Repair cost (estimate): $0–$250 for a scan and throttle body cleaning
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (1), the engine (1).
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Seller cannot show recall 23V647 (driveshaft bolts) closed on the VIN
- ✗Shifter that comes out of Park with the engine running and no foot on the brake
- ✗Vibration through the floor that starts around 40 mph, or a clunk under the middle of the car on shifting
- ✗Sidewall cracking or a bulge on any tire, which also tells you how the car was kept
Good Signs
- ✓Both 2023 recalls shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup
- ✓Shifter locked in Park until the brake pedal is pressed, with the tail lights going on only with the pedal
- ✓Tires with a recent date code and even wear across all four, or a receipt for a new set
- ✓Steady, consistent pull from a stop on repeated launches during the test drive
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Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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