2003 Subaru Impreza
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Subaru › Impreza › 2003
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2003 Subaru Impreza. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
6 recalls name the 2003 Subaru Impreza. Newest first.
Subaru IS recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 forester, and model year 2005-2006 saab 9-2X vehicles manufactured from september 5, 2000 through november 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware…
A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Subaru will handle their vehicles and saab will handle theirs. dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them. this service will be performed free of charge. the safety recall IS expected to begin during december 2011. owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Owners may contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
Subaru IS recalling certain model year 2002 and 2003 impreza WRX vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of south dakota, nebraska, north dakota, minnesota, idaho, iowa, montana, colorado, wisconsin, new york, wyoming, michigan, alaska, new hampshire, vermont, and maine. during cold starts, typically under extremely cold…
Fuel leaks, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Dealers will replace the fuel line free of charge. the recall began on december 31, 2009. owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Subaru IS recalling 36,791 my 2002-2003 impreza wagons. the stud bolt(s) of rear gate stay may have been tightened with insufficient tightening torque and a gap may have resulted between the rear gate panel and stud bolt base. after repeated rear gate operations (opening and closing), the rear gate inner panel at the welding nut may break, which will lead…
In case someone IS underneath or near the rear gate, there IS a possibility that a dropping rear gate panel may hit them increasing the risk of injuries.
Dealers will inspect to see if there IS any gap at the stud bolt of the rear gate stay installation. if a gap IS found, the stud bolt will be removed to check for damage to the welding nut. if the weld nut IS cracked, the rear gate stay will be replaced free of charge. the recall began on june 2, 2008. owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
On certain sedan and wagon model vehicles, the left front bolt that retains the forward part of the driver's seat to the seat slide rail may loosen. if the seat slide rail bolt loosens, it will eventually fall out, and the seat may separate from the seat slide.
In the event of a crash, the driver may sustain more severe injuries due to the seat movement.
Dealers will install a new left hand driver's seat rail mounting bolt. the recall began on august 20, 2004. owners should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
On certain passenger sedans, wagons, and sport utility vehicles, the cruise control cable could come out of its track on the cruise control lever and lodge on the control lever tab when the accelerator pedal IS released. if this condition occurs, the throttle will not return to the idle position and will remain in an open position.
If this occurs during vehicle operation, the driver could lose control of the vehicle, which could result in a crash.
Dealers will install a cruise control cable retaining clip to the cruise control lever tab on the throttle shaft in order to prevent the cruise control cable from coming out of its track. owner notification began on april 12, 2004. owners should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Certain sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions were produced with an improperly manufactured transmission parking rod. when the transmission selector lever IS placed in the "p" (park) position, the transmission park mechanism, that IS intended to hold your vehicle, may not engage.
The vehicle could then move/roll without prior warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the automatic transmission parking rod assembly. owner notification january 8, 2003. an interim owner notification will be sent during november 2002. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
My 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX has a very strong fuel odor that is coming into the cabin when I start my car up on cold days. It's been unusually cold here in Washington state this winter with temperatures in Seattle dipping well below freezing. I see that there is a recall for this exact problem for my exact car (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2009/RCONL-09V468-4248.pdf). But when I called the dealer (Michael's Bellevue Subaru), and then subsequently called Subaru (1-800-SUBARU3), they told me that they will not fix this issue, since this recall does not apply to my state (Washington). I think that's not right. It is the exact same problem of cold weather causing this fuel line to leak, and they should honor this recall.
I noticed fresh smell of gasoline everytime I start the car. I look at the fuel line and its sipping fuel.
Subaru of america recall wvk-21 occured while driving at operating temperature, causing smoke to rise from engine bay. Subaru of america refused to fix the issue as my vin did not come up in their system with the recall.
On the night of 12/6/2020 I was backing out of a friends driveway to drive home, when I reached the street, I heard a loud clunk and a grinding noise. I got out of my car to investigate what had just happened and the front portion of my passenger side front lower control arm had completely lost all structural integrity. fortunately my car was at a low speed and I did not lose control (pictures attached). had this happened while driving down the highway, this would have been a catastrophic failure and I would have lost control of the vehicle the events on 12/6/2020 indicates the remediation steps proposed by subaru are not acceptable as this part failed catastrophically after these steps had been performed. the safety recall remediation steps in question are that of: "type: safety | safety recall: wvx34 | nhtsa campaign: 11v464000" according to subaru's website for this vehicle, the safety recall was completed: https://www.subaru.com/vehicle-recalls.html/vin=[xxx] according to the carfax report, the safety recall was performed on 2/7/2012 only 5 months after the recall was issued. (screenshot attached) the nature of the failure and the description of the original safety recall show that the testing steps and remediation steps are not suitable for a completed safety recall as the part did end up failing after the additional coating of anti-corrosive had been applied to the lower control arm of my vehicle. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
Head gasket issue. Weeping oil between the heads and the block. No longer own vehicle.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 subaru impreza. The contact smelled fuel inside and outside the engine bay. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 09v468000 (fuel system, gasoline). Kearny mesa subaru (4797 convoy st, san diego, ca 92111, (858) 278-7100) was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact to call nhtsa. The failure mileage was approximately 159,800.
Lower passenger control arm tore off. As a result, loss control of vehicle at high speed on the highway.
Fuel line leaking gas in cold weather. I really don't think it's safe to drive with quite a bit of gas leaking all over the right side of the engine that gets very hot and could cause a fire.
Takata air bag did not deploy. side impact sensor did not work. the car traveled sideways into a large oak tree in excess of 35 mph . the point of impact was where the side impact sensor was located . none of the airbags deployed . subaru has been very uncooperative with answers as to why the airbags did not deploy . this happened upon a rural road in the fog . no other vehicles were involved .
Https://services.neframework.com/imageretrieval.aspx?id=974f272d-0461-4ff2-97a8-b175c14ec539 that describes how the crash happened. Airbags did not deploy. I suffered broken left elbow, fracture in my skull,ribs and shoulder. Also severe brain trauma. I have a lot of pictures, but it will only let me attach one. There IS frontal damage from a smaller tree, but the majority IS on the drivers side(my side) from slamming into a large tree.
My car IS leaking fuel. I smell the poisonous fuel inside my vehicle every time I am inside it. I am losing 50 miles per full tank. can this leak cause my car to blow-up and kill me or others? I am scared. my name IS [xxx] from clifton new jersey. my extended warranty expired in november. isn't safety more important than a 3 month expired warranty? I work for nj transit, I know the dot would be concerned! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
Extremely strong smell of gasoline in cabin in cold weather (below 32 degrees f.). *tr
TL - the contact owns a 2003 subaru impreza. The contact stated that fuel fumes were emitted in and around the vehicle. The contact mentioned that after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that there was a fuel leak. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician confirmed the failure. As a result, some of the fuel lines needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 160,000. rk
It has recently been extremely cold in chicago and upon initial startup of the vehicle there IS a strong smell of gasoline inside the cabin. the smell does not go away until the car IS completely warmed up. I noticed that there has been a recall for this type of problem. it was subaru recall no. Wvk-21. I believe my car should fall under this recall. I called subaru customer service and they told me that my car did not fall under this recall campaign. but the problems I've been having fit the description of the recall campaign. *tr
Only on cold days I smell fuel while driving, upon investagation I found that the little rubber lines under the intake were leaking fuel on to the top of the engine. I called subaru and they said the they know about the problem but my car IS not in the recall becauase I don;t live in the affected states so if I move to newyork or michigan I would be covered well I like ohio so if this could get expanded that would be great. *tr
Following initial startup in cold weather, fuel leak occurs in engine compartment. leak causes gasoline odor in vehicle cabin and poses fire hazard. once engine IS warm, after a few minutes, leak and odor dissipate. initial occurrence was in 2008 at high altitude. problem did not resurface in southern california where night time temperatures are now low enough for issue to manifest. since relocating to san joaquin valley, where overnight temperatures are significantly lower, problem occurs on every morning start in cold weather. *tr
Outside air temperature was moderate(75f), but engine was cold. upon engine start strong smell of gasoline in cabin and in engine bay around the passenger side intake manifold. *tr
Car was involved in a head on crash at about 45 mph into a fire hydrant in the city of bell. None of the airbags expanded at the time of the crash. Safety issue. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2003 subaru impreza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 1 mph after accelerating from a complete stop, a strong odor of fuel was smelled inside the vehicle. There was no visible sign of a leak. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the fuel line and clamps were replaced. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign ID number 09v468000 (fuel system, gasoline). The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 subaru impreza. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle smelled of gasoline. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that there was a leak coming from the fuel delivery line. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign ID number: 09v468000 (fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump), but was told by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in the recall campaign. the vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 137,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 subaru impreza. The contact was driving 60 mph and noticed an abnormal vibration from the front end of the vehicle. The contact discovered the front driver side of the vehicle had collapsed. The front driver side wheel has also collapsed inward. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where the contact was advised that the lower control arm on the left had rotted away. The lower control arm on both sides was repaired. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was 75,000.
2003 subaru impreza, 56,000k with leaking head gasket (both sides) and rod knock. well maintained car with well-documented service history. Recommend replacement of short block/head gaskets. same issue and same engine as addressed in phase II EJ25 head gasket leak / wwp-99 service campaign - cooling system conditioner. extensive documentation of similar issues with 2003 2.5L engines (example: http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/). claim filed with subaru of america (file # [xxx]) which IS currently under investigation. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 subaru impreza. The vehicle was equipped with bridgestone potenza re 92 tires, tire size 205/55/16. The contact was driving approximately 60 mph on normal road conditions and heard a loud noise outside of the vehicle. The contact drove onto the emergency lane and observed that the rear passenger tire exhibited an excessive separation in the sidewall. The tire was replaced with a spare tire. The contact IS in the process of purchasing two new tires. The dot number was unavailable. The failure and current mileage were 70,000.
Fuel leaking from lines in engine compartment of 2003 (man. Date july 2002) subaru WRX sedan. leak appears to be triggered by cold temperatures. fuel pools in the engine compartment. very strong smell of fuel in the passenger compartment. contacted local dealer, who did not think it was a serious issue. *Tr
2003 subaru WRX. cold start raw fuel smell. fuel leak under intake on passenger side. *Tr
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with consistently high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly, ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016, four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016, four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The PE is now closed/upgraded to an Engineering Evaluation (EA15-001) to include all manufacturersand vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's EA investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The recalls related to this PE are: 14V343, 14V344, 14V348, 14V351, 14V353, 14V655, 14V700, 14V701, 14V752, 14V763, 14V770, 14V773, 14V787, 14V802 and 14V817.The number of vehicles affected are an estimate since some vehicles may have both the driver and passenger side inflators recalled. The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492
On September 6, 2011, Fuji Heavy Industries USA, Inc, on behalf of Subaru of America, Inc notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) it would be conducting a safety recall of certain model year (MY) 2002 through 2007 Subaru Impreza, MY 2003 through 2008 Subaru Forester, and MY 2005 through 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold or currently registered in one the salt belt states including the District of Columbia (DC). For the purpose of this investigation, salt belt states include 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 DC.ODI's analysis of consumer complaint data identified 11 reports alleging failure of either the right or left lower control arm due to excessive corrosion. All of these complaints were associated with vehicles currently registered or originally sold in a salt belt state. Through a similar analysis of complaint and warranty data submitted to ODI by Subaru, ODI identified 18 consumer complaints and 6 warranty claims associated with failure of the left or right front lower control arm due to excessive corrosion. All of these consumer complaints associated with vehicles either currently registered of originally sold in a salt belt state.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
The design of the fuel line (metal rail/rubber hose interface) IS susceptible to fuel odor and/or seepage in extreme cold temperature conditions.owners most often noticed fuel odor in the occupant compartment area during initial cold engine start-up.once the engine IS warmed, the odor/seepage issue dissipates.from subaru's data, odi notes that the incident rates are higher in states with colder temperatures.there was one allegation of a fire incident in which the owner had reported that he noticed fuel odor a few days earlier, but odi could not confirm the origin of the fire. To address this issue, subaru will replace the fuel line with a longer rubber hose segment version/design on 5,724 my 2002-2003 vehicles built through september 12, 2002 in 16 states (ak, co, ia, ID, me, mi, mn, mt, nd, ne, nh, ny, sd, vt, wi & wy).in addition, subaru will extend the warranty coverage to 12 years/unlimited mileage on vehicles in the remaining 34 states.this engineering analysis IS closed (see recall campaign 09v-468)
Complainants report fuel leakage most frequently in winter during initial cold engine startup.owners will either notice a fuel odor inside the occupant compartment or fuel odor/leakage at the fuel lines on the right side atop the engine. Once the engine has warmed, the odor/leakage may cease.subaru revised the fuel pipe/hose design for model year (my) 2003-04 WRX vehicles produced after august 2003.subaru also introduced a my 2004 impreza STI vehicle with a different engine and fuel pipe/hose layout.out of the total of 994 complaints, 944 concern my 2002-03 WRX vehicles built through august 2003.subaru also reports one fire on a my 2002 WRX vehicle that occurred in february 2006.in march 2009, odi inspected and video taped a my 2002 WRX vehicle with a fuel leak during cold engine start up.the video was provided to subaru and IS in the investigation file. This investigation IS being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-011) to further study this issue.
Subaru reports that the fuel odor IS caused by fuel seepage during cold start of the engine under extremely cold temperatures. The leak occurs in a fuel line in the engine compartment.it reports that the failure IS due to the misaligned angle between two fuel delivery lines which resulted in such fuel seepage during the first few seconds of cold engine start during these cold temperatures.subaru reports that the two fuel lines are connected with a hose that becomes too stiff in very cold temperatures to conform to the misalignment. Subaru has issued a technical service bulletin (subaru service bulletin number 09-36-03) to replace the fuel lines with new lines that are properly aligned and that have a longer connecting hose.odi phone calls to many of the complainants confirm that fuel odor IS noticable during very cold temperatures and cold start but goes away as the engine warms up, and the odor IS not present in warmer temperatures. A few owners report that attempts to eliminate the leakage by tightening the connecting hose clamps IS not effective in eliminating the fuel odor.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.