2003 Subaru Impreza: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2003 Subaru Impreza
On the 2003 Subaru Impreza, the failure owners report most often is fuel leak or fuel odor, and the reports cluster around 105,000 miles. The earliest to appear is ABS module or sensor failure, reported by a median of 10,000 miles. Overall it scores 66 out of 100, high risk for a 2003.
High risk for a 2003 — 224th riskiest of the 330 2003 vehicles we can rate. 64 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2003 Subaru Impreza
Owners have reported 21 named failure modes on the 2003 Subaru Impreza, and the three most-reported carry 58% of everything filed.
Fuel leak or fuel odor leads with 14 reports, about 0.3 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 86k to 140,000 miles.
ABS module or sensor failure follows with 12 reports, usually reported between 6k to 20,000 miles.
Other fuel system problem follows with 11 reports, usually reported between 61k to 150,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into fuel (26), brakes (14) and engine (4).
The mileage the reports cluster at
54 of the reports on the 2003 Subaru Impreza came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 70,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 41% by 50,000 miles, 59% by 100,000 miles and 87% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 1 filed above the top of the chart.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 17% of the dated reports.
33% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
In the order they tend to show up: ABS module or sensor failure around 12k, other fuel system problem around 100k and fuel leak or fuel odor around 104k.
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 21. 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 further 1 report came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 7 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 8 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 6.77, 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: fuel leak or fuel odor at $300–$2,500, ABS module or sensor failure at $500–$2,400, other fuel system problem at $300–$2,200 and control arm, ball joint or bushing failure at $400–$2,200. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel leak or fuel odor | fuel | 14 | 12 | 86k | 104k | 141k | 0.3 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 12 | 9 | 6k | 12k | 19k | 0.3 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 11 | 9 | 61k | 100k | 148k | 0.3 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | suspension | 3 | 3 | — | 115k | — | 0.1 | $400–$2,200 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 3 | 3 | — | 38k | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Head gasket failure | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 113k | — | 0.0 | $1,400–$4,000 | Critical |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 2 | 2 | — | 115k | — | 0.0 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 2 | 2 | — | 140k | — | 0.0 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Engine bay fire | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 25k | — | 0.0 | $4,000–$20,000 | Critical |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 137k | — | 0.0 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 2k | — | 0.0 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 8k | — | 0.0 | $200–$900 | High |
| Air conditioning failure | hvac | 1 | 1 | — | 29k | — | 0.0 | $400–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Windshield cracking | glass | 1 | 1 | — | 25k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 17k | — | 0.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 11k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 70k | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 7k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 2 | 2 | — | 88k | — | 0.0 | — | 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 2003 Subaru Impreza draws about 1.5 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 72nd percentile of complaint rates among 2003 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 42,287 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2003 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Fuel leak or fuel odor
This is regarding a 2003 subaru impreza wrx. I am experiencing the fuel leak addressed in NHTSA action number : pe04002. I am located in albuquerque, new mexico. Recently I have had the car outside in temperatures as low as 30 f (nights are spent in a garage next to a furnace--probably 40 f). I am having the fuel leak that you and subaru of america claim occurs at only "extremely low temperatures." I have had it occur three times, and both times the fuel smell persisted after 15 minutes of driving, even with windows open. The fuel smell was bad enough that it gave me a headache and was detectable in my garage the next day by both my wife and I (and my wife did not know about the smell, I asked her to check the next morning if she smelled anything to confirm my nose). I brought it to the dealer to fix. They never mentioned the tsb, the NHTSA investigation, or how common the problem is. They did diagnose exactly the problem noted in the tsb. After being quoted north of $600 to fix the problem, I brought the car home because parts needed to be ordered. Researching on the internet I found multiple complaints on the web, including…
I have a cold weather fuel leak underneath the intake manifold. This fuel leak causes the cabin of the car to fill up with volatile fumes. It is a visible leak and drips on top of the engine near sources of ignition. I contacted subaru of america and 3 of my local dealerships and they have acknowledged the problem but only rank it as a service bulletin not a recall. This problem exists with all subaru wrx owners in a cold climate. Use a search engine on the internet for (cold weather fuel leak wrx ect..) and you will find thousands of affected owners. Subaru wants $500-$900 for the repair. I believe that this is a serious hazard for explosion, health, and the environment. Please help. *tr
ABS module or sensor failure
When traveling over rough or wet roadway and brakes are applied ABS kicks in and vehicle will not stop, or slow down at all. You then have to release the brakes and then press the pedal again to get any braking action. This problem has happened numerous (aprox 10 or so) times since I have purchased the vehicle in feb 2003. I have driven numerous other vehicles with ABS and none of them have responded in the same manner.*ak
The anti-lock brakes on my 2003 subaru wrx sedan, seem to be malfunctioning. While braking over bumps / broken pavement the antilock brake system activates and seems to malfunction as there is a very acute loss of pedal pressure and a severe loss in backing power. This is not an isolated incident and happens on a semi regular basis whenever braking over a surface that has irregularities. *la
Other fuel system problem
See odi number 10179098 (cont). I do not know if subaru will assuage my concerns, but I cannot in good conscience not report this issue. First I think you have underestimated the fire danger. True there have been no fires caused directly by this problem (I think), but the problem only occurs in the cold, there are relatively few wrxs (when compared to ford explorers), and people who drive them normally are gearheads and take pretty good care of their cars--I.e. When they smell fuel they fix their car rapidly, or they have already modified their car with different fuel lines and no longer have the problem. I have to question how thoroughly you investigated this issue since your investigation only lasted 5 months. Were independent tests performed? From your statement you seem to be taking subaru's word. The smell continues after the car is running, significant amounts of fuel are involved, and the fuel drips onto the engine block or turbo-very hot components. I don't know how this isn't a fire hazard. Secondly, the fumes are noxious. The first time this problem occurred I was transporting my newborn baby daughter home from the…
Tl* - the contact owns a 2003 subaru impreza. While attempting to warm the vehicle, the contact smelled fuel in the passenger compartment. He immediately looked under the hood and saw a constant dripping of fuel onto the engine. He turned the vehicle off. The vehicle has not been driven since the failure on january 20, 2007. The vehicle was purchased in may 2006. However, the problem only occurred in the winter months. The vehicle hasd the same problem as stated NHTSA action number pe04002 which has been closed, and did not result in a recall. *ak
Recalls on the 2003 model year
NHTSA has issued 6 recall campaigns covering the 2003 Subaru Impreza, affecting an estimated 112,127 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 suspension:front:control arm:lower arm, fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump, latches/locks/linkages:tailgate:latch and seats. 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.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
318,215 vehicles 2011-09-06- Defect
- 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, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger…
- Consequence
- A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- 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.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
5,724 vehicles 2009-12-04- Defect
- 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 temperatures, fuel leaks in the fuel delivery line could occur where the line connects with a rubber hose.
- Consequence
- Fuel leaks, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- 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.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH
36,791 vehicles 2008-03-24- Defect
- 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 to detachment of the rear gate stay, and the rear gate dropping down.
- Consequence
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
SEATS
84,574 vehicles 2004-07-14- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- In the event of a crash, the driver may sustain more severe injuries due to the seat movement.
- Remedy
- 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.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES
127,580 vehicles 2004-03-16- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- If this occurs during vehicle operation, the driver could lose control of the vehicle, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- 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.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
172,564 vehicles 2002-10-30- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- The vehicle could then move/roll without prior warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- 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.
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 2003 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 2003 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2003 — 224th riskiest of the 330 2003 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 2003 itself at 66.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2003, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2002–2007 generation specifically, 2003 is the strongest year at 66 and 2007 the weakest at 72.
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 2002-2007 generation, 2003 Subaru Impreza scores best at 66 and 2007 Subaru Impreza worst at 72.
What to look at before buying one
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: ABS module or sensor failure from about 6k, other fuel system problem from about 61k and fuel leak or fuel odor from about 86k.
On a 2003 Subaru Impreza with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether ABS module or sensor failure has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
Where these figures stop being useful
64 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 64 reports, 54 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 84% 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".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
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 2003 Subaru Impreza?
The most-reported failures are fuel leak or fuel odor (14 reports, median 105,000 miles), abs module or sensor failure (12 reports, median 10,000 miles) and other fuel system problem (11 reports, median 100,000 miles). 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.
At what mileage do 2003 Subaru Impreza problems start?
Abs module or sensor failure is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 10,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 5,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 70,000 miles.
Is the 2003 Subaru Impreza reliable?
It scores 66 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 224th riskiest of the 330 2003 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2003 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 2002–2007 generation, 2003 scores best at 66 out of 100 and 2007 worst at 72. 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