2005 Subaru Impreza suspension problems

17 complaints (23% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 80,235. 2 crashes reported.

owner complaints: 17
of this car's complaints: 23%
typical mileage: 80,235
crashes: 2
recalls: 1

Which part fails

Rear
3
Rear: springs
1
Rear: shock absorber
1
Front: control arm: lower ball joint
1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k

25k-50k

50k-75k

75k-100k

100k-125k

125k-150k

150k-175k

175k-200k

200k+

Subaru Impreza suspension problems in other years

Specific symptoms reported on the 2005 Subaru Impreza suspension

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Ball joint 8

Related recalls

Suspension: front: control arm: lower armReported September 6, 2011 · 318,215 vehicles affected

What is wrong: Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 forester, and model year 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured from september 5, 2000 through november 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger bracket is exposed to salty and humid environments such as roads containing snow melting agent.
Risk: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will handle their vehicles and saab will handle theirs. Dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during december 2011. Owners may contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Owners may contact saab at 1‑800‑955‑9007.

Recall number 11V464000 · Recall details

Related investigations

Front suspension control arm failureOpened April 7, 2011, closed September 23, 2011

On September 6, 2011, Fuji Heavy Industries USA, Inc, on behalf of Subaru of America, Inc notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) it would be conducting a safety recall of certain model year (MY) 2002 through 2007 Subaru Impreza, MY 2003 through 2008 Subaru Forester, and MY 2005 through 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold or currently registered in one the salt belt states including the District of Columbia (DC). For the purpose of this investigation, salt belt states include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and DC.ODI's analysis of consumer complaint data identified 11 reports alleging failure of either the right or left lower control arm due to excessive corrosion. All of these complaints were associated with vehicles currently registered or originally sold in a salt belt state. Through a similar analysis of complaint and warranty data submitted to ODI by Subaru, ODI identified 18 consumer complaints and 6 warranty claims associated with failure of the left or right front lower control arm due to excessive corrosion. All of these consumer complaints associated with vehicles either currently registered of originally sold in a salt belt state.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.

PE11011

What 2005 Subaru Impreza owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jan 24, 2025 · Suspension · AZ

The dealership is refusing to fix my car free of charge on a recall they confirmed would be able to do and now they are refusing to do it due to price and have made me wait two months for this to be the answer while also not giving me any sort of pay for the inconvenience of waiting for so long, while also having already ordering the parts and they have decided to decline my recall repair

Filed Nov 3, 2021 · Suspension · 199,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while her son was driving and approaching a stop sign, he heard an abnormal noise which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Suspension). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and was informed the recall was completed by the previous owner on 12/10/2011. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.

Filed Dec 24, 2019 · Suspension · 115,000 miles · PA

While my son was backing out of the driveway, his passenger side lower control arm snapped in 2. He struggled to get it even back into the driveway. I ran the VIN number and it does no show that this car has a recall that needs to be done. Does this mean it was already done? Or is this car not covered for the recall?

Filed Dec 17, 2019 · Suspension · 158,000 miles · SC

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. While the contact's wife was driving 40 MPH, she heard a snap in the engine that caused her to lose control of the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contact's father's home where he discovered that the front lower control arm was fractured. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 11v464000(suspension). The contact spoke with vic bailey mazda subaru (400 e daniel morgan ave, spartanburg, sc 29302, (864) 568-3338) and was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 158,000.

Filed Oct 26, 2018 · Suspension · 87,000 miles · NC

While turning to back into driveway control arm broke. It is rusted

Filed Jun 21, 2017 · Suspension · 180,500 miles · MA

I was driving on the highway when I lost control of my car. I was able to safely pull off to the side, and have the car towed home. The control arm on the passenger side was rusted and snapped snapped while my car was traveling straight. My car is affected by the wvx34 front lower control arm (transverse link) corrosion recall, which was performed before I purchased the car. The control arms had anti-rust spray applied at that time, and were not replaced. The spray was not effective in preventing further damage. Fortunately I was unharmed because the highway was not very busy and traffic was minimal.

Filed Sep 29, 2016 · Suspension · 99,260 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. As a result, the contact almost lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front lower driver side control arm failed and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was previously serviced per the federal safety agency campaign number: 11v464000 (suspension), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,260. ...updated 12/06/16 *bf

Filed Jul 28, 2015 · Steering, Suspension · 125,000 miles · NY

I was driving and lost control of the car at 55mph. I struggled to pull the car off the road. The car was towed to my mechanic where he diagnosed a broken control arm due to corrosion.

Filed Sep 29, 2013 · Suspension, Wheels · 80,235 miles · NY

Driving. Hit a bump as I was attempting to take an exit and hit a pot hole which bent my rims and depleted the air in the tires.

Filed Feb 1, 2012 · Suspension · 45,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. The contact stated that while stopped, the read end of the vehicle was sitting much lower than the front end. The contact also stated that a rattling noise was heard coming from the rear while driving at low speeds. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test, but the contact stated that the rear struts may be causing the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

Questions about the 2005 Subaru Impreza suspension

Does the 2005 Subaru Impreza have suspension problems?

Owners have filed 17 complaints about the suspension of the 2005 Subaru Impreza, 23% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2005 Subaru Impreza suspension problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 80,235 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2005 Subaru Impreza suspension?

Yes, 1 recall: 11V464000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Subaru Impreza have bad suspension?

The Subaru Impreza model years with the most suspension complaints are 2002 (49 complaints), 2004 (17 complaints) and 2005 (17 complaints).