1998 Subaru Impreza: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 1998 Subaru Impreza
On the 1998 Subaru Impreza, the failure owners report most often is wheel bearing or hub failure, with 9 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 65,000 miles. Overall it scores 71 out of 100, high risk for a 1998.
High risk for a 1998 — 29th riskiest of the 271 1998 vehicles we can rate. 55 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 23 named failure modes on the 1998 Subaru Impreza, and the three most-reported carry 35% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Wheel bearing or hub failure leads with 9 reports and about 93 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other suspension problem follows with 6 reports.
Other powertrain problem follows with 4 reports.
By system, the reports fall mostly into drivetrain (12), engine (9) and suspension (8).
The mileage the reports cluster at
Too few of the reports on this year carry an odometer reading to describe the timing: 7 of them do. The mileages quoted elsewhere on this page come from the modes that have enough of them.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 23. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 1 mentions a crash and 1 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.40, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: wheel bearing or hub failure at $350–$1,200, other suspension problem at $350–$2,000, other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500 and excessive oil consumption at $900–$6,500. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
49% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel bearing or hub failure | drivetrain | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 92.8 | $350–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 61.9 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 41.2 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Excessive oil consumption | engine | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 30.9 | $900–$6,500 | High |
| Differential or transfer case failure | drivetrain | 3 | 1 | — | 51k | — | 30.9 | $900–$4,200 | High |
| Head gasket failure | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 51k | — | 20.6 | $1,400–$4,000 | Critical |
| Strut, shock or spring failure | suspension | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 20.6 | $500–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 20.6 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 2 | 1 | — | 67k | — | 20.6 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 20.6 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 20.6 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 120k | — | 10.3 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Piston, ring or cylinder wall damage | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $3,000–$9,500 | Critical |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 98k | — | 10.3 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Manual clutch or hydraulics failure | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $900–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Starter failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $350–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Wiring harness or short circuit | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Premature brake pad or rotor wear | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $300–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $200–$900 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10.3 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 6 | 1 | — | 67k | — | 61.9 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 1998 Subaru Impreza draws about 567 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 99th percentile of complaint rates among 1998 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 97 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 1998 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 1998 model year
NHTSA has issued 3 recall campaigns covering the 1998 Subaru Impreza, affecting an estimated 139 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover exterior lighting:headlights and exterior lighting. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
42,540 vehicles 2009-05-11- Defect
- Dope, inc. Is recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors.
- Consequence
- Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on july 28, 2009. Owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
16,270 vehicles 2009-04-07- Defect
- Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors.
- Consequence
- Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on may 11, 2009. Owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
1,921 vehicles 2008-08-11- Defect
- K2 motor is recalling 1,921 aftermarket headlamps of various models sold for use on the above listed vehicles. These headlamps are missing the amber side reflex reflector which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
- Consequence
- Without the amber side reflex reflectors, the lighting visibility may be affected, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- K2 motor will notify owners and offer a full refund. The recall began on decemeber 17, 2008. Owners may contact k2 motor at 1-909-839-2992.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 1998 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 1998 sits in the model line
High risk for a 1998 — 29th riskiest of the 271 1998 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Across the 27 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2015 comes out best at 65 and 2021 worst at 84, with 1998 itself at 71.
If the model year is negotiable, 2015 and 2003 score lower than 1998 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 1996–2001 generation specifically, 1996 is the strongest year at 70 and 2000 the weakest at 75.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 1996-2001 generation, 1996 Subaru Impreza scores best at 70 and 2000 Subaru Impreza worst at 75.
What this page cannot tell you
55 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 55 reports, 7 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 13% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Subaru Impreza?
The most-reported failures are wheel bearing or hub failure (9 reports), other suspension problem (6 reports) and other powertrain problem (4 reports). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 1998 Subaru Impreza reliable?
It scores 71 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 29th riskiest of the 271 1998 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 1998 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Subaru Impreza is best?
Within the 1996–2001 generation, 1996 scores best at 70 out of 100 and 2000 worst at 75. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed