There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2019 Subaru Imprezain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Subaru is aware of a specific set of year/model/makes that start to make a sound coming from the drive shaft center bearing in cold weather. Unnatural wear occurs on the bearing but the only remedy is to replace the entire drive shaft which is a really costly repair for something that is a structural design issue. There is a service bulletin for it: [XXX] It seems unfair that this is a repair the customer should take on when a drive shaft should likely survive the lifetime of a vehicle. This should be a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Rear wheel bearing premature wear. Originally installed wheel bearings were replaced, under warranty, at 44,137 miles. Same bearings then had to be replaced again at 62,486 miles. Both replacements were done by Beardmore Subaru in Nebraska. A failed wheel bearing at high speed could result in a catastrophic accident, and requiring replacement at these low mileage levels is indicative of poor design or substandard parts.
2019 SUBARU IMPREZA. CRACKED WINDSHIELD & DRIVE TRAIN HAD TO BE REPLACE BEFORE 30K MILES
WHEN SHIFTING QUICKLY INTO 4TH GEAR ON THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION AT HIGHER RPM'S (ABOVE 3000), THE GEAR GRINDS. IF YOU SHIFT SLOWLY, IT DOESN'T. IT SEEMS TO BE ONLY THE 4TH GEAR DOING THIS. MY CAR HAS 1300 MILES ON IT. I AM WONDERING IF IT BECAUSE THE RPM'S HANG WAY TOO LONG. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING A MANUAL DAILY FOR 28 YEARS. I AM ALSO A PROFESSIONAL TRUCK DRIVER, SO I KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY DRIVE A STICK SHIFT. THE RPM HANG IS VERY ANNOYING AND COULD POTENTIALLY BE THE PROBLEM OF THE 5SPEED TRANSMISSION.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026