My Chicco Fit360 car seat’s magnetic chest clip is failing to stay clipped and is easily unclipped by the tug of one finger. Children are able to easily unclip it as well. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. My child’s safety was put at risk because the magnetic chest clip would unclip by him pulling on it while my vehicle was in motion. It also failed to stay clipped multiple times which caused me to have to stop using it and request a new one. When I requested a new chest clip through Chicco’s customer support, they didn’t seem bothered or worried that their magnetic chest clip had failed and sent back an email saying they would send a replacement chest clip. The car seat has not been inspected, but there are so many other parents dealing with the same issue with Chicco’s magnetic chest clip. On Chicco’s website, the chest clip has many bad reviews and there are numerous bad reviews on other websites from parents as well. Some saying the buttons on the chest clip would get stuck making the chest clip useless, one parent said it broke leaving them stranded in a parking lot, and other reviews said the chest clip would come unclipped easily just by pulling on it slightly while trying to tighten the car seat’s harness. This magnetic chest clip manufactured by Chicco needs to be recalled immediately or I fear there may be injuries or fatalities in the future of children.
The worst 2012 Subaru Impreza problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags105
- Engine56
- Electrical30
- Transmission26
- Brakes15
- Seats15
- Acceleration11
- Steering10
- Fuel system7
- Wheels7
- Body6
- Visibility6
- Suspension5
- Lights4
- Seat belts4
- Tires2
- Driver assistance1
- Locks1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Subaru Impreza
Airbag light 47Oil consumption 17Check engine light 14Stalling 14CVT failure 11Transmission failure 11No deployment 10ABS 6Engine failure 6Fire or smoke 5
Trouble codes owners of the 2012 Subaru Impreza mention
B1650 5P0700 2P2138 2P2764 2
Recalls 6
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.
- Risk
- Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.
Recall number 19V149000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Subaru Impreza, 2012-2013 Impreza Stationwagon, 2013 Subaru BRZ, XV Crosstrek and Toyota Scion FR-S vehicles. The engine valve springs in these vehicles may fracture causing an engine malfunction or a possible engine stall.
- Risk
- An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify their owners. Toyota will notify the FR-S owners. Dealers will replace the valve springs, free of charge. The recall began December 26, 2018. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614, Toyota owners may contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1‑888‑270‑9371. Subaru's number for this recall is WTY-84.
Recall number 18V772000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
- Risk
- If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Recall number 16V738000 · Recall details
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012 model year Subaru Impreza 4-Door and Station Wagon vehicles (except WRX/STI models) manufactured April 21, 2011, to February 16, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may deactivate if a front seat passenger operates a device that is plugged into the power outlet such as a music player or cell phone, or touches a metal part of the vehicle such as the forward/rearward seat adjuster lever.
- Risk
- If the ODS deactivates, the front passenger air bag will be turned off and the front passenger air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Occupant Control Unit with a modified one, free of charge. The recall began August 21, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQT-55.
Recall number 15V419000 · Recall details
Equipment
- What is wrong
- Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
- Risk
- The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783 for more information.
Recall number 13V061000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- Subaru is recalling certain model year 2012 impreza sedans and wagons (except wrx/sti models), manufactured from april 21, 2011, through november 15, 2011, and legacy and outback vehicles manufactured from october 17, 2011, through november 23, 2011. These vehicles may be equipped with a brake master cylinder that could malfunction and cause an increase in the amount of brake pedal travel distance required to slow or stop the vehicle.
- Risk
- The driver might misjudge the amount of brake pedal travel required to achieve the desired stopping distance. This could occur unexpectedly and without prior warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder and if necessary, replace it, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during december 2011. Owners may contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783.
Recall number 11V562000 · Recall details
See all 6 recalls for the 2012 Subaru Impreza
Defect investigations
Passenger Front Air Bag Suppression
The Office of Defects Investigation opened this investigation on April 10, 2015 based on 26 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire reports involving the passenger frontal air bag in MY 2012 Subaru Impreza vehicles.These vehicles use a capacitive type Occupant Detection System (ODS), which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full sized, small stature, a child seat, or other object.The reports alleged that the ODS failed to operate properly and incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied.In a frontal crash sufficient to warranty deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.On June 25, 2015, Subaru of America, Inc. submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) advising the federal safety agency that it would conduct a safety recall to remedy the ODS in 32,400 MY 2012 Subaru Impreza vehicles equipped with a capacitance type ODS for the front passenger's seat.The DIR notes that the WRX/STI models are excluded from this recall as they are equipped with a different type (weight-recognition based) ODS for the front passenger's seat. ODI is closing this investigation based on Subaru's recall action.The ODI reports cited above can be viewed at http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues under the following ID numbers:10668512, 10668243, 10662987, 10641835, 10640574, 10626384, 10622234, 10621456, 10619273, 10605789, 10604506, 10575908, 10559081, 10557856, 10556661, 10545059, 10538562, 10532118, 10481308, 10478660, 10473662, 10472608, 10470865, 10468157, 10463432, 10672345, 10712288, 10713178, 10731645.
PE15012
Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Subaru Impreza 530
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This is an update announcement regarding the TechShare & NorthStar Integration
- This announcement provides information on the connected services platform for Subaru EVs.
- This bulletin provides a step-by-step diagnostic procedure for resolving Remote Engine Start (RES)...
- This Service Information Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but...
- This announcement provides information on DCM replacememts due to a parasitic draw.
- This announcement provides information on an outage affecting the Subaru Select Monitor 5 application.
- This Service Information Bulletin announces the availability of ThreeBond 1216J (SOA868V9640) designed for...
- This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
- This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a...
- This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
2012 Subaru Impreza fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | AWD | 24-27 | 33-35 | 27-30 |
| 2.5L 4‑cyl | AWD | 17-19 | 23-25 | 19-21 |
What 2012 Subaru Impreza owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My ignition key gets stuck when I shifted into park on my 2012 subaru impreza.
The fan controls in the center of the dash failed. Fan speed 1&2 work, but 3&4 do not. After pulling the center dash controls out, I found that the plug connecting the fan speed controls to the wiring harness was burnt. This is a concern cause it could have burned other components or caused a fire.
HVAC plug pigtail Blower motor resistor Heater control harness Is available for inspection HVAC electrical plugin was badly burned and melted causing risk of fire Summer months created dangerous interior temperatures Winter months & inclement weather created physical distress- & created dangerous vision restrictions/blockage because unable to use defroster Dangerous cab temperatures, limited or blocked vision through windshield created physical distress and distraction for me thus others and property were at elevated risk Yes confirmed by garage. No inspection performed. No warnings available. There are 2 separate incidents: July 2023/august 2023 September 2024/april 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop immediately. The brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the control arms and brake lines were severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V311000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
The contact's son's father owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that upon activating the heating system, a burning odor would emit from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic discovered melted plastic; as well as black soot, inside the vehicle's instrument panel and harness blower resistor. The contact stated that an unknown fuse and the heater motor were replaced; however, the failure returned. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer(Prestige Subaru of Turnersville NJ) where a diagnostic was performed and the contact was given an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact reached out to the manufacturer but was offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 129,173
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-40 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and was driven with manual steering. The failure occurred while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that approximately four days after the first failure, the steering wheel failed to move. Additionally, the vehicle was losing oil and one quart of oil had to be added every month. The contact stated that the power steering, ABS, TPMS, transmission automatic transmission fluid (ATF), and 4-WD failure warning lights were illuminated. The passenger occupant sensor chimed for the passenger to secure the seat belt consistently even though the occupant was seated with the seat belt buckled securely. The contact who is a certified mechanic had replaced the rack and pinion. The contact noticed that the threads on the tie rods were close in proximately risking the chance of damaging the tie rods. The ABS module had been replaced. The contact believed that the engine needed to be replaced but the engine was not replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer confirmed there was no recall for the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 164,964.
The Airbag warning light has been lit within the dashboard. The front passenger seat airbag is faulty and is not able to correctly sense when a passenger is within the seat or not, which disables the airbags. This can be deadly to the passenger if in an accident. The issue seems to be in the ODS passenger seat mat that determines when the airbag is active or not. If moisture is able to get within the mat, then it can short the circuit and cause airbags to not deploy. My car was "supposed" to already been fixed with the issue in 2015 on the recall #WQT55, the federal safety agency Campaign 15V419000, but I don't believe the underlying issue was fixed correctly or the same part has failed again. Looking further into recalls, the exact same issue is happening again with Subarus with #WRA-24 and the federal safety agency campaign 24V227. The dealer has asked me to pay over $1700 on to replace this part. Subaru America should fully cover the cost of any Passenger ODS issue especially when there have already been two recalls with the exact same issue.
The AC unit suddenly shutoff and there was a burning smell while I was driving. It turns out that the connector on the back of the climate control unit had either drawn too much current, or the resistance was too high, and the connector had started burning. Fortunately, the melted plastic interrupted the electrical connection, and the fire had went out on its own. It looks like this is not an isolated incident, and several others have dealt with similar when looking online.
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics and the contact was informed that there was a defective gasket on the transfer case and the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced. The contact stated that while a relative was seated in the front passenger’s seat, the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where a code reader determined that there was a defect with the front passenger’s side air bag sensor. A dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was made to have the vehicle serviced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
Compare the 2012 Subaru Impreza
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2012 Subaru Impreza
Is the 2012 Subaru Impreza reliable?
Owners have filed 243 complaints about the 2012 Subaru Impreza, 3.2 times a typical Impreza model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2012 Subaru Impreza year score?
The 2012 Subaru Impreza scores 30 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Subaru Impreza: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Subaru Impreza?
Airbags, with 105 complaints, typically around 41,000 miles. Next is engine (56).
How many recalls does the 2012 Subaru Impreza have?
6 recalls, covering exterior lighting, engine and engine cooling and electrical system.
What gas mileage does the 2012 Subaru Impreza get?
Official estimates for the 2012 Subaru Impreza range from 19 to 30 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, AWD) gets 24-27 city and 33-35 highway.
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