Buyer Research

2024 Subaru BRZ — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $29,000–$36,000. 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

Three complaints on the public record, and a record that small tells you how new the car is rather than how it will age. What is in it is worth your attention: one engine that knocked itself apart at about 15,000 miles after running three and a half quarts low on an owner who was doing his own oil changes, and one report of the driver's-side fuel line rubbing on the hood. Both point at the same buying advice — this is a 2.4-litre engine that can use oil quietly, so buy from someone who checks it, get the VIN's remaining Subaru coverage confirmed in writing, and spend ten minutes under the hood with a flashlight.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 3 owner complaints for the 2024 Subaru BRZ, and no 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 the engine (2), the fuel system (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.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2024 Subaru BRZ

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

Engine can run itself low on oil and knock, with no warning light firstHigh — wallet impact

Two of the three complaints on file are the engine, and the serious one is an owner who lost the engine to rod knock on his commute at about 15,000 miles — found three and a half quarts low despite doing his own oil changes on schedule. The pattern owners describe across this generation is quiet consumption between services rather than a leak you can see on the driveway. Check the dipstick cold before the test drive, ask the seller how often they top up, and treat 'I just change it when the app says' as an answer that costs you an engine.

Repair cost (estimate): $8,000–$14,000 for a replacement engine — $0 while Subaru's 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage is still live on the VIN — about 43% of what this car is typically worth

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

Driver's-side fuel line can rub against the underside of the hoodMedium

One owner reports the factory fuel line on the driver's side sitting close enough to the hood to chafe, and attributes engine fires on this generation to it. NHTSA's file for this year holds three complaints in total and logs no fires, so take the fire claim as one owner's account rather than a documented count — but the inspection is free and takes a minute. Open the hood, trace the line on the driver's side, and look for a bright worn patch on the line or a matching witness mark on the hood above it.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$400 to inspect and add a protective clip or reroute the line

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (1).

Track-day cars: sustained cornering can pull oil away from the pickupMedium

These cars go to autocross and track days in numbers, and the reason owners fit baffled pans and oil coolers is that a stock sump can let oil surge away from the pickup in long, high-load corners. Nothing in NHTSA's file for this year says this happened — we are flagging it from owner-community practice, not the public record. Look for the tells: a tow hook, harness bar, cage, timing-transponder mount, corner-balance stickers, or tyres worn square across the shoulder. If you find them, pay for a leak-down test before you pay for the car.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$400 for a compression and leak-down test; $500–$1,000 for a baffled oil pan if you plan to track it

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Dipstick reading low on a cold check before the test drive
✗A bright rub mark on the driver's-side fuel line or the hood above it
✗Knocking or ticking from the bottom end that rises with revs
✗Tow hook, harness bar or transponder mount — signs of track use

Good Signs

✓Remaining Subaru powertrain coverage confirmed against the VIN in writing
✓Oil topped up between services with the dates written down
✓Oil on the dipstick sitting at or near the upper mark, clean and amber
✓Original fuel line routing with a factory clip still in place