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The 2015 Subaru WRX has 52 NHTSA owner complaints and 3 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2015 Subaru WRX has 52 NHTSA owner complaints and 3 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). The most-reported system is powertrain at 18 complaints, typically surfacing around 31,918 miles (~$2,500 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 WRX (this page) | 52 | 3 |
| 2016 WRX | 34 | 3 |
| 2017 WRX | 53 | 1 |
| 2018 WRX | 42 | 2 |
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
Run the VIN from the listing — 3 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 7.6/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
Driving car with passenger in cold weather (~0 degrees f) on city streets. After 10min of driving, passenger air bag light switched off, notifying me that passenger air bag was turned off while passenger was seated. Additionally, near the speedometer, the SRS airbag error…
Driving on the highway at ~70 MPH and suddenly lost all throttle response, the car would not accelerate only loose speed. Engine started to shutter to low rpms, and because of this drastically lost speed and nearly got into an accident with oncoming traffic while moving to the…
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru WRX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the drive belt,…
I am a 44 year old woman, driving a 2015 wrx. I have only owned and driven manual transmissions my entire life. My last car, a Mazda 3, I drove to 110,000 miles and the clutch never went out. My 2015 wrx is at 22,000 and the clutch is being replaced. A bearing went bad and did…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
Inoperative backup lights and an inoperative rearview camera can reduce vehicle visibility and driver awareness, increasing the risk of a crash.
An electrical short may damage the subwoofer amplifier, and may result in the subwoofer overheating, increasing the risk of a fire.
An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.6 out of 10 based on 52 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2015 Subaru WRX is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2015 Subaru WRX is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Reliability score 7.6/10 — above the segment average; 3 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the powertrain first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 18 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 31,918 miles. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 7.6 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 52 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is powertrain. Typical failure occurs around 31,918 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is powertrain, with 18 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 31,918 miles. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop.
The powertrain is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 31,918 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 52 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $2,500, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.