7 complaints reported

2018 Subaru Impreza Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
7
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Feb 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated and the high-temperature warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that an engine reseal had failed and needed to be redone. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU IMPREZA, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2026
May 2025

Engine oil leak. An engine oil leak could potentially cause a fire hazard by igniting when leaking into hot components. It could cause engine damage due to inadequate lubrication leading to overheating and severe engine damage. The leak can contaminate the environment including soil and water, and it can create slippery surfaces which would be a risk to people walking in the area with leaked oil. I took my vehicle to a Subaru dealership for service, and they indicated that it was leaking oil everywhere. I looked it up and found numerous reports in online forums of others having the exact same issue. I was quoted over $5000 to repair and forums also indicate that others have been quoted multiple thousands of dollars to repair as well. I have noticed that the vehicle would always give me a low oil light approximately 3000 miles after an oil change, so I would top it off. It has been doing this since I originally purchased the vehicle with approximately 16000 miles. I took it to a Subaru dealership back then and was told by the service providers that it's normal for engines under 60,000 miles to consume more oil and dismissed it. Now it no longer falls under warranty and am expected to pony up $5000 to fix it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU IMPREZA, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: May 2025
Mar 2024

Knocking sound in engine confirmed by dealership service center to be a spark knock in the engine. No fix available and the service center stated "is a common problem in Impreza."

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU IMPREZA, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2023
Jun 2023

Engine began failing at 68k miles. The vehicle spews blue smoke from the tailpipe and under the hood and loses power when accelerating intermittently. It also consumes large amounts of oil. I've had the car worked on by an independent mechanic and will have to have the engine rebuilt at a cost of $6500 or more. Local dealership claims car is out of warranty an nothing can be done. The car didn't have a light on despite these symptoms. At 83k miles, the car became completely unsafe to operate.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU IMPREZA, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2023
Jan 2023 Fire

Driver / owner of vehicle was found deceased from a fire that originated in the engine compartment of the vehicle. This is being reported by Portland Fire and Rescue Fire Investigator [XXX]. NO apparent body damage to the metal parts of the vehicle. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU IMPREZA, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2022
Nov 2020

WHEN STARTING THE SUBARU RELEASES DARK GREY SMOKE IN HIGH QUANTITIES, AND HAS BEEN LOOSING POWER WHEN SPEEDING UP.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU IMPREZA, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2020
Sep 2018

THE ENGINE DIED WHILE COMING TO A RAPID STOP FROM ABOUT 35-40 MPH. ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL TURNED YELLOW. AFTER PUTTING THE TRANSMISSION PARK THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS, REMOVING AND REPLACING THE KEY, AND ABOUT 2 TO 3 MINUTES THE ENGINE DID START. I WAS UNABLE, AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS, TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THEY STATED THAT THEY HAD NOT SEEN THIS PROBLEM. THEY DID, HOWEVER, PERFORM A SOFTWARE UPDATE IN THE HOPE THAT IT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU IMPREZA, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2018

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Subaru Impreza has 7 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.