Subaru WRX, representative photo
Representative model. Photo: IFCAR, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Recalls & complaints · NHTSA data

2008 Subaru WRX recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2008 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns
7
Park-it warnings
0
Complaints
65
Latest campaign
Jan 2, 2020

Recall summary by component7

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h
ComponentCampaignsLatestCampaign IDs
Air bags3Jan 2, 2020
20V00300020V00100020V002000
Service brakes, hydraulic2Dec 31, 2014
14V83000014V311000
Electrical system1Apr 11, 2019
19V297000
Exterior lighting1Feb 28, 2019
19V149000

Safety recalls7

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h
0Park-it warnings
0Fixable over the air
Jan 2, 2020Latest campaign
Jan 2, 202020V003000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

DetailsHide details for campaign 20V003000
What's wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.
Campaign
NHTSA 20V003000 · Jan 2, 2020
Jan 2, 202020V001000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

DetailsHide details for campaign 20V001000
What's wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.
Campaign
NHTSA 20V001000 · Jan 2, 2020
Jan 2, 202020V002000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

DetailsHide details for campaign 20V002000
What's wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.
Campaign
NHTSA 20V002000 · Jan 2, 2020
Apr 11, 201919V297000

Electrical system: ignition switch

The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash.

DetailsHide details for campaign 19V297000
What's wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Risk
The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
Campaign
NHTSA 19V297000 · Apr 11, 2019
Feb 28, 201919V149000

Exterior lighting: brake lights switch

Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.

DetailsHide details for campaign 19V149000
What's 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.
Campaign
NHTSA 19V149000 · Feb 28, 2019
Dec 31, 201414V830000

Service brakes, hydraulic

Brake fluid may leak due to the brake line corrosion and may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

DetailsHide details for campaign 14V830000
What's wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Impreza, 2008-2014 WRX and STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in 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 the District of Columbia that were remedied under recall 14V-311 prior to December 23, 2014. The brake lines may experience brake line corrosion due to salt water splashing on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector.
Risk
Brake fluid may leak due to the brake line corrosion and may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will apply an anti-corrosion wax to the four-way joint connector area of the brake line system, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQQ-52. Notes: This recall is specific to affected Forester, Impreza, WRX, and STI customers who had their car remedied under NHTSA recall no. 14V-311 prior to December 23, 2014. Subaru has determined that this remedy was inadequate due to incomplete repair instructions provided to dealers. Affected Forester, Impreza, WRX, and STI vehicles that were not repaired under NHTSA recall no. 14V-311 prior to December 23, 2014 will continue to be processed under NHTSA recall no. 14V-311. Affected vehicles not currently, or formerly, registered in the salt belt states identified in this recall are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Campaign
NHTSA 14V830000 · Dec 31, 2014
To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Subaru recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Owner complaints by component65

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h
65Complaints filed
0Involving a crash
1Involving a fire
0Injuries reported
ComponentShareComplaints%CrashesFiresInjuries
Power train4874000
Structure2640000
Service brakes2538000
Unknown or other1015000
Vehicle speed control46000
Engine23010
Fuel/propulsion system23000
Electrical system12010
Hydraulic12000

An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number.

Latest reports

  • Power train

    “Clutch/brake assembly broke away from fire wall. Making car undrivable”

    Filed 04/02/2019 · ODI 11193418
  • Unknown or other

    “The driver looks high. Cutting people off and running through stop signs”

    Filed 02/20/2019 · ODI 11181448
  • Power train

    “The welds that attach the brake and clutch peddle to the vehicle brake and allow the whole peddle assembly to move. Because of this, braking efficiency and drive gear engagement become compromised.”

    Filed 01/21/2019 · ODI 11171257

Other Subaru WRX model years

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2008 Subaru WRX recall questions

How many recalls does the 2008 Subaru WRX have?

NHTSA lists 7 safety recall campaigns for the 2008 Subaru WRX. The most recent, 20V003000 (reported January 2, 2020), concerns air bags. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What are the 2008 Subaru WRX recalls for?

The largest group is air bags, with 3 campaigns. Others: service brakes, hydraulic (2), electrical system (1), exterior lighting (1). Each campaign below lists the defect, the risk and the free remedy.

What is the most common complaint about the 2008 Subaru WRX?

Power train is the most-reported component, named in 48 complaints out of 65 filed with NHTSA (74%). Across all complaints, owners reported 0 crashs and 1 fire. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2008 Subaru WRX?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Subaru recall lookup. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised Subaru dealer.

Check a specific Subaru by VIN

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