Buyer Research

2024 Subaru WRX — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $28,000–$36,000. 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

Third year of the 2.4L-turbo VB WRX, the year EyeSight arrived on the manual, and a record of thirteen complaints with no recall, no crash and no fire. That is a car that has barely had time to be driven, not a car that has been proven — most of these are still under the 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, which is the real safety net here. What the thirteen do contain is worth a careful test drive: two manual-transmission reports, one of them a gear that popped and left the car with no drive, and an oil-consumption complaint on an engine that had a sealant-in-the-oil-pan scare in 2022. Nothing on this year's record reaches the level of a documented pattern, and we have not pretended it does. Shift every gear hard, check the oil level against the seller's last-service date, and have the warranty start date confirmed on the VIN.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 13 owner complaints for the 2024 Subaru WRX, 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 transmission and drivetrain (2), the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (2), the body and structure (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 WRX

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

Six-speed manual: shifter slipping past the 6th-gear gate toward reverse, and a gear breaking under loadMedium

Two power train complaints, both on the manual and both serious in the moment: one owner at 80 mph found the shifter moved straight through the sixth-gear detent toward the reverse position and had to hold it back by hand; another shifting from second to third heard a pop, lost all drive and described a sound like gravel under the car. Two reports on a thin record is not a pattern, but the VB WRX's six-speed is a new gearbox for this generation and both are warranty claims Subaru handled. On the test drive, run through every gear at speed, feel for a firm stop at the sixth-gear gate, and push gently toward reverse from sixth on a quiet road to confirm the lockout resists. A grinding or notchy third gear is a walk-away until a dealer has looked at it.

Repair cost (estimate): $3,000–$6,000 for a transmission rebuild or replacement outside warranty

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (2).

EyeSight pre-collision braking activating with nothing in the roadLow

2024 is the first year the manual WRX got EyeSight, so more of these cars have it than before, and one of the two forward-collision complaints is exactly what you would expect: the pre-collision brake grabbing hard with a clear road ahead, on a car the owner otherwise likes. The other complaint in this cluster is really about oil consumption and is written up separately below. EyeSight false stops usually trace to a windshield replaced without the stereo cameras being recalibrated, a dirty or obstructed windshield, or software behind the current version. Ask whether the glass is original, and on the test drive follow a car through a gentle curve at 40 mph and watch the dash for a pre-collision warning that has no cause.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$400 for a camera recalibration or software update

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (2).

FA24 using 1.5 quarts of oil in the first 3,500 miles; dealer calls up to 2 quarts normalMedium

One owner's low-oil light came on at 3,519 miles on a new car, it took a quart and a half to bring the level up, and the dealer's answer was that up to two quarts between changes is within Subaru's spec. That is not unusual language from a dealer, but a turbo engine that eats oil is a turbo engine that can run low, and the 2022 WRX's record carries fifteen complaints about factory sealant found blocking the oil pickup on this same engine. We cannot say from this record whether the two are connected. What a buyer can do: check the dipstick cold and compare it with the mileage since the last oil change on the seller's receipt, ask whether the oil pan has ever been dropped and the pickup inspected, and look for blue smoke on a hard pull after a long idle.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$200 to document consumption for a warranty claim; $300–$800 to drop the pan and inspect the pickup

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (1), the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (2).

Side skirts (Subaru's 'side spoiler') coming loose from the rocker panelLow

One structure complaint, but a useful one because it is entirely visual: the plastic side skirts along the sills separate from the body and sag, and the owner's worry is one dragging on the road or coming off at speed. The VB WRX's cladding is clipped and taped along the rocker, and a car that has been through an automatic car wash with brushes or been curb-scraped is where it starts. Crouch at each side of the car and run a hand along the skirt's top edge; any gap you can fit a finger into, or a skirt that flexes when pressed, is a part on its way off.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$600 per side for a replacement skirt and clips

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (1).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Shifter that slides past the sixth-gear gate with light pressure, or a grind going into third
✗Oil level below the full mark on a car with a recent service receipt
✗Pre-collision warning or brake grab on an open road during the test drive
✗Side skirt that gaps at the top edge or flexes under a thumb
✗Aftermarket tune, intake or downpipe on a car still under Subaru's powertrain warranty

Good Signs

✓Factory 3-year/36,000-mile and 5-year/60,000-mile warranties confirmed in force on the VIN by a Subaru dealer
✓Firm, positive engagement in every gear with a clear lockout between sixth and reverse
✓Oil level on the full mark with a dated oil-change receipt in the glovebox
✓Original windshield with the Subaru logo etched in the corner and EyeSight calibrated
✓Invoice showing the oil pan was dropped and the pickup screen inspected