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2005 Subaru Impreza RS Sport Automatic

The 2005 Subaru Impreza RS Sport Automatic is a 165-hp 2.5-liter sedan with a 4-speed automatic. It starts at $19,045 MSRP.

It makes 165 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 166 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. EPA fuel-economy estimates are 20 mpg city and 26 mpg highway.

The Impreza measures 173.8 inches long on a 99.4-inch wheelbase and has a curb weight of 3,110 lb.

Spec Value
Vehicle
Body TypeSedan
PowertrainGas
Price
MSRP$19,045 ($31,693 *)
Engine
Engine TypeGas H4
Displacement2.5 L
Horsepower165 hp @ 5,600 rpm
Torque166 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
Drivetrain
Drive TypeAll Wheel Drive
Transmission
Transmission4-Speed Automatic
1st Gear2.79
2nd Gear1.55
3rd Gear1
4th Gear0.69
Reverse2.27
Final Drive4.11
Fuel Economy
City20 MPG
Highway26 MPG
Recommended FuelRegular Unleaded
Brakes
Front Brake Disc10.7 x 0.94 in
Rear Brake Disc10.3 x 0.39 in
Tires & Wheels
Wheels Front16 x 6.5 in
Wheels Rear16 x 6.5 in
Tires FrontP205/55R16
Tires RearP205/55R16
Dimensions & Weight
Length173.8 in
Width66.7 in
Height58.5 in
Wheelbase99.4 in
Ground Clearance5.9 in
Curb Weight3,110 lbs
Interior
Headroom Front39.7 in
Headroom Rear37.3 in
Legroom Front42.9 in
Legroom Rear33.7 in
Shoulder Room Front52.7 in
Shoulder Room Rear52.9 in
* Amount adjusted for inflation to 2026 dollars

Safety & Recalls

NCAP safety ratings

Overall Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated
Frontal – driver ★★★★★
Frontal – passenger ★★★★★
Side crash Not rated
Rollover ★★★★★ (11.8 % risk)
Tested variant: 2005 Subaru Impreza Wagon 4-DR.

Recalls

6 recalls on file with NHTSA for the 2005 Subaru IMPREZA. Not every recall applies to every trim or VIN — check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Feb 13, 2023 · AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2004-2005 Impreza and WRX vehicles that received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The replacement air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.

Consequence: An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the passenger inflator and if necessary, install a new inflator kit, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 14, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRF-23.

NHTSA campaign 23V076000

Jan 2, 2020 · AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.

NHTSA campaign 20V001000

Jan 2, 2020 · AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.

NHTSA campaign 20V003000

Jan 2, 2020 · AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.

NHTSA campaign 20V002000

May 28, 2015 · AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V-399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V-763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.

NHTSA campaign 15V323000

Sep 6, 2011 · SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM

SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2007 IMPREZA, MODEL YEAR 2003-2008 FORESTER, AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 SAAB 9-2X VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2000 THROUGH NOVEMBER 26, 2007 ORIGINALLY SOLD, OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN, MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IOWA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MAINE, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW JERSEY, OHIO, RHODE ISLAND, WEST VIRGINIA AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS MAY BREAK AT THE HANGER BRACKETS DUE TO CORROSION IF THE HANGER BRACKET IS EXPOSED TO SALTY AND HUMID ENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS ROADS CONTAINING SNOW MELTING AGENT.

Consequence: A BROKEN CONTROL ARM CAN RESULT IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: SUBARU WILL HANDLE THEIR VEHICLES AND SAAB WILL HANDLE THEIRS. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DEGREE OF CORROSION OF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS, AND WILL EITHER RUSTPROOF OR REPLACE THEM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING DECEMBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SAAB AT 1-800-955-9007.

NHTSA campaign 11V464000

75 owner complaints to NHTSA for the 2005 Subaru IMPREZA

Owner Complaints

75 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 Subaru IMPREZA (10 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 3 an injury). See all on nhtsa.gov

Most-cited areas
Suspension17
Air Bags12
Fuel System10
Fuel/Propulsion System9
Gasoline8
Structure6
A complaint can cite more than one area.
Most recent complaints
Jan 24, 2025 · Suspension
“The dealership is refusing to fix my car free of charge on a recall they confirmed would be able to do and now they are refusing to do it due to price and have made me wait two months for this to be…”
Sep 6, 2022 · Structure, Unknown Or Other
“In April 2022 hood latch malfunctioned and caused hood to open while driving on interstate. Caused damage to Hood, Fenders, Windshield and Roof. I was able to get stopped safely without injury.”
Apr 28, 2022 · Tires
“goodyear all season f1 p225/45 ZR 17 psgr right sidewall looks like a few chunks are missing and some tread from tire to sidewall is peeling”
Nov 3, 2021 · Suspension
“The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while her son was driving and approaching a stop sign, he heard an abnormal noise which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. The…”
Apr 30, 2021 · Power Train, Electrical System, Unknown Or Other
“THE KEY INTERMITTENTLY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH WHEN THE GEARSTICK IS SET IN THE 'PARK' POSITION. THE CAR CAN BE TURNED OFF, BUT THE KEY CANNOT BE MOVED FORWARD INTO THE #1 POSITION…”

Complaints are unverified reports submitted to NHTSA by owners. They cover the whole model year, not a specific trim, and a count alone doesn't show how common a problem is.

Source: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (nhtsa.gov), matched as 2005 SUBARU IMPREZA. US-market vehicles only; data cached for up to 7 days.

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