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2016 Subaru WRX repairs by problem area

Engine (19%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (10%)

Brakes and Traction Control (0%)

Suspension and Steering (13%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (29%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (26%)

Other (3%)

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Chart based on 31 repairs.

See TSBs and recalls for the 2016 Subaru WRX.

2016 Subaru WRX repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (0%)

$500 - $999 (0%)

$100 - $499 (8%)

< $100 (92%)

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Chart based on 25 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

See repairs for all Subaru WRX model years.

Subaru WRX in California, United States Jun 2015 - Sep 2018
Dec 2015 6000 mi	Rattles from loud SPT exhaust (factory installed) and Harmon-Kardon stereo. Not all rattles were fixed. I will be attempting to fix them myself at a later date (by adjusting clips and adding batting). Small paint chip on the body of the car where the trunk corner meets the body. Only noticed due to forums. There was a TSB for this but my VIN is not included. Pictures submitted to SOA. Awaiting response.
Mar 2016 8000 mi	There is power steering chatter during the entire turn radius from right to left. No chatter if turning left to right.
Jun 2016 11000 mi	Power steering issue remains unfixed. Dealer is blaming whining from the steering on "worn, abused" tires. It's ridiculous and I have Subaru of America involved. They are having a district engineer come to drive the car.
Sep 2016 13000 mi	I have had a whining noise and difficulty steering, both when steering to the left. They replaced the steering rack.

Subaru WRX in Texas, United States Jan 2018 - Jan 2019
Jun 2018 20500 mi	Oil pump was leaking onto exhaust crossmember creating a pungent burning oil smell. Dealer fixed under warranty Leather on steering wheel was wearing off. Dealer replaced steering wheel.

Subaru WRX in Quebec, Canada Nov 2017 - Mar 2018
Jan 2018 11160 mi	Dead battery

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Subaru WRX in Oregon, United States Jul 2015 - Aug 2017
Aug 2016 17000 mi	TPMS light stays on all the time even though tire pressure is correct. Dealer reset TPMS. TCM update available for the CVT. Dealer was unable to apply.
Jul 2017 27000 mi	CEL constantly on, CVT transmission locked in sport mode, cruise control nonfunctional.

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Subaru WRX in Colorado, United States Jun 2015 - Jun 2018
Aug 2017 9700 mi	Stuct tower mount was making popping noise when turning at slow speeds.. New strut tower mount was installed. Known TSB issue.

Subaru WRX in Florida, United States Jun 2015 - Nov 2018
Sep 2017 19000 mi	Faulty battery. Replaced under warranty.
Jul 2018 22000 mi US $50	Changed spark plugs

Subaru WRX in Indiana, United States Feb 2016 - May 2017
Jul 2016 7000 mi	Radio randomly dropped or didn't recognize Bluetooth connection to paired devices.
Dec 2016 15000 mi	Rear package shelf was rattling. Dealer replaced under warranty per an existing TSB. Driver seat squeaked when weight transferred rearward. Dealer lubed seat hinge points. Bluetooth intermittently dropping or refusing to connect to mobile device. Streaming audio volume randomly lowers. Issues reported, but could not be replicated by tech. Issue reappeared at delivery and acknowledged by service writer.

Subaru WRX in Texas, United States Sep 2015 - Jan 2017
Nov 2015 1000 mi	Car would not start and stuck on oush button start would not start the car or turn the car off. I had to disconnect the negitive terminal of the battery to get it to reset.

Subaru WRX in Texas, United States Feb 2016 - Oct 2020
Apr 2017 7000 mi US $400	Rock hit the car on the freeway and cracked front windshield

Subaru WRX in Alabama, United States Jul 2017 - Jun 2018
Jan 2018 35000 mi	Battery Died

Subaru WRX in Maryland, United States Sep 2015 - Jun 2018
May 2016 6700 mi	Vacuum leak in the passage from turbocharger to the intake manifold. Some plastic pipe was replaced.
Nov 2017 25000 mi	ECM was reprogrammed to prevent battery discharge. TSB ID: 11-174-17R

Subaru WRX in Indiana, United States Dec 2016 - Oct 2018
Dec 2017 14000 mi	Clutch failed on vehicle. Dealer replace clutch on warranty. Seems to be a common issue with these.

Subaru WRX in New Hampshire, United States Nov 2015 - Dec 2018
Oct 2015 6400 mi	Door pillar exterior has a black tape trim on it. My car's black trim tape came with a slice in it from the factory. It was repaired under warranty in less than 2 hours.

Subaru WRX in Washington, United States Mar 2017 - Jan 2022
May 2017 44000 mi US $40	The serpentine "V" belt broke (appeared that pully had a sharp edge and sliced the belt along the groove. Which caused half of the belt to stay on the pulleys and the half to smack around inside engine bay.
Jun 2019 117 mi	Spun rod bearing on warm start up

Subaru WRX in California, United States Sep 2015 - Jun 2022
Sep 2021 36000 mi US $360	AC began blowing hot air. Dealer diagnosed it as bad O-rings on the AC compressor, and replaced O-rings and recharged freon.

Subaru WRX in Kentucky, United States Jun 2015 - Jun 2022
Feb 2016 14000 mi	Third brake light enclosure rattled.
Feb 2017 30000 mi	Rear deck rattle fixed per tech bulletin.

Subaru WRX in Pennsylvania, United States Oct 2015 - Jun 2018
Mar 2018 25000 mi	Battery no longer held charge and was replaced under warranty

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Subaru WRX in Indiana, United States Nov 2014 - Jun 2020
Feb 2020 75000 mi US $1200	Bad caliper needed replacement
Mar 2020 75000 mi	Bad wheel bearing Driver window would not always close.
Apr 2020 77000 mi US $150	Suspension mount was leaking grease creating noise when coming to a stop

Subaru WRX in Kentucky, United States Nov 2017 - Nov 2021
Dec 2017 8000 mi	The hill assist light on the dash is on. As embarrassed as I am to say, I bought the car like this. When I asked the sales rep about the light being on, he told me it meant the hill assist was "on". When I put my truck in 4WD a light come on the dash so I thought OK...I'm good with it being on. I was looking up something totally different in the owners manual and found if the light on the dash is on the hill assist is not functioning. I was pissed. Anyhow it doesn't impact driving the car so I thought I'd wait till the next 5K maintenance trip to have it fixed. If it is malfunctioning, it will be a warranty repair.
Nov 2021 47000 mi US $280	Engine failed on the vehicle. Had to be totally rebuilt. Just about everything was replaced. Covered by Carmax warranty. An earlier failure two years ago was covered by the factory warranty. Got rid of car before end of extended warranty because of these unexplained failures.

Subaru WRX in California, United States Feb 2016 - Jun 2017
Aug 2016 15700 mi	Trim rattle at dash. Took three tries. Dealer scratched car!

Subaru WRX in Virginia, United States Apr 2014 - Dec 2020
Jun 2014 2000 mi	Gas door not opening, parts for TSB ordered.
Jul 2014 2700 mi	Rear differential was leaking. Overfilled at the factory, dealer drained to appropriate level. TSB performed to replace fuel door
Nov 2014 8600 mi	Fuel door was not opening properly. it was fix by a second TSB for this problem.

Subaru WRX in British Columbia, Canada Aug 2014 - Jun 2022
Jul 2016 18900 mi	Connecting Rod on Cylinder 3 broke, engine grenaded and got a whole new Long Block crate-motor including clutch all covered under warranty.
Feb 2020 47120 mi C $550	The Steering Rack froze and cracked open in very cold weather, draining all of the fluid out. System then ran without fluid, causing the pump to also fail. Was mostly covered under extended warranty except for Wheel Alignment and the added cost to go up to OEM parts.

Subaru WRX in Texas, United States Apr 2014 - Jun 2022
Jun 2014 1000 mi	Headlight illumination sensor in the dashboard didn't sit flush. Replaced, now sits flush.
Aug 2014 1000 mi	TSB repair for trunk paint chipping and lateral movement. TSB repair for gas tank door not opening.
Mar 2015 1000 mi US $240	Battery went dead and would not charge. Replaced battery myself.
Nov 2015 1000 mi	Battery discharged causing replacement. Second battery replacement since new.
Aug 2016 2000 mi	The dealer checked the charging system and found no problems. Parasitic draw on the system is draining the battery.
Sep 2016 2000 mi	The dealership checked the charging system and battery. No parts were replaced. All checked good.

Subaru WRX in California, United States Feb 2015 - Jul 2015
Jul 2015 4000 mi	Clutch pedal makes loud clicking noise when depressed and released. Dealer diagnosed bad clutch MC. Part ordered and car returned for repair. Dealer discovered wrong part ordered. Correct part currently on order. The clutch master cylinder needed replacing. They replaced it but there was an issue with the replacement itself and the dealership actually ended up putting me in a new car as a gesture of good faith.

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Subaru WRX in California, United States Jul 2017 - Jun 2022
Feb 2018 57000 mi	Dealer updated ECU to latest version to fix alternator not charging the battery properly

Subaru WRX in California, United States Nov 2014 - Jun 2022
Aug 2017 24000 mi	CVT needed remapping to shift appropriately.
Jun 2021 42000 mi	Replaced transmission seal.

Subaru WRX in New York, United States Feb 2015 - Jun 2017
Feb 2017 31000 mi	OEM battery failing, not enough CCA to start the engine. Replaced the battery with higher CCA by dealer.

Subaru WRX in Hawaii, United States Nov 2014 - Oct 2017
Mar 2016 16000 mi	Windshield washer reservoir not connected properly. Reseated and seems fine.
Jun 2016 18000 mi	AC blowing warm air. Needed to be recharged. Still blowing warm air. Went back in to fix windshield fluid reservoir that came apart. Was missing mounting screw. Came apart again. Break pedal makes squealing noise when depressed. Lubricated. Still makes noise.
Oct 2016 23300 mi	Finally TSB issued for faulty a/c compressor. Bluetooth still not working half the time. No software update. Dealer was to replace unit but probably still won't work. Bought aftermarket radio.
Nov 2016 24700 mi	Car wouldn't start. Told me oil dirty so won't start. Oh by the way got you new battery.

Subaru WRX in Maryland, United States Nov 2014 - Sep 2015
Dec 2014 5000 mi	The front doors rattle, particularly the passenger door. Driver side not bad enough to warrant repair. They've tried fixing several times to no avail, so I got the dealer (Herb Gordon Silver Spring) to replace the door.
Sep 2015 16000 mi	Had to replace some tubing and the evaporator, which both had leaks in them. Cost me zero under warranty.

Subaru WRX in Arizona, United States Mar 2015 - Jun 2017
Aug 2016 27000 mi	Battery fell below standards; would not start until charged; battery replaced under warranty.
Dec 2016 32000 mi	Correct package shelf rattle

Subaru WRX in California, United States Apr 2015 - Jun 2022
Mar 2015 20000 mi	At 30K service, I'd noticed some oil seepage at the front differential and took it to dealer for closer look. Dye was added to try and pinpoint source of leak, and after driving ~6k miles, found that oil leak at CVT oil pump. Entire CVT was replaced, as manufacturer doesn't authorize dealer to service the assembly. Intermittent AC not blowing cold air. Looks like my AC issue is related to a known defect with some compressors within a certain date range. This was noted under TSB-10-84-16; dealer had me get s/n of compressor to confirm that it falls within the range. Compressor ordered and will bring in car for replacement. Intermittent starter issues which eventually lead to dead battery. Dealer ran battery diagnostics and identified it as faulty, and replaced under warranty
Aug 2020 95000 mi	2nd replacement of CVT transmission. 1st replacement had fluid seepage, and had gasket replaced ~10K prior
Oct 2020 98000 mi US $300	replaced right rear wheel bearing

Subaru WRX in South Carolina, United States Mar 2015 - Jun 2016
Apr 2015 6500 mi	Rear seat was loose and was replaced under warranty.
Feb 2016 16000 mi	TSB: 12-189-15 Rattling Sound from Rear Package Shelf Area

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Subaru WRX in Massachusetts, United States Oct 2014 - Jun 2018
Jan 2018 33000 mi	replaced a bad knock sensor

Subaru WRX in Maryland, United States Sep 2014 - Feb 2018
Nov 2015 12400 mi US $113	Very poor original equipment battery 425 cca I think. Car left me stranded numerous times after just sitting and eating in the car in good weather under lite battery loads. Replaced with after market 640cca battery.
Jan 2017 26000 mi US $250	Poor paint job on steering wheel and trim around shifter. Only one thin coat of paint on silver colored plastic six speed shifter trim around shifter boot. Shifter trim scratches extremely easily while dusting. Subaru paid for new steering wheel and I will pay no more than $250 for shifter trim and boot installed.
Oct 2017 35130 mi	leaking front strut The driver's seat height adjustment was loose and sloppy since I had owned the car and I had notified Subaru of it a couple of years earlier. Subaru fully replaced seat bottom under warranty.

Subaru WRX in Virginia, United States May 2014 - Oct 2014
Oct 2014 11000 mi	Gas door sticking. TSB released for fix.

Subaru WRX in Oregon, United States Apr 2014 - Aug 2015
Aug 2014 3600 mi	Car lost power, very rough idle, CEL came on solid. Undrivable until ignition was turned off and on. Pulled PO606 code, Module Process Integrity Fault. Reset ECU.

Subaru WRX in Alberta, Canada Apr 2014 - Dec 2014
Sep 2014 11160 mi	Trunk edges were retouched and foam tape attached. As far as I could tell, the truck edges were rubbing up against the body of the car when the car was in motion, which rubbed the paint off. New weather stripping and bump stops ordered. Fuel door becomes stuck and will not release. Needs to be pried open. New hinge on order.

Subaru WRX in Pennsylvania, United States Dec 2015 - Jun 2022
Nov 2016 24900 mi US $80	Noisy right rear wheel bearing replaced
Sep 2017 30000 mi US $16	Intake valve cleaning. I believe this is an issue with all direct injected cars that do not have any Air/ Fuel mixture going by the intake valves. I removed my intake at 14K miles and saw the build up starting. I removed it with carb cleaner and small wire brushes. I used CRC intake valve cleaner into a central port on the intake at 20K miles. I'm a 30K now, so sometime around 40k I will remove the intake again and do a second manual cleaning with the CRC spray.
Jan 2022 65000 mi US $700	Clutch slipped at 64000, updated assembly to factory 240mm clutch

Subaru WRX in Texas, United States Nov 2019 - Sep 2020
Jan 2020 47000 mi	Throw out bearing went bad about 2 weeks after purchasing the CPO car. Subaru covered half the cost. upstream 02 sensor was contaminated. when i purchased the car they cleaned engine bay and whatever cleaning agent they used contaminated the o2 sensor.
May 2020 48000 mi US $750	compressor went bad. had to be replaced.

Subaru WRX in Wisconsin, United States Mar 2014 - Mar 2016
Aug 2014 5000 mi	Fuel door sticking. Dealer greased the parts to make it work for now and is ordering a new fuel door assembly per internal Subaru TSB.
Feb 2015 9000 mi	Ecu problem. Car ran fine with reduced power but had CEL, no abs, no traction control, no cruise control. Dealer diagnosed and ordered me a new ECU - this solved the problem.
Mar 2015 9000 mi	Fuel door was replaced due to previous sticking issue.

Subaru WRX in New York, United States Mar 2014 - Oct 2015
Nov 2014 6000 mi	Fuel door gets stuck Trip meter resets every few days(possibly when cold) Gas door hinge replaced

Subaru WRX in Florida, United States Apr 2014 - May 2015
Aug 2014 5000 mi	Paint chip appeared and rust was already there. Dealer determined repair to be covered under warranty.

Subaru WRX in Ontario, Canada Apr 2014 - Oct 2017
Apr 2015 3100 mi	CEL P0016 code. Still at dealer waiting for parts

Subaru WRX in Louisiana, United States Feb 2016 - Feb 2017
Jul 2016 19500 mi	Dealer replaced sound system head unit under warranty for a known Technical Service Bulletin Drivers side mirror loose, replaced side mirror under warranty

Subaru WRX in California, United States Dec 2014 - Jun 2022
Nov 2015 10100 mi	Car was brought in for vibration in clutch pedal. Diagnosis was a bad release bearing (aka throw out bearing). A somewhat common problem with the Subaru WRX. Bearing was replaced under warranty.
Dec 2015 11000 mi	Car brought back in for what sounded like a squealing belt. Was diagnosed as the release/throw out bearing AGAIN. Only 500 miles after it was first replaced. Subaru paid two payments, gave me a 7/100 warranty to compensate. Happy with Subaru.
Sep 2017 28000 mi	Battery died twice in one week. Replaced under warranty.
Jun 2020 52803 mi	Failed o ring caused compressor hose to leak in air conditioning system, flush and recharge, covered under warranty
Jul 2020 52864 mi	AC clutch in compressor system failed, replaced with new compressor assembly and O rings covered under warranty
Sep 2020 52752 mi	Check engine light P0301 (cylinder 1 misfire) and P1604 (low battery) diagnosed due to cylinder 1 ignition coil coming loose due to a missing bolt. Fixed quickly under warranty.

Subaru WRX in California, United States May 2014 - Dec 2017
Oct 2014 4300 mi	Erratic idle. Would randomly go from resting idle around 700 RPM to a sudden spike around 1k-1.5k RPM. Would occur while in neutral and coming to a stop (5-15 MPH). Rough idle at a stand still, while in neutral. While at a complete stop the engine will occasionally experience a rough idle, best described as a feeling like the car has been very lightly bumped. The sensation will lightly shake you.
Aug 2015 10900 mi	Erratic idle and predetonation.
Dec 2015 13000 mi	Acceleration hesitation and stutter upon full throttle. Reflash.

Subaru WRX in Pennsylvania, United States Apr 2015 - Dec 2016
Sep 2015 7000 mi	Gas cap seal torn and replaced. Threw a gross evap code.
Oct 2016 22500 mi	Battery failed to start the car while parked at a grocery store, jumped by AAA. Drove to dealer, they tested the battery 3 times, it passed the first 2 test, failed, the third. Replaced under warranty.

Subaru WRX in Quebec, Canada Feb 2015 - Sep 2017
Nov 2015 13300 mi	Car was pulling to the left when braking. Brake was jammed apparently. Rapidly fixed.
Sep 2017 21700 mi	squealing noise when de-clutching. Dealer opened transmission and resurfaced the flywheel.

Subaru WRX in Texas, United States Apr 2015 - Apr 2017
Apr 2015 8000 mi	The ecm had error code and gas tank wouldn't open. Dealer reprogramed ecm and gas tank was fixed.
Oct 2015 12000 mi	Car cut off and hesitated severely while driving. Needed a software update.
Jan 2016 14300 mi	Recall involving measuring compression and changing spark plugs. There was a also a software issue.
Apr 2017 24000 mi	The compressor stopped turning on, even when a/c was recharged. Subaru fixed it at no cost to me under my warranty. Compressor was replaced and problem was solved.

Subaru WRX in New Jersey, United States Feb 2015 - Mar 2020
Sep 2015 8000 mi	A/C was kinked when built and did not drain. Was a quick repair and dealer did a great job
Mar 2017 33000 mi	Car would not start. Battery was replaced.
Jul 2017 36000 mi	Minor noise when clutch depressed all the way to floor

Subaru WRX in Minnesota, United States Jan 2017 - Feb 2017
Feb 2017 60000 mi	Steady CEL w/vehicle dynamics, hill-side assist, ABS indicators on, blinking cruise control light. Dealer determined issue to be VVT issue, recommended ECU replacement under 80k warranty. Put 1k miles after repair, then CEL returned. 1k miles after ECU replacement, CEL light returns with same surrounding indicators (vehicle dynamics, hillside assist, ABS, cruise control). Dealer states that passenger cam sprocket requires replacement. Vehicle still being repair after 7d Passenger-side cam sprocket replaced. CEL returned. Dealer states that they will now replace cam shaft and see if that is the fix.

Subaru WRX in California, United States Apr 2015 - Jun 2022
Jul 2015 2700 mi	Rough idle dealer reset computer ecu did not fix problem. Complained after getting car deaker said idle was normal.
Jun 2016 19000 mi	TSB to replace clicking squeaking clutch pedal assembly.
Feb 2017 32000 mi	Tsb for noisy clutch Tsb for oil leak
May 2017 39000 mi	Throwing 2 CEL'S DEALER REFLASHED ECU.

Subaru WRX in Ontario, Canada Sep 2014 - Oct 2017
Sep 2015 16120 mi	Occasional extended cranking on start up. ECU software was updated.
Oct 2017 37200 mi C $2000	Clutch replacement

Subaru WRX in California, United States Mar 2015 - Feb 2018
May 2017 37000 mi	Clutch center bearing replaced

Subaru WRX in South Carolina, United States May 2017 - Jun 2017
Jun 2017 18000 mi	Radio replaced d/t Bluetooth failure

Subaru WRX in Quebec, Canada Feb 2015 - Oct 2017
Mar 2017 36580 mi	Head of engine

Subaru WRX in Texas, United States Dec 2017 - Jun 2018
Jan 2018 23000 mi	The car has modifications that were installed by the previous owner that are currently being removed to return the car to the stock factory configuration.
Mar 2018 27000 mi	Check engine light came on. Turns out was a factory ecu update that needed to be applied. Was part of a previous service bulletin.
May 2018 31800 mi	Service recall for clutch, throw out bearing, and flywheel.

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2016 Subaru WRX repairs by problem area

2016 Subaru WRX repair cost distribution

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