The 5th generation Subaru Impreza is a fairly new car. While it may have its own faults like every other vehicle that’s on the road, there aren’t that many problems that we have seen on our end. We went ahead and listed the top 5 Subaru Impreza problems that cover the 2017-2021 model years. Here they are.
Diagnose and Fix Common 5th Generation Subaru Impreza Problems
1. Blower Motor
The first common Subaru Impreza problem on our list has to do with the blower motor. The blower motor is a fan that pushes air through the vehicle’s vents. It is located within the vehicle’s HVAC system and sends either warm or cold air into the cabin depending on the selected fan speed and climate control settings.
Ideally, the blower motor should operate smoothly and quietly. However, you may hear a squealing noise when it goes bad. The squealing noise is quite noticeable to the driver and anyone else occupying the vehicle.
The best solution is to remove the blower motor and inspect it for leaves and debris. These tend to make their way into the HVAC system through the vents found outside the car. You will need to clean the blower motor and reinstall it. If that doesn’t solve the problem, you’ll have to replace it altogether.
2. Outer Tie Rod
The tie rods act as the pivot point between the steering system and the wheel. Their ends are adjustable and can be lengthened or shortened to fix the car’s alignment. Sometimes, they tend to loosen up and cause excessive play in your steering wheel.
As a rule of thumb, it’s always best to first diagnose the problem before trying to fix it. You’ll need to raise the vehicle, shake the tire back and forth as you check for play in the tie rod joints. You can have someone take a look for you as you do it.
Any unnecessary movement will be an indication that you need to replace your outer tie rods. It’s best to take your vehicle to the nearest auto shop for an alignment once you’re done fixing it. This will ensure your tires meet the road at the right angle.
3. Lower Ball Joint
Just like the tie rods, the lower ball joints act as a pivot between the control arms and the steering knuckles. They ensure you have a smooth and safe ride and that you’re able to control the vehicle precisely.
They are one of the easier Subaru Impreza problems to fix. The lower ball joints are secured by nuts that go through the lower control arms. They are also bolted at the top. To check them, you’ll need to raise the car and shake the tire as you would when checking the tie rods. Remember to have your vehicle aligned once you replace the ball joints.
4. EVAP Canister Vent Hose
The EVAP Canister is an important part of your vehicle’s Evaporative Emission Control System that absorbs and stores fuel vapors to prevent them from being released into the atmosphere. The vapors are then siphoned into the engine intake manifold where they are used to power the engine.
Sometimes, the EVAP Canister vent hose gets blocked by spiders. This can cause a Check Engine light to pop up on your Subaru Impreza’s dash. You’ll need to disconnect the hose, clear it out using water or compressed air and reinstall it. This should help clear the trouble code.
The EVAP code is also sometimes caused by a bad leak detection pump. You’ll need to check it out too if you don’t have a problem with the EVAP canister vent hose.
5. Starlink App is a Subaru Impreza Problem
As mentioned earlier, there aren’t many mechanical Subaru Impreza problems that we have come across. As such, our last item on this list has to do with the Starlink app. It allows you to gain access to multimedia content in your Subaru.
The app pushes content like podcasts, music, weather, and much more from other apps and provides other functions that you can enjoy. However, it’s fairly difficult to use and doesn’t work all the time. The Bluetooth feature is also known to fail a lot while the app sometimes freezes and malfunctions.
Most of the updates offered by Subaru have also allegedly failed to fix the Subaru Impreza system issues. Some Subaru Impreza owners have had a bit of luck rebooting the app and resetting it to its factory data settings. You can also try that to see if it will fix the problem.
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Featured 5th Gen Subaru Impreza Parts
