2018 Subaru WRX engine problems

11 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine on the 2018 Subaru WRX — 26% of all complaints for this model year.

Engine complaints

26%

share of all complaints

—

median reported incident mileage

0 / 0

crash / fire reports

What owners report

“Oil changes always done, no modifications to vehicle. Driving down road lights all come one and car starts smoking. Rod broke and put hole in engine.”
filed Aug 26, 2025
“I have been experiencing a strong fuel odor both inside and outside the cabin when starting the engine. After several months of experiencing this issue, I recently had my vehicle fully inspected by an authorized Subaru dealership, and they confirmed a critical fuel leak issue. The dealership…”
filed Mar 13, 2025

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components (e.g. intake valves and / or manifold, and…
02-193-24R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 30, 2026
This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components (e.g. intake valves and / or manifold, and…
02-193-24R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 13, 2026
This bulletin announces the diagnostic procedures to be used when DTCs B1571(REFERENCE CODE INCOMPATIBILITY IMMOBILIZER CM TO ECM) and B1572(IMM CIRCUIT EXCEPT ANTENNA CIRCUIT) are detected by Keyless Access with Push…
18-230-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2026