2016 Subaru WRX: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
34 NHTSA owner complaints · 3 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 34 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 3.4
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
The Seconary Air Injection pump stayed on for days. Burnt a hole in the side, relay possibly damaged, and now setting off other components and computers.
Driving and a loud explosion, sound, like a gunshot then a ton of pinging. The sunroof exploded and glass flew down my car and chipped a bunch of paint.
While driving, the clutch became stiff and unusable. Ultimately the car could not be shifted resulting in using a lower gear than normal to limp the car to safety. The car had to be towed to a mechanic. During the repair the mechanic identified that the cause of the failure was the clutch fork pivot ball punched through the stamped steel clutch fork. Looking online this seems to be a common failure since aftermar…
Recalls: 3 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 15V366000 | Forward Collision Avoidance: Crash Imminent Braking | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Outback vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Impreza vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to April 14, 2015, XV Crosstrek vehicles manufactured October 16, 2014, to April 15, 2015, and 2016 WRX… |
| 16V162000 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Turbo/Supercharger | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. |
| 22V522000 | Exterior Lighting:Back Up Lights:Switch | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2021 WRX vehicles. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a sports car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 21 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,600
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Electrical System10 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Engine9 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other7 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Power Train4 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Fuel/Propulsion System2 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Steering2 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
Other Subaru WRX years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2016 Subaru WRX?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (10 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2016 Subaru WRX a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 89/100, computed from 34 NHTSA complaints and 3 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2016 Subaru WRX's most common problem?
10 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2016 Subaru WRX sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $540–$1,310 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2016 Subaru WRX cost to run per year?
About $5,734 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $28,670 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2016 Subaru WRX have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Subaru WRX, 0 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 12/06/2015. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other sportss of about the same age.
What will a 2016 Subaru WRX really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 34 complaints, 3 recalls on record
- 34 NHTSA complaints on record (3.4/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (4.3/yr)
- 3 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality