Subaru Crosstrek Complaints

1,200 consumer complaints on file.

#11678003August 2, 2025
Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness
The harness on my child's Nuna RAVA loosened during a 30 minute drive home (highway and downtown driving) in May of 2025. I learned later that month that there is a recall on Nuna Ravas for that exact reason. It is available for inspection. My child was not properly secured, and I did not know it until we got home; he could have been killed or seriously injured had we gotten into a collision on that drive. The car seat has not been inspected by anyone. Nuna offered me a “remedy kit” with a screwdriver, a brush, and a mismatched fabric cover, but I am not a safety technician and do not have the time or expertise to take the seat apart myself and still trust it to secure my child. The problem with the harness straps we have is intermittent, and does not replicate when the car is parked and I simply “tug” on the straps. I do not feel that this is an adequate safety test anyway, as it doesn’t replicate the forces or conditions in an accident. I requested a replacement seat, but Nuna denied my request on 7/21 and again on 7/28. Nuna has not supplied crash test results on layperson “repaired” car seats. This defect is the subject of NHTSA actions DP24003 and PE24026. Other RAVA owners have complained that their repaired RAVA still malfunctioned even after using Nuna's "remedy kit." I would like a replacement car seat to ensure my child's safety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11678002August 2, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek was parked in front of my house for 3 weeks in extreme heat. We drove it today to get it driven & we kept hearing wind. I slid open the sunroof inside piece & the sunroof glass was shattered due the vehicle doors being closed for 3 weeks in Las Vegas summer heat. On average the outside heat has been 105. I did not drive for 3 weeks due to having foot surgery. I called the local dealership where I bought the vehicle 6 months ago & they said they would not fix it under warranty. Im taking it to an insurance repair show on Tuesday (8/5/25).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675423July 22, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start and was jumpstarted several times by a dealer’s mobile technician. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was determined that the battery was in good condition, and the failure could be related to the manual transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that a AAA technician who assisted in jumpstarting the vehicle confirmed that the alternator and the battery were in good condition. The technician informed the contact that the vehicle was experiencing a parasitic battery drain; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675030July 21, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power in the middle of the roadway. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the battery. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with head gasket failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674966July 21, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
P26A5 code came on after driving a little over 200 miles. It went off at one point but came back on and has not gone off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674220July 17, 2025
AIR BAGS
Passenger Airbag does not turn on when someone who weighs 100 pounds or less occupies the front passenger seat. This issue also occurs on my 2024 Subaru Legacy Vin # [XXX] . IT also occurred on the loaner car the dealer gave me which was a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek. I asked two Subaru dealers, Pinebelt in Lakewood, NJ and Lester Glenn in Toms River, NJ to fix the problem; but they stated that they could not adjust the passenger airbag sensor. I told Subaru of America about the problem and they have not responded or tried to address the issue. This is a serious issue that should be addressed by the NHTSA. Additional INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673822July 15, 2025
Carry Handle, Shell, Base
Test only, please ignore.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673646July 15, 2025
SEAT BELTS, SEATS, AIR BAGS
We were rear ended on the interstate. Cars in front of us stopped and we also came to a complete stop and a few moments later we were hit. During the collision, none of the airbags were deployed. Both our front seats fully reclined backwards. None of our seatbelts locked. Only the two seats that no one was in locked. Also, my headrest completely broke off. Our car was later determined by the insurance to be totaled.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11672042July 8, 2025
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
Driving down highway in center lane, at or under speed limit, rainy conditions. Unexpectedly hydroplaned when transitioning from asphalt to bridge. Collided head-on with guardrail on right-hand side of road. Car then rotated and driver side rear collided with guardrail again. Airbags did not deploy, and during initial head on collision with barrier, driver seatbelt came unlatched from locking mechanism. No inspections at this time. No warning lights prior to crash. Potential for significant harm. Vehicle has been towed to IAA by insurance and will be temporarily available for inspection if requested. Presumed totaled, which will be confirmed within the week, after which the vehicle will most likely no longer be available to inspect.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11670291June 30, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, WHEELS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The affected component of this vehicle is the braking system. When rocks or gravel get stuck to, in, on, or around the brake pads/brakes the braking system is compromised. Yes, The vehicle is available for inspection. When gravel gets stuck in, on, and around the brake pads, the safe operation of the braking system malfunctions. If the vehicle braking system does not work as designed/intended, lives are at risk. When you need to brake, the braking system needs to be reliable. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, upon taking the vehicle back to the dealer, the service manager confirmed this is a known defect by both sales and service teams. The service manager said this happens often and we should expect it to happen again. The service manager told me this vehicle is not to be driven on gravel. This was not disclosed at the time of purchase. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The dealer service department inspected the vehicle when it was towed back to them for service related to this problem. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, there was no warning. The brakes failed to operate properly, they did not completely fail.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670144June 30, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Rear rotors delaminating at 33000 miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668419June 22, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
factory alarm is triggered late in the evening while in my garage regardless if vehicle is locked or unlocked
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668032June 19, 2025
AIR BAGS, STRUCTURE:BODY
My wife was almost killed yesterday in a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek. She was hit by a side impact at over 35 mph through the driver's door, and the airbags didn't work. The side doors locked and buckled from the impact. Firefighters pulled my wife out of the car through the passenger door. What a piece of junk. Don't trust that junk.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667207June 16, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle would struggle with starting intermittently over the past 2 years. Last week It became a consistent issue each time I would start it. Today my car would not crank and I tried several times over the span of 3 hours. What I experienced previously when starting my vehicle is it would initiate starting, I would hear a mechanical whirring, the car would stop then start again and the engine would turn over a couple of times and eventually start up. Today when trying to start the car, I hear a mechanical whirring and several notifications appear on my dashboard including the following: Check Engine, EyeSight Off Check Manual, Check Owner Manual, RAB Disabled. Thankfully I was not stranded when my car wouldn't start again, but that is a real risk because I travel to the mountains often where there is no cell reception. I looked online for similar issues and have discovered several instances of people with 2018 and 2019 subaru crosstreks (and other models) have had the same issue. Subaru has issued a Technical Service Bulletin (07-198-21), but this is a safety issue which they should address. My coworker has the same car and it has had work done for the same issue. My neighbor has a 2019 ascent which has an auto Start/Stop where it wasn't able to restart and was stuck in traffic creating a hazard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666127June 10, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. While the contact was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while the engine was still off, the gear shifter was shifted into reverse(R) and the vehicle accelerated backwards. The contact slammed on the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from crashing into another parked vehicle. The contact pressed the ignition button with her foot on the brake pedal to start the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled to service the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664752June 4, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
The infotainment unit on this 24 Crosstrek will display XM ads several times per year that cover most of the unit. These pop up sometimes when reversing or driving covering important information on the screen like maps or backup cameras.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664451June 2, 2025
SEATS
The bolt attaching the front left corner of the seat to the rails came loose and allows the seat to wobble and bounce.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663697May 29, 2025
VISIBILITY
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at night, the strip on the front windshield failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the strip was designed to keep the top section of the front windshield dark to avoid the glare from the headlights of oncoming vehicles, while the bottom section of the windshield was clear. The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, preventing the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11662802May 23, 2025
STEERING, SUSPENSION, VISIBILITY/WIPER
There are 2 issues that I have noticed since I bought my car from a subaru dealership 10 DAYS ago. the first is that upon driving at highway speeds (over 50 mph) It feels like the car is jerky and pulls in a shaky rocking manner. this happened continuously, when I was using the cruise control and when I was not using the cruise control. It basically felt like I was driving in 40mph winds that were moving my car independently of what I was doing. The second is also something that happens at highway speeds, my driver side mirror shakes and vibrates so much so that I can't make out the surrounding space, cars and road at all. I scheduled a service appointment at the same dealership immediately. I told them these issues and upon inspection they reported that they do not see or report any such issues that I am concerned about. Stating that these are quote "characteristics" of the car. These are both potentially very dangerous problems that Subaru has stated is not an issue as far as they are concerned. There is a lawsuit about the driver side mirror that was filed in september of 2024. I just bought this car used with 10,500 miles on it and NOBODY mentioned anything in person or on the pre certified inspection checklist, CARFAX report or anything of that nature about these issues which Subaru must actually know about. If I was told about theses issues I would have not bought the car. And they are continuing to deny anything is wrong, saying its just a characteristic of the car. There are no warning lights or messages alerting of this issue within the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661629May 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Phone charger does not work. Power was out and I could not charge phone. Best I've ever got was 1% on a 1 hour drive. The phone however gets extremely hot. Anecdotally, my usb port also didn't work leaving me with no way to have a charged phone during a prolonged power outage. The wireless charger is a widespread common problem. Below, I have included links to multiple threads and videos where even more multiple comments are posted of people having the same issue. For background, I use wireless charging on my nightstand, my motorcycle, my work desk, all for this phone, all different chargers in this case. It's the charger not working. It is a 100% real issue and here are all the other countless people having the same problem: [XXX] Same problem from this dealer employee. [XXX] Same problem posted on subaru forum. [XXX] Multiple people complaining about similar issue in this forum. [XXX] Mutiple people reporting a similar issue in this forum as well. [XXX] Guy removing the charger, comment section full of people having the same problem as me. This should be a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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