There are 2 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 2005 Subaru WRX in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories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
UNDER NORMAL CITY DRIVING AND HIGHWAY COMMUTING THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH PEDAL STOPPED DELIVERING POWER ON THE HIGHWAY. I MANAGED TO SAFELY GET OFF THE HIGHWAY AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. DEALER REFUSED TO COVER WORN CLUTCH UNDER WARRANTY DESPITE WEAR ITEMS COVERED UNDER THE 3 YEAR//36000 MILE COVERAGE. CAR WAS AROUND 20000 MILES. DEALER GAVE ME A FEELING THAT I WAS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE I WAS A YOUNG MAN WITH A SPORTY CAR, THEREFORE, I MUST RACE IT AND ABUSE IT. I HAVE OLD PARTS IN MY GARAGE. THEY DID, HOWEVER, COVER BRAKE PADS AT ANOTHER TIME.*AK
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.