[Argoson]

Check out this article from autoguide.com : "Last year, Subaru barely missed being in the bottom 10 of the list with a score of 118. This year, however, the Japanese automaker is the eighth worst automaker after scoring 113."

 

[1stsubie]

Check out this article from autoguide.com : "Last year, Subaru barely missed being in the bottom 10 of the list with a score of 118. This year, however, the Japanese automaker is the eighth worst automaker after scoring 113."

That's very surprising, but I noticed only one American brand made it to the list. What about Chevrolet or GM? Quality in general isn't exactly top notch with either.

 

[Argoson]

That's very surprising, but I noticed only one American brand made it to the list. What about Chevrolet or GM? Quality in general isn't exactly top notch with either.

Not surprising at all. They are talking about initial quality. Check this forum just in the last 2 weeks, and you can understand why. So many issues - and they are related to one model. (I don't go to other forums, so I don't know how other Subaru models compare).

According to the full list, Chevy ranked 7. Kia #1. Driving my 3rd Kia since 2011, I'm not surprised.

 

[Linas80]

For Subaru, the reliability is much better than most of the manufacturers in the list.

 

[ImprezaSport21]

Quality issues

Subaru released the 2017 Impreza without enough R&D and is paying the price in the industry surveys.

They really screwed up, have damaged their brand and upset loyal customers.

Truly disappointing as a 25 year Subaru purchaser who has had horrible problems with my 2017 Impreza.

 

[sagaciousB]

That site is pretty terrible. Here's the original JD Power Study
And I agree with ImprezaSport21 - there are so many things that feel like weren't either thought-out or weeded out in design or bug testing phases that we're now dealing with the results as consumers. The car is probably out a year earlier than it should have been. They put a lot of focus on the platform rigidity and aesthetics, but kind of ignored the user experience. Like, can the user see without blind spots? Does the infotainment system behave reliably and in ways that are intuitive and expected? Do the appropriate power accessories of the car turn on/off with the ignition in ways that the user would need them to be accessible? Does the passenger door close properly? Do MPG come close to aligning with EPA estimates in city/winter driving? No. No. No. No. No.

 

[1stsubie]

Not surprising at all. They are talking about initial quality. Check this forum just in the last 2 weeks, and you can understand why. So many issues - and they are related to one model. (I don't go to other forums, so I don't know how other Subaru models compare).

According to the full list, Chevy ranked 7. Kia #1. Driving my 3rd Kia since 2011, I'm not surprised.

Some owners have had issues others haven't, but these issues go back way further than 2 weeks, but the quality of the vehicle, minus the minor issues, has exceeded my expectations. It's hard to please everyone though, that is totally obvious. You've had an issue with the Impreza for a while now, it doesn't surprise me you come with a post like this, especially after your "rant" thread

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

I haven't discovered any quality issues yet with mine, although I haven't had a reason to use the cruise control.

 

[coletrain]

Subaru released the 2017 Impreza without enough R&D and is paying the price in the industry surveys.

They really screwed up, have damaged their brand and upset loyal customers.

Truly disappointing as a 25 year Subaru purchaser who has had horrible problems with my 2017 Impreza.

Since this is my first Subaru I don't have any previous generations or models to compare. I'm curious to know over your 25 years of Subaru ownership where you think they went wrong with the 5th generation Impreza and if they are doing anything else wrong with other models?

Sorry for the long winded question.

 

[2017SportHatch]

Wow! I am shocked "so" many people are hating on their Imprezas! This is a FIRST YEAR, NEW PLATFORM, NEW FACILITY BUILT vehicle, there are going to be some issues with it. I knew that before we purchased my wife's. As everyone else should have known too. I would say OVERALL, we are more than pleased with ours. That said, we haven't had any real issues with ours either. Even though our car did receive the recalls like everyone else's, our car never had the initial problems. Our dealership just did the recalls and made sure we were happy. Our car was purchased in Dec 2016 so it was one of the early built ones too, so I guess we got lucky. We have over 9,000 miles on it now and still love it just as much as day 1!

If you think GM/Chevrolet has a good initial quality you are sadly mistaken. They may have a decent rating, but I drive these cars on a weekly basis to and from our tint shop from our local dealer and most of them are pure CRAP in terms of fit and feel and user friendly amenities. I will take 6 Subaru Imprezas to 1 Chevrolet of any kind, with the exception of the Corvette. I have owned many Chevys in the past myself, each one was a POS from day 1 of ownership, but I lived with them until I could afford to get out of them, and as soon as I could, I did!

We tinted a brand new 2017 Civic SI Sedan today in our shop and while it is a Honda and has that Honda reliability, our Impreza is still WAY nicer than it is. Everything in the Civic felt cheap and plastic. I know these are all my own opinions, but I have owned over 39 vehicles of all makes and models since I was 16 years old, and I am more than happy with both our Subarus. I understand the pains that come with buying a new car and being pissed off because it has to be taken in for recalls, or issues here and there. But the only advice I can give is this, if you are that unhappy with your car, do yourself a favor and try like **** to get out of it somehow. Owning something you hate sucks, for everybody involved! Happy Motoring!

 

[fusionpit]

Initial Quality award? Pretty much everything is covered by warranty in those first 90 days. How about we see who wins the Lasting Quality award?

They consider a "problem" to be “either a fault in the assembly of the vehicle or a design issue." Just because someone doesn't like something that works perfectly fine, the manufacturer gets dinged - even though that really has nothing to do with "initial quality".

 

[yourluckystars]

^while I agree with you about lasting-quality being most important, don't downplay initial-quality for car buyers. There's nothing more frustrating than having a brand-new vehicle experience little 'issues' soon after driving off the dealer's lot(just ask many of the members here). I can deal with a vehicle developing a dash rattle or having the infotainment system freeze-up randomly after 5-6 years, but 5-6 DAYS is unacceptable! If this was just an isolated case or two I could understand(they make these things in the hundreds of thousands), but once you've been to the dealer a few times for warranty-covered repairs/recalls you lose your 'understanding'.

As much as folks might laugh at the self-congratulatory Chevy commercials that talk about their initial-quality scores, I do think it's important. In 5-6 years I'll be done making payments anyways so I'll either live with it or visit an independent shop for repairs(not a fan of dealer service). Subaru's sell themselves on their AWD and long-term reliability, but let's not just give them a free pass on everything- this is your money!

 

[2017SportHatch]

^while I agree with you about lasting-quality being most important, don't downplay initial-quality for car buyers. There's nothing more frustrating than having a brand-new vehicle experience little 'issues' soon after driving off the dealer's lot(just ask many of the members here). I can deal with a vehicle developing a dash rattle or having the infotainment system freeze-up randomly after 5-6 years, but 5-6 DAYS is unacceptable! If this was just an isolated case or two I could understand(they make these things in the hundreds of thousands), but once you've been to the dealer a few times for warranty-covered repairs/recalls you lose your 'understanding'.

As much as folks might laugh at the self-congratulatory Chevy commercials that talk about their initial-quality scores, I do think it's important. In 5-6 years I'll be done making payments anyways so I'll either live with it or visit an independent shop for repairs(not a fan of dealer service). Subaru's sell themselves on their AWD and long-term reliability, but let's not just give them a free pass on everything- this is your money!

yes, issues suck no matter how old or new a vehicle is. but that is the nature of the beast when dealing with a completely new design vehicle. every single thing on the Impreza is new, there are no carry parts from the 2016 so i accept there will be issues. ours didn't have them, yet we did the recalls like everybody else. i am sure there will be other issues pop up down the road, i accept that as well. as a consumer, it was my job to do the work, and make sure i could live with this new platform vehicle for the term of our loan. whether it comes up with issues or not. that lies completely on me and my wife. i will not bash Subaru saying they didn't do their homework or do enough testing to bring this car to market. they are not the first, or only company to bring out a completely new vehicle and have issues. nor will they be the last. their reputation won't be damaged due to this either.

any manufacturer can make a commercial claiming to have the highest this or that, Chevy is one of those. actually they seem to be the main one right now. but if you think for one second they don't have issues with their new designs, man, you are sadly mistaken. i know many Chevy owners as well as GMC, Buick and Cadillac owners that take their cars to the dealer just as much for issues as we have with our Imprezas. i can honestly say that i will purchase a new Subaru again, long before i ever even consider any GM (government motors) product. go test drive some Chevys just for kicks one day, you will see exactly what i am talking about...

 

[ImprezaSport21]

I've been a Subaru owner since 1992 and I am an automotive journalist. I am experienced in this world.

Sadly, this car, as good as it is, has too many issues for the Subaru name and it has destroyed their quality ratings.

Heads should role at Subaru NA over this. The car simply wasn't put through enough R&D and a lot of new owners are upset.

You can be surprised people are upset, and call it new model blues, but this is a new issue for Subaru and many of us who depend on Subaru quality and have had decades plus of quality experience with Subarus are surprised at how many problems this car has.

 

[Jojo613]

Here's my 2017 Impreza initial quality story...
I purchased a premium hatchback on December 9th. I was one of the first people in northern Virginia to buy the vehicle, and the car was still shrink wrapped when I went to see it. The model was so new at the dealership that the guy going through the features with me admitted he didn't know much about the new tech, like android auto, Apple carplay etc. Not a big deal, I'm a tech nut and figured it out in minutes.
Anyway, after driving around a few days, I immediately began hearing a rattling noise coming from somewhere under my feet, by the driver's side area. The sound would come and go and was most noticeable when accelerating. I thought it had to be a loose piece of plastic or metal rolling around.
So, I take it to the dealership and after they had the car for over a day, they said they couldn't replicate the noise and insisted I was making the problem up. I told them I'd likely be back.
The rattling noise continued for the next month. I couldn't stand it any more and took the car back to service. I told them I'm not taking this car back until they find the source of the rattling. Two days later, the service department calls to say they found a shiny new bolt loose in the driver's side ductwork!
Un-friggin-believeable.
I kept the bolt as a momento... see attached photos.
ALSO, I had to have the main gauge cluster housing completely replaced because the plastic had fogged up in several areas. It was like that when I took delivery.
Maybe I was just unlucky, but it was quite a bummer to deal with basic quality control issues like this.

 

[imprezzive]

Lol, I'm amused by the small trophy case you put the bolt in. Stinks that problems arise in a new model, but at least you found in within the first year so everything is covered by Subaru.

 

[longbedbob]

I skimmed through the article and must be missing something.

What, exactly, are the nature of the problems that Subaru is facing that causes such a high number of consumer complaints? Infotainment? Engine problems? What? All it takes are a few owners per 100 to have documented issues with their back up camera to heavily skew those numbers to make Subaru look bad.

Something else to keep in mind is that some owner demographics are more apt to take the time to complain that others. The higher the purchase price the more likely people are to hop online or fill out surveys when something isn't to their liking.

Unless there are serious drivability issues with a specific manufacturer, I tend to take these rankings with a grain of salt because not all car problems are created equal.

BTW, we own a 2012 Volvo S60 T6 and a 1974 Mercedes 240D. Both of those are first year models after a complete redesign.

 

[ImprezaSport21]

Your demographics point is valid, but that crosses all makes.

As for the complaints, they're on "Initial Quality", which is what the survey covers. It's relative to all markets, and Subaru had a massive decline on this category.

I also wouldn't discount reverse camera issues as if they are small, as it's a safety concern and one the feds mandated a recall for. Nor is a car shutting off while running. This can cause a massive accident (fuel vaporizing issue with the direct injection).

The survey is relevant.

 

[2017SportHatch]

Your demographics point is valid, but that crosses all makes.

As for the complaints, they're on "Initial Quality", which is what the survey covers. It's relative to all markets, and Subaru had a massive decline on this category.

I also wouldn't discount reverse camera issues as if they are small, as it's a safety concern and one the feds mandated a recall for. Nor is a car shutting off while running. This can cause a massive accident (fuel vaporizing issue with the direct injection).

The survey is relevant.

I agree that the car shutting off is a HUGE issue. But this is 2017, if people can't back up WITHOUT a camera, then THEY SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING, PERIOD! People have become too dependent on technology to do most things for them, and that is a sad truth. I have backup cameras in both of our Subies and I don't use either of them. I use the mirrors and actually turning my head to see if something is behind me, just like I did when I applied for my driver's license.

 

[Argoson]

I agree that the car shutting off is a HUGE issue. But this is 2017, if people can't back up WITHOUT a camera, then THEY SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING, PERIOD! People have become too dependent on technology to do most things for them, and that is a sad truth. I have backup cameras in both of our Subies and I don't use either of them. I use the mirrors and actually turning my head to see if something is behind me, just like I did when I applied for my driver's license.

Technology was always part of cars, and the systems like EyeSight, lane drifting, reverse camera, distance alert and more are part of today's cars.The problem is when the systems are all integrated into one another. The reverse camera blank screen issue could have been, maybe, a lesser issue if it hadn't affected the entire infotainment system. so it's not just the backup camera that blanked out it was also phone calls, music, radio etc.

We didn't have handsfree bluetooth audio in cars up until a few years ago, or mp3 support. When I started driving, my parents got me a 1976 Ford Escort, which was already at least 10 years old. I installed the audio system by myself, and back then the "state of the art" music players had cassettes tapes. I don't miss getting the tapes caught inside the player, or having to go through all the tapes to find what I was looking for (anyone old enough to remember tape storage boxes or sunshade organizers?). I'm happy with the fact that I can plug a 64GB flash drive and have thousands of songs available with a voice command, and I would like it to operate without any issues.

Beside, what's wrong with using backup camera? I also would have liked the reverse parking assist to give me audible alerts as well when I’m getting too close.