2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport 2009

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2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport repairs by problem area

Engine (30%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (16%)

Brakes and Traction Control (4%)

Suspension and Steering (20%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (18%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (9%)

Other (3%)

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Chart based on 116 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport.

2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport repair cost distribution

$2500+ (8%)

$1000 - $2499 (10%)

$500 - $999 (14%)

$100 - $499 (26%)

< $100 (41%)

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Chart based on 97 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2009 Subaru WRX STI 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 305hp 2.5L H4 6-speed manual AWD

Subaru WRX STI in Texas, United States
Jun 2009 - May 2014
Mar 2012

38000 mi
replaced power steering pump replaced right rear power window motor 
Feb 2013

50000 mi

US $5000
Engine failure 
Jan 2014

49200 mi
In for repair for over a year. Subaru warrantied 2 full engine replacements during the period. It was worked on by two different dealers during the period. The first dealer was horrible. 
Subaru WRX STI in California, United States
Sep 2010 - Nov 2015
Nov 2013

32100 mi
Power steering rack developed a serious leak, replaced by dealership under warranty. 
Nov 2015

45000 mi
Sporadic check engine light caused by a seizing valve in the emissions system. The repair would have been $1500 but it should have been covered by an extended warranty. 
Subaru WRX STI in Alberta, Canada
Mar 2009 - Dec 2011
Sep 2009

7440 mi
Fuel Door Release would not open occasionally. Dealer adjusted spring and lubricated release shaft. Now works fine. 

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2009 Subaru WRX 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 265hp 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

Subaru WRX in Ohio, United States
Dec 2009 - Jun 2022
Oct 2010

9200 mi
The driver side switch for my heated seats is working it just rolls instead of clicks. They said on because the switch still operates properly. Huh? certainly hope so. The driver side switch for my heated seats is working it just rolls instead of clicks. They said on because the switch still operates properly. Huh? certainly hope so.  
Subaru WRX in Michigan, United States
Dec 2012 - Jul 2022
Jan 2013

81000 mi

US $550
power steering rack leak 
Mar 2013

83000 mi

US $80
Drivers side sun visor 
Apr 2014

91300 mi

US $8000
Spun rod bearing, had to replace entire short block and do major service on the heads. New shortblock, machined & cleaned cylinder heads/cams/valves/etc, New variable valve timing controllers (AVCS or VVTI, whatever they're called), oil pan, pump, p 
Aug 2014

94700 mi

US $600
Bushings for shifter worn out so shifter would rattle. Replaced shifter. 
Nov 2014

98000 mi

US $1500
Clutch bracket welds separating from firewall, which would eventually result in inoperative clutch pedal. 
Feb 2015

99000 mi

US $450
Steering fluid bubbling and severe shaking steering wheel Power steering pump failed. First had dealer replace pump. But wrong one, so got correct one and replaced it myself. 
Jun 2015

103000 mi
Power steering pump replaced again after reman part failed 
Dec 2021

145000 mi

US $4500
Valve problems. Valve job and machinist work on cylinder heads 
Feb 2022

150000 mi

US $1100
Avcs camshaft actuators replaced 
Subaru WRX in Massachusetts, United States
Jun 2009 - Nov 2014
Oct 2009

4000 mi
Blown turn signal light bulb. 
Subaru WRX in Colorado, United States
Apr 2009 - Apr 2014
Aug 2009

5303 mi
Engine failure (at 5,300 miles!). Engine spun a bearing and threw a rod. Block replaced under warranty. 
Feb 2010

9700 mi
Rattles coming from A-pillars (driver and passenger side), as well as roof near sunroof. Dealer ordered new parts and will install when received. 
Aug 2012

37700 mi

US $400
Clutch was replaced. Subaru paid for part of the repair since it happened at such low miles. Still very frustrating. 
Sep 2012

38000 mi
Grinding when shifting into 3rd and 4th gears. Synchro's replaced under warranty. 
Dec 2013

50000 mi

US $90
Turbo air intake housing was loose and rattling; dealer re-insulated and re-tightened to resolve problem. 
Subaru WRX in Wisconsin, United States
Nov 2010 - Sep 2011
Aug 2011

31000 mi
Noticed AC was not as cold as it should be. Dealer noticed R134a was low. Added dye to the system and refilled. Was asked to bring car back when R134a was low. Traded in car (for a 2011 WRX), did not give dealer chance to resolve issue. 
Subaru WRX in Pennsylvania, United States
Mar 2012 - Apr 2013
Aug 2012

63800 mi
Took the car in for a squeaky clutch (possible broken spot welds). Subaru Dealership couldn't diagnose the problem. A Subaru rep is going to be contacted for guidance. 
Apr 2013

70000 mi
Clutch still squeaking. 
Subaru WRX in Pennsylvania, United States
Sep 2012 - Jan 2014
Jan 2013

46500 mi
Ipod connector stopped working 
Jan 2014

57000 mi

US $250
power steering pump making noise, mech said it was sludged, flushed the entire system and replaced power steering belt 

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2009 Subaru WRX 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 265hp 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

Subaru WRX in New Jersey, United States
Nov 2009 - Jun 2011
Jan 2010

4000 mi
Rear passenger window rolls up very slowly. Dealer oiled up the window and said it is a nonissue since they tested other WRXs and had the same slow window roll up 
Subaru WRX in Illinois, United States
Aug 2011 - Oct 2011
Jan 2011

16000 mi
Parking brake would not release. Determined a crack in the cable housing was allowing water in. At night with below 0 F temps the water froze. Diagnosing the problem was difficult because exhaust heat would thaw it after 2 miles. 
Subaru WRX in New Jersey, United States
Apr 2012 - Nov 2012
Nov 2012

54000 mi
Clutch lever connected by the pedal. Lever pushing against clutch pedal was bent and clutch was not engaging correctly. Had to press the clutch all the way to the floor for gear changes. 
Subaru WRX in Maryland, United States
Sep 2015 - Dec 2015
Dec 2015

160000 mi

US $2900
Secondary air pump failure Intake valve replacement 
Subaru WRX in Texas, United States
Aug 2009 - Sep 2011
Sep 2009

10000 mi
Clutch, flywheel and throw-out bearing required replacement after 7800 miles. We told the dealer there was something wrong with the clutch at 2,500 miles but they ignored it. 
Subaru WRX in California, United States
Dec 2008 - May 2012
Jan 2011

51000 mi

US $100
A/C Compressor failed. Quoted $560 for the part and $250 for 2.5 hours of labor. Paid $100 evaluation fee and declined repair. Living with issue for the time being. 
Apr 2011

57000 mi

US $150
Ordered AC compressor from dealerpartsdirect.com. Paid for 2.5 hours of labor.  
Feb 2012

78200 mi

US $1450
Clutch replacement 
Subaru WRX in Texas, United States
Jan 2010 - Oct 2010
Feb 2010

18000 mi
After a squeaking wheel bearing/hub assembly was replaced, there developed a squeak during braking which sped up and slowed down with the vehicle speed. They heard it and did not fix it, then wrote "could not duplicate problem reported"...going back 
Mar 2010

19000 mi
Gear assemblies for 1st and 2nd gear had locked up. The syncro's went out and the bushings inbetween the gears were jammed somehow. The clutch was also a little worn so that was replaced along with the gear assemblies, under warranty. 
Oct 2010

29000 mi
Throw out bearing was making a high pitched squeak while clutch was engaged. 
Subaru WRX in Florida, United States
Jan 2010 - Jun 2011
Feb 2010

10000 mi

US $8000
Crankshaft bearing went bad. Outcome was that the vehicle needed a new engine. 
Subaru WRX in Alberta, Canada
Apr 2009 - Sep 2012
Jun 2011

32240 mi
Sunroof wind noise. 
Subaru WRX in British Columbia, Canada
May 2009 - Oct 2014
Sep 2010

43400 mi

C $100
 
Jan 2011

48020 mi

C $100
Water leak in roof from bad door seal. 
Feb 2014

111600 mi

C $550
Leaking oil pump. Resulted in having to also having to replace timing belt as it was damaged from the oil. 
Oct 2014

130200 mi

C $2500
Needed a new clutch, mechanical failure. 
Subaru WRX in Washington, United States
Jul 2009 - Jul 2018
Aug 2012

26900 mi
Actuator on passenger door lock failed. Passenger door lock could be locked/unlocked from power locks, but manual switch would not unlock door. Dealer replaced actuator under warranty. Problem resolved on first attempt to fix. 
May 2014

40000 mi
Noticed grinding while shifting to 4th gear. Dealer diagnosed 3-4 synchronizer failure and replaced synchro, shift fork, and gear set under powertrain warranty. I elected to replace clutch and flywheel with new parts (not under warranty) 
Jul 2014

43000 mi

US $250
Faulty wiring in throttle position sensor put car into limp mode. Vehicle was towed to dealer, wiring was inspected, and faulty wire was repaired. 
Sep 2015

54000 mi
Clutch made noise while disengaging. Transmission removed to diagnose. Odd rust observed on clutch cover. Throwout bearing fork, clutch cover, pivot, and clutch replaced under warranty from previous repair. 
Nov 2016

66900 mi

US $221
Power locks on both driver side doors were not working. Replaced both driver-side door lock actuators. 
Subaru WRX in Pennsylvania, United States
May 2009 - Mar 2014
Jan 2010

35900 mi

US $190
 
Subaru WRX in New York, United States
Mar 2009 - Mar 2019
Mar 2014

38000 mi

US $100
replaced front calipers 
May 2014

39000 mi

US $200
Replace high mounted (3rd) brake light LED strip. I did it myself as the dealer wanted $280 plus labor & tax 
May 2015

46000 mi

US $75
Replaced both sway bar stabilizer links on the front suspension 
Sep 2015

47000 mi
Left front wheel bearing replaced 
Feb 2018

58000 mi
Passenger side airbag replaced under warranty, Takata recall. 
Subaru WRX in Michigan, United States
Jun 2009 - Jul 2010
Feb 2010

9300 mi
reving to 2500 rpm when pulling into driveway, with clutch engaged. Flashed memory. Problem went away, but now it is back.  
Subaru WRX in California, United States
May 2009 - Jan 2012
Sep 2010

13000 mi

US $2400
Spun bearing. New short block. 

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2009 Subaru Impreza 4dr Sedan

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

Subaru Impreza in Colorado, United States
Apr 2015 - Jun 2018
Jan 2016

US $17
Aux belt squeal+ lumpy steering, replaced belt and re-tightened. Problem resolved. 
Dec 2016

105000 mi
Wiper motor burned out. Replaced under "goodwill". 
Jun 2017

106000 mi

US $3200
Center differential wore out due to mismatched rim. Also preformed timing belt/ various other scheduled maintenance. 
May 2018

114000 mi

US $2000
Misc. Bearing failure within transmission. Dealer replaced with used unit 
Jun 2018

114000 mi

US $180
MAF is faulty and will require replacement. For reference the car stutters and bucks from 1k to ~3k rpm. Smooth idle and smooth breifly after disconnecting and reconnecting MAF. 

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2009 Subaru Impreza 4dr Sedan

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Subaru Impreza in Ontario, Canada
Oct 2011 - Aug 2015
Dec 2011

29760 mi
Replaced a blown front left strut under warranty. 
Apr 2014

53400 mi

C $700
Radiator leak. Replaced radiator. Rear driver wheel leaking air. Replace tire. Check engine light p2096. Bad rear o2 sensor 
Apr 2015

69720 mi

C $180
Leaking transmission cooler lines replaced. 
Aug 2015

74400 mi

C $1800
head gasket blown and leaking on driver side 
Subaru Impreza in Wisconsin, United States
Jul 2010 - Sep 2011
Sep 2011

42000 mi

US $27
exhaust system rattle, dealer adjusted mounts and clamps 

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2009 Subaru Impreza 4dr Sedan

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed automatic AWD

Subaru Impreza in Indiana, United States
Nov 2012 - Apr 2013
Apr 2013

64000 mi

US $630
Alarm goes off periodically. Does not appear there is any external reason, i.e. attempted entry, for the alarm. 
Subaru Impreza in Pennsylvania, United States
Jun 2009 - Jan 2012
Jan 2012

28000 mi
The rear brake light (driver's side) stopped working. It was covered under warranty. 
Subaru Impreza in Maryland, United States
Dec 2016 - Jul 2019
Jun 2017

118000 mi

US $100
Replaced brakes, pads, rotors. Check engine light came on due to catalytic converter running inefficiently. Car just passed emissions test. Catalytic converter still runs fine and so does the car, but it would need to be replaced to completely fix the problem. Check engine light was reset, but it came back on within a week due to the same problem. Subaru code is P0420. Driver decided to drive the car as is for now. Impreza model has 3 catalytic converters, all of which would need to be replaced to completely solve the issue. Repair would cost several thousand dollars. 
Jul 2018

130000 mi

US $1102
Code P0420, catalytic converter was replaced with after market part. Plugs and battery ok for now. Sun visor replaced.  
Subaru Impreza in Illinois, United States
Mar 2015 - Jul 2017
Jul 2017

53000 mi

US $660
Radiator and hoses replaced 
Subaru Impreza in Massachusetts, United States
Apr 2014 - Mar 2020
Sep 2015

70000 mi

US $225
AC refrigerant level very low, no issues found, recharged system and added leak detector 
May 2016

75700 mi

US $55
Repaired loose heat shield 

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2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport 4dr Hatch

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Alberta, Canada
Jun 2010 - Sep 2020
Nov 2017

109120 mi

C $500
Had the driver side rear wheel bearing replaced. Item cost 302(cdn $) plus labour about 500$. Car was handling poorly, pulling at times. Assembly was quite loose I was told. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Washington, United States
Mar 2011 - Jan 2022
Nov 2015

68000 mi

US $450
Replaced plug wires 
Jan 2016

69000 mi

US $150
CEL came on. Cyl 2 misfire. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in New York, United States
Jun 2011 - Mar 2016
Oct 2011

33300 mi
Rattle or vibration from shifter (5spd) at 4k rpm while in gear. Very noticeable, 100% repeatable.  
Jan 2012

35200 mi
Front pillar rattles 
Dec 2013

48000 mi

US $150
Front passenger side stabilizer bar end link broke. Replaced with new one. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Pennsylvania, United States
May 2011 - Jan 2013
Aug 2011

28000 mi
Power Steering pump was replaced rear washer fluid nozzle was nonfunctional and replaced Power Steering pump was replaced rear washer fluid nozzle was nonfunctional and replaced 
Jan 2012

36500 mi
i keep having problems with the power steering pump, steering was again stiff and noisy, replaced again 
Jul 2012

44000 mi
replaced window regulator in passenger front window A/C compressor faulty, replaced 
Jan 2013

36000 mi

US $100
early replacement of the battety 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Massachusetts, United States
Feb 2009 - May 2016
Jun 2012

75000 mi

US $100
Got a CEL, pulled a P1443 code. Usually the result of a loose gas cap or a leak in the evaporative system. After much trial and error, the gas cap was replaced. 
May 2016

145000 mi

US $2000
Cam seal failed, sprayed oil on the timing belt causing the belt to slip. The engine lost timing and the valves on cylinder 2 were damaged as a result. 

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2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport 4dr Hatch

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Quebec, Canada
Apr 2011 - Jul 2016
Nov 2012

25100 mi

C $1100
Had to flush transmission oil after 40 000 km. Had to flush power steering oil too. Both oils had metal particles in and were gray-black. Shop suggested to change oil. 
May 2013

27280 mi

C $850
Rear right caliper was stuck (piston stuck). Disc was worn out because of brake overheating on highway. Shop suggested to replace the whole rear braking system which was done. 
Jun 2013

27900 mi

C $230
Cylinder missfire due to short in spark plug cable. Cable was replaced and the car now has its lowest ever recorded MPG. 
Nov 2013

29220 mi

C $100
Heat shield was loose under the car. 
May 2015

36780 mi

C $300
3 rust spots repaired. 
Jun 2016

41540 mi

C $200
Oil valve near engine was rusted and leaked. Was replaced. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Quebec, Canada
Jun 2010 - Jul 2015
Jun 2010

10540 mi
Heat shield defective (rattling). Heat shield replace under warranty. 
Sep 2011

24180 mi
Whining noise from front differential (above 50km/h). Teardown revealed overtightened pinion & gear, and darkened bearings. All replaced under warranty. 
Aug 2013

45260 mi
Front bearing noise evident. Diagnosed as front right wheel bearing, replaced under warranty. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Massachusetts, United States
Nov 2009 - Jan 2017
Sep 2013

67000 mi

US $1500
Front suspension needed replacing 
Jun 2015

89000 mi

US $600
Worn out front brakes. Frozen calipers. 
Oct 2015

93500 mi

US $300
Repair to heat shield, rear view mirror. 
Jan 2017

96000 mi

US $3000
Head gasket coolant leak 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Washington, United States
Jan 2009 - Mar 2010
Feb 2009

1000 mi
Steering wheel is off slightly to the right, shop said they adjusted it but it feels like nothing has been done. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in New York, United States
Dec 2010 - Mar 2011
Jan 2011

16000 mi
some sensor was not operating after leaving the car in the snow/ice for a month without running. Could have broken something myself while driving off too. Brought to the dealer and they replaced it all under warranty in an hour+. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Minnesota, United States
Jul 2011 - Sep 2011
Aug 2011

31800 mi
Steering rack replacement. Steering rack replacement. 

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2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport 4dr Hatch

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed automatic AWD

Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Pennsylvania, United States
Feb 2009 - Jun 2015
Jun 2015

104000 mi

US $956
Entire exhaust including manifold was replaced. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Virginia, United States
Aug 2016 - Aug 2016
Aug 2016

US $530
It died. Needed to be replaced. I'm selling it. 
Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport in Washington, United States
Mar 2013 - Sep 2014
Jul 2014

93200 mi

US $675
Engine light was on, was o2 sensors plus oil change, tires rotation and rear brakes worked on 

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2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2009 Subaru Impreza / WRX / Outback Sport problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.