Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
7
Latest Dec 15, 2024
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview
Our database contains 7 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2017 Subaru BRZ, most frequently naming the airbags, driver assistance and electrical categories. 190 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
Monthly complaints peaked at 1 in Oct 2018. Most recent month: 1.View as table
Monthly owner complaints for the 2017 Subaru BRZ
Month
Complaints filed
Cumulative
Oct 2018
1
1
Jun 2020
1
2
Oct 2020
1
3
Apr 2021
1
4
Mar 2023
1
5
Jun 2024
1
6
Dec 2024
1
7
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Airbags228.6%
Driver assistance114.3%
Electrical114.3%
Fuel system114.3%
Interior & seats114.3%
Powertrain (other)114.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
Electrical
Filed Dec 15, 2024
The stock head unit (Model #: CA645UL) in my vehicle has been having Bluetooth issues. Every since I purchased the vehicle in 2016, from time to time, the audio from my Bluetooth would cut out and then come back on. It was only once in a blue moon ever since I bought the car, so I never paid much attention to it. However, recently it's been cutting out more frequently than usual. When I took my vehicle in for the 60,000 mile service on 12/12/24, I decided to mention this audio problem to see if the service center could address it while they are working on it. The technician attempted to update the software for the audio unit. After attempting the software update a few times, the technician found the old software was corrupted, causing the system to completely fail. This points to an internal fault in the audio unit. This issue affects my safety in two ways: 1) I can no longer make phone calls via Bluetooth. This poses a safety concern as I would need to take my eyes off the road to make or answer a phone call, which may result in a crash. 2) My backup camera is no longer functional due to the head unit because compromised. This poses a safety concern as I can no longer see as well when backing up or parallel parking. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. I have attached a photo of the invoice from the dealership.
NHTSA ID
11630784
Incident
Dec 12, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jun 12, 2024
-Manual Transmission issues with grinding or failure to go into gear. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. -Merging into highway traffic can be dangerous when I'm more focused on my transmission grinding loudly and having difficulty shifting gears to get up to speed. -Unknown -Unknown -No warning lights of any kind
NHTSA ID
11593919
Incident
Jun 1, 2024
AirbagsInterior & seats
Filed Mar 8, 2023
This week when I started my car, a yellow caution light appeared on my dash and a “check SRS warning light” appeared next to it. It would turn on and off, so i am unsure of what the problem is. I brought my car in for an inspection on January 28th, and they didn’t detect any issue regarding airbags or anything related to it. One thing i noticed is whenever the passenger seat is pulled forward or backward, it then turns on.
NHTSA ID
11510764
Incident
Feb 19, 2023
Filed Apr 20, 2021
Crash reportedFire reported
2017 SUBARU BRZ LIMITED WITH PERFORMANCE PACKAGE WAS INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT ON 4-5-21. SUBJECT VEHICLE HAD STOPPED AND WAS SLOWLY ENTERING TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION OF A DIVIDED HIGHWAY WITH A 50 MPH SPEED LIMIT WHILE BEING STRUCK BY AN ONCOMING CAR AT AN APPROXIMATE 90 DEGREE ANGLE WHICH IMPACTED THE LEFT FRONT FENDER NEAR THE HEADLIGHT AND BUMPER AREA.. UPON IMPACT, THE FRONT ENGINE PORTION BURST INTO FLAMES. THE LEFT FRONT DOOR WAS NOT IMPACTED AND DRIVER WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE AS FLAMES IMMEDIATELY ENGULFED THE PASSENGER SECTION. WHAT WOULD LIKELY HAVE RESULTED IN A REPAIRABLE LEFT FRONTAL DAMAGE CLAIM ACTUALLY BECAME A TOTAL LOSS DUE TO THE FIRE DESTRUCTION. THIS AUTOMOBILE WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM A SUBARU DEALERSHIP ON 10-9-17 AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT APPROXIMATELY 3,300 MILES. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO JIM KARAS SUBARU IN MEMPHIS, TN FOR REPAIRS. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FOR REPAIRS. ACCORDING TO MECHANIC'S INSPECTION AND REPAIR REPORT 521894S DATED 4-20-18, 'FOR P219A AND P119F PULLED VALVE COVERS AND INSPECTION VALVE CLEARANCE AND FOUND THAT ALL INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE ARE OUT OF SPEC AND TO TIGHT. REPLACED VALVES, ALL VALVE SHIMS TO BRING ALL INTAKE AND EXHAUST CLEARANCES INTO DESIGN SPEC. REPLACED ALL GASKETS AND ORINGS AS WELL AS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL LINE'. IT IS NOTED THAT SUBARU MAY HAVE HAD FIRE HAZARD ISSUES WITH OTHER REPAIRED SUBARU BRZ MODEL YEARS WITH THE FA 20 D BOXER ENGINE MANUFACTURED FOR YEARS BEGINNING IN 2013. MANUFACTURER MADE NO ADAS AVAILABLE ON THIS CAR.
NHTSA ID
11413039
Incident
Apr 5, 2021
Mileage
15,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Oct 17, 2020
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THE CAR STALLED THREE TIMES; THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THEN TURNED OFF. WHITE, SWEET SMELLING SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE. I PULLED OVER SAFELY. UPON INSPECTION OF THE CAR, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE VALVE SPRING COVER CAME OUT OF THE RIGHT SIDE (PASSENGER) ENGINE HEAD. SEE ATTACHMENT FOR A LIST OF ALL PARTS AFFECTED.
NHTSA ID
11364811
Incident
Jun 14, 2020
Mileage
39,867 mi
Airbags
Filed Jun 6, 2020
THE PASSAGER AIR BAG TURNED OFF WITH ME IN THE SEAT
NHTSA ID
11327564
Incident
Jun 6, 2020
Mileage
46,785 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Oct 10, 2018
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON ,TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON, LIGHT PLATES OFF. ACCELERATOR STUCK WHILE DRIVING NOISE WHILE DRIVING. CAR HAD WATER DAMAGE FEW DAYS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA. INSURANCE COMPANY (GEICO) IN THE REPAIR PROCESS DECLARED ONCE TOTAL LOST THEN CHANGE ITS MIND. I HAD BEEN OFF AND ON THE SHOP SINCE THAT DATE. STUCK WITH THIS LEASED CAR
NHTSA ID
11139536
Incident
Oct 10, 2018
Mileage
1,000 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
SubaruNet Annoucement (E
This announcement is requesting retailer staff to retain the EyeSight protective hood covers from Generation 4 EyeSight cameras.
01-167-08R
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
SubaruNet Announcement (R
POWER TRAIN
This announcement provides information on the remanufactured CVT transmission program.
15-337-26
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This bulletin announces the design change made to the front speaker assembly which have been redesigned with higher durability damper. This change was introduced to prevent internal interference of the front speaker.
07-240-26R
This Service Information Bulletin was developed to provide interim guidance for vehicles exhibiting DTC B2A20.
03-97-26
POWER TRAIN
This bulletin announces the service manual correction regarding clutch master cylinder reservoir service procedures.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.