2017 Subaru WRX problems: recalls, complaints and whether this is a year to avoid
The 2017 Subaru WRX has 53 owner complaints on record with NHTSA, which ranks it 1 of 6 Subaru WRX model years by complaint volume. That is the highest of any year in the run — the 2010 car has 1. 1 recall entry cover this year.
Is 2017 a good year for the Subaru WRX?
The spread across this nameplate is wide: the 2017 draws 53 times the complaints of the 2010. On a run like that the model year you buy matters more than the badge, and 2017 sits near the top of it.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recall entries |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 ← this page | 53 | 1 |
| 2014 | 6 | 10 |
| 2013 | 7 | 11 |
| 2012 | 2 | 12 |
| 2011 | 4 | 11 |
| 2010 | 1 | 12 |
Older years have been on the road longer and collect more complaints for that reason alone, and a year that sold in higher volume collects more while being no worse.
This retrieval holds 6 of the nameplate’s model years. 2015, 2016 are absent, which means no records came back for them — not that they were clean. The ranking above is among the years shown.
The 2017 accounts for 73% of every complaint filed against the Subaru WRX in this retrieval, which works out to 5.9 complaints per year on the road across the 9 years since it was sold new — the figure to compare against other years, because it removes the advantage a newer car gets simply from having had less time to accumulate reports.
Complaints rose sharply against the preceding year: the 2017 carries 8.8 times the reports of the 2014. A jump that size between consecutive years usually means something changed in the car rather than in how many were sold, and it is worth asking a seller what was done to this one.
Which recalls cover the 2017?
NHTSA records 1 recall entry against the 2017 Subaru WRX. The campaign text for this year was not part of the stored sample — check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, which is the only way to know whether a specific car’s campaigns were carried out.
What do owners report on the Subaru WRX?
Across every Subaru WRX year, not the 2017 alone — NHTSA does not split component totals by model year.
- Power Train — 19 reports
- Engine — 11 reports
- Electrical System — 11 reports
- Steering — 7 reports
Which other Subaru WRX years should you compare?
← 2014 Subaru WRX · All Subaru WRX years
If you are deciding between years, the table above is the short answer and the Subaru WRX page carries the full run with the component breakdown. Before money changes hands, run the VIN for open recalls and read the inspection checklist — ten minutes in the seller’s driveway finds most of what matters.
Check a 2017 before you commit
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