Avoid: 2022, 2017, 2014, 2013 (lowest Year Scores on complaints per year on the road, crash reports and recalls)
Best: 2023 (few owner reports)
10 model years of NHTSA owner complaints and recalls · How we grade
Across 6 model years, the Subaru BRZ has 89 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 6 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are engine and fuel/propulsion system. 2013 drew the most complaints (64), 2019 the fewest (1).
Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for Subaru BRZ vehicles (US, public record).
Complaint volume by model year. Raw NHTSA totals, not adjusted for sales volume or time on the road, so older and higher-selling years accumulate more. Every year links to its full breakdown.
Highest: 2013 (64 complaints). Lowest: 2019 (1).
Overwhelmingly positive sentiment centered on the vehicle's core philosophy as an affordable, lightweight, and balanced sports car.
Potential oil starvation and engine failure during sustained high-RPM/high-G cornering (e.g., on track), potentially linked to excess silicone sealant (RTV) blocking the oil pickup.
Concern that excess sealant from manufacturing can break off and clog the oil pickup tube in the second-generation models, leading to oil starvation.
Speakers are described as "infuriating" and tuned while stationary, becoming useless at speed.
Isolated but severe reports on a 2023 model of complete electrical failure, steering assist warnings, infotainment glitches, and random no-start conditions.
The flat-four engine note is described by some as "annoying" or lacking a pleasing character.
Owner insights cover all generations of the BRZ. Individual model years are broken down above.
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