AutoUtility currently tracks 55 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 Subaru WRX. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 18 complaints (32.7% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 1 reports one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 55 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Powertrain & Transmission (18 reports • 32.7% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Engine & Cooling (17), Electrical System (6)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 1 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2015 Subaru WRX
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Powertrain & Transmission
Engine & Cooling
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #16V162000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #17V625000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #16V162000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
Body & Structure
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Subaru WRX
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"My engine starting making like a clunking sound I always have took my car for service at the dealership i own the 2015 subaru wrx premium i haven’t move the car after the noise due to scare I might mess something with the engine"
"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, front drive axles,..."
"Engine has rod knock present common amongst owners. Short block replaced under warranty at 55k miles. How can a stock engine with synthetic oil changes commonly fail? Flaws."
"The secondary o2 pump will burn out or continue running causing unsafe risk to short circuit a fire. Recall has already been previously documented in the -2014 models however Subaru uses the same design and part number. My car Secondary o2 Pump was replaced under warrenty at 55k miles now at..."
"I first noticed the car engine began making a loud ticking sound and significantly lost power as I exited the freeway heading toward my home after work. After towing the vehicle to the Subaru dealership, they tore apart the engine and found a connecting rod bearing had failed. It had slid out..."
Complaint History for Subaru WRX
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Subaru WRX Current Page | 55 | 2 | 3 | Current |
| 2016 Subaru WRX | 34 | 1 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Subaru WRX | 53 | 8 | 1 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Subaru WRX | 44 | 6 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Subaru WRX | 30 | 0 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Subaru WRX | 17 | 1 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Subaru WRX | 13 | 0 | 1 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Subaru WRX | 25 | 3 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Subaru WRX | 7 | 2 | 1 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Subaru WRX | 13 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Subaru WRX | 2 | 0 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Subaru WRX | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 Subaru WRX
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 22 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.