Subaru Crosstrek Complaints

339 consumer complaints on file.

#11749869July 12, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle requires multiple restarts after the engine is turned off to go forward or reverse. This has been happening since April 2026. I purchased the vehicle on 02/28/2026. My dealer claims they have not found any issues. However, the problem persists.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749816July 12, 2026
STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES
The AED, Braking, Cameras and lane centering systems failed and caused a crash into the highway barrier suddenly due to defects in the driver assist systems defect in the electronic safety systems causing the steering wheel to turn forcefully to the barrier striking it. This happened without any warning despite driver input to stop the sudden steering inputs and braking.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11749797July 12, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
While driving at highway speeds in the passing lane, the vehicle’s adaptive cruise control with EyeSight malfunctioned. The system suddenly emitted a forward‑collision warning beep even though the lane ahead was completely clear. Immediately after the warning, the brakes engaged forcefully on their own, causing abrupt and unexpected deceleration while overtaking another vehicle. This created a significant safety risk to us and surrounding drivers, as the vehicle slowed rapidly in active traffic without any legitimate hazard. In addition to the sudden braking events, there have been multiple instances where, while adaptive cruise control was active, attempts to decelerate using the steering‑wheel control button either did not respond or behaved unpredictably. On one occasion, pressing the deceleration button caused the vehicle to accelerate instead. These inconsistent control responses further increased the risk of losing safe control of the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, and the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. The only symptom prior to each event was the forward‑collision warning beep immediately before the brakes activated.The underlying cause remains UNKNOWN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749212July 8, 2026
POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a possible power train/drivetrain issue with a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. At steady highway speeds, most noticeably around 72–76 mph under light accelerator load, the vehicle produces a persistent high-frequency ringing/whining tone throughout the cabin. The noise stops when I lift off the accelerator and rarely occurs when traveling downhill, which suggests it may be related to drivetrain load rather than ordinary wind, road, or tire noise. The suspected component or system is UNKNOWN, but based on the operating conditions it may involve the CVT, differential, or related drivetrain/power train components. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by a Subaru dealer. The vehicle was previously inspected by the dealer, and the rear differential was replaced during an attempted repair, but the noise persisted. The vehicle was returned for additional diagnosis, and dealership personnel confirmed the same noise. The manufacturer later stated that the condition was considered a normal characteristic after comparison with another like-model Crosstrek Wilderness, but no specific root cause or technical explanation was provided. My safety concern is that a persistent, load-dependent drivetrain noise at highway speeds could indicate abnormal wear, resonance, or mechanical instability in the CVT, differential, or related power train components. If the condition reflects an unresolved defect, it could potentially lead to premature drivetrain failure or loss of power while driving at highway speeds. There have been no warning lamps or dashboard messages associated with the condition. The issue first appeared while the vehicle was still very new and under factory warranty, and it remains unresolved.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11748542July 6, 2026
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Thermo Control Valve (TCV) causes a check engine light to come on and disables eyesight issue started May 29, 2026. The check engine would go on and off. Now it just stays
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746546June 25, 2026
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
THE DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR VIBRATES AT HIGH SPEEDS & ON UNEVEN ROADS. THE CARS & LP'S ARE VERY DISTORTED CAUSING A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE & A CLASS ACTION SUIT HAS BEEN FILED IN TEXAS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TWICE & THEY STILL CAN'T RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745558June 22, 2026
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH with his wife inside the vehicle, the contact experienced a medical emergency and blacked out, causing the vehicle to accelerate to approximately 70 MPH. The vehicle crashed into a culvert pipe in a ditch and launched into the air, landing front-first before landing on all four wheels in a patch of grass. The air bags did not deploy, and the driver's side seat belt unlatched, causing the contact to hit the windshield head-first. The contact sustained a blunt force forehead injury, eyebrow cuts, right knee cuts, and small cuts on the left arm. The contact’s wife sustained a fractured back (T4) and injuries across the shoulder and abdomen from the seat belt. Medical attention was needed, and the contact and wife were transported to the hospital. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11744713June 17, 2026
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Suddenly lost power steering, almost impossible to steer car to shoulder lane and stop. the car was taken to Fitzgerald Subaru, where technician found fault code C2532. Failure in Steering Gearbox assembly. Per Subaru techline case 260518-1300094. Advised to replace assembly. Parts used/replaced: 34110FN03A Need 023212010 x 2 051030300 x2 2 of 023212010. Nut castle 2 of 051030300. Cotter pin 2 of 44616AA291 Gasket - exhau
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743228June 10, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The DCM on our 2021 Subaru Crosstrek is causing a parasitic drain on the battery. It left us stranded several times. We replaced the battery twice in the past 15 months. There is a class action lawsuit against Subaru for this exact problem, but they won't replace it on our vehicle because it has over 45,000 miles. A defective DCM is a widely known problem with many Subaru models. We never received notice of this problem from Subaru, nor were there any warnings, messages, or indications that this was a problem, until we took it to a mechanic for service, who sent us to a Subaru dealer because it had to be repaired by them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742457June 6, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Radio/Infotainment system popped up a over-the-air In-Vehicle Messaging (IVM) alert for SiriusXM advertisement. This in-motion ad force them to take their eyes off the road just to hit "Dismiss" resulting in missing a critical navigation turn in an unfamiliar location. This seems to happen every few months. The vendor does not offer a way to make these driver interruptions stop. I later called the number on the screen and they do not have a way to Opt Out of the IVM advertisements since I am not a California resident protected by CCPA.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742038June 4, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My issue is with Sirius XM advertisements popping up on the screen while I'm driving, it is very distracting and seems unsafe especially when I'm using navigation apps on my screen trying to navigate the city. The message on the screen does have a phone number that says "Limited-time SiriusXM offer available through 6/30. Call 866-635-2495 for info/vehicle msg opt-out" but when I called the number they said it was physically impossible for them to opt me out and recommended I purchase a new in car stereo to address the issue. Which is completely outrageous because the car is a 2024 and basically new still. I asked to speak to a manager and they were unable to do anything to address it despite the message sating call to opt-out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741751June 3, 2026
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
The EyeSight system always pulls the car toward highway exits when you’re driving on the right lane of a highway. You have to fight the steering to keep the car centered in the lane.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741737June 3, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sirius XM radio pop up advertisement disables the touch screen and features until the little red x button is hit in the top right corner away from the driver.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741717June 3, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Sirius XM advertisement creates an unsafe experience. The only way to safe way close it requires the driver to pull over to touch the “X”, or to risk taking eyes off the road in order to use the interface, including the climate control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739643May 22, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving on a Texas highway on May 2 at the speed limit of 75 mph with the car on cruise control. It was a sunny day and traffic was light. Suddenly, without warning, or apparent cause the car went into a hard brake and the collision avoidance signals were beeping and flashing. The car behind me had to hard brake to avoid collision. I pulled over to the shoulder but as soon as I put my foot on the brake the flashing and beeping stopped. I eased back onto the highway but as soon as I got up some speed, the same thing happened again. I thought it might be related to the cruise control so I turned off the cruise control and it stopped. I drove the rest of the way without cruise control and there were no further incidents. I took the car to dealer. The service department ran diagnostics and test drove it but said they could not duplicate the problem. They said the car was operating "normally." I called Customer Advocacy at Subaru and spoke to woman on a recorded line. She clearly stated that sometimes the EyeSight feature can cause the car to "think there's something in front of you" and activate the collision avoidance hard braking. She claimed this was "normal." Still Subaru refused to do anything about it or buy back my car for more than trade-in value. I got the car from the dealer on May 18. On May 21, I discovered a class action lawsuit (Hall et. al. v. Subaru of America, Inc.) had been filed against Subaru on May 11, for the very same problem. The lawsuit covers most recent Subaru models including mine. I also discovered that "phantom braking" is a frequent complaint here and that Subaru settled a previous class action lawsuit for older models in Nov. 2025 . NHTSA needs to force a recall and warn consumers of this very dangerous defect. I would be surprised if it hasn't resulted in serious injury or death.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739448May 22, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Subaru’s infotainment system and GPS system has advertising pop ups which cover the map while driving. This has happened multiple times and it is incredibly distracting and dangerous. There is no way to opt out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739117May 20, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
On [XXX] ~[XXX] PM, at highway speed on [XXX] eastbound near Frisco, CO (a mountain interstate), returning to Denver from Salt Lake City, my 2021 Subaru Crosstrek suddenly and without warning dropped into reduced-power limp mode and began lurching and shaking while the engine kept running. I lost the ability to accelerate or maintain speed. At the same moment the check engine light came on and multiple active safety systems automatically disabled: EyeSight, pre-collision braking, vehicle dynamics (traction/stability) control, and hill start assist. It took about two minutes to manage the lurching, power-limited vehicle across multiple lanes of traffic to reach the shoulder. My partner was in the vehicle. Had this happened on a bridge, a grade without a shoulder, a tunnel approach, or in heavier traffic, I believe a collision was a realistic outcome. The vehicle was towed to a Subaru dealer and diagnosed with a failed Thermo Control Valve. Sixteen trouble codes were stored, including P26A6, P0606, P060B, P2138, P2135, P2122, P2119, P2004, P2005, and P0191. Mileage was 49,983. There was no prior symptom. The vehicle had a full multi-point inspection at the same dealer only 11 days and ~1,400 miles earlier ([XXX]); nothing was flagged. This failure mode is already known to Subaru, addressed by Technical Service Bulletin 09-119-24 and a warranty extension to 15 years/150,000 miles; the dealer repair order confirms the TSB. I am concerned Subaru handles a safety-relevant failure, one that disables collision-avoidance systems at highway speed, through a quiet warranty extension rather than a recall or owner notification. Owners get no warning and discover it only when it fails dangerously. I request NHTSA open a formal safety defect investigation. 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
#11738991May 20, 2026
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
When driving under windy conditions and/or at highway speeds (55mph+), the side mirror vibrate excessively. This causes blurring and obscuring of images in the mirror, sometimes to the point where you cannot see anything clearly. This thankfully has not cause any accidents for me, but I have heard many other owners have the same problem. I have heard owners claim Subaru is aware of this problem and their repair is subpar
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11738348May 16, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Purchased in August 2024, had to get a new battery 2 days after purchase & then went to the dealership January 2025 because my battery kept dying & I was stranded at the airport late night. They acknowledged is has a parasitic draw but did not notate the source. They claimed I needed a new battery when my previous Subaru branded battery was only 5 months old. The new battery was almost $600 which is double/ triple a store branded equivalent. I purchased yet another battery but non-Subaru branded since theirs did not last even 6 months. Still have been experiencing the same issue. I pulled the dcm fuse and let my car sit for several days as a test. The battery did not die with the dcm fuse removed. The front speakers and Bluetooth are linked to the dcm fuse so they do not work if it is unplugged.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11737874May 14, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
Purchased vehicle 8/27/2025 within 1 day and 1 month of 2 separate class action lawsuits. Purchased from CarMax Wilmington. Car produced electrical shock to my hand first time I attempted to pair the vehicle. Parkway stated at that time I was under an additional warranty but the vehicle would require constant “updates”. This was an intentional deception to prevent me from pursuing what is required under the law, which is the replacement of head unit and subsequent by back of the vehicle when those services fail. "I am reporting a severe pre-crash safety module defect and subsequent dealer concealment on a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek. Two weeks prior to being rear-ended, Parkway Subaru in Wilmington, NC, executed seven failed EyeSight safety recalibration sequences. The service department concealed the component failure, falsely stating the vehicle 'just needed updates,' releasing an unsafe vehicle with non-functional automated braking into commerce. Post-collision, the vehicle was redirected to an uncertified shop to perform unauthorized repairs and cover up the pre-existing safety failure. Service Manager Selena Tighe verbally threatened me to suppress my references to federal class-action safety filings.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0

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