Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek and Forester vehicles. The castle nut on the left-front lower control arm ball joint may be improperly fastened, which can lead to the ball joint separating from the lower control arm.
2012-2026 · 15 model years
Subaru Crosstrek Problems by year
Owners have filed 1,180 complaints about the Subaru Crosstrek across 15 model years, and it has 14 recalls. The 2024 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (121), while 2012, 2013 have far fewer than a typical year. The most reported problem area is the visibility & wipers, followed by the electrical system.
- Complaints
- 1,180
- Recalls
- 14
- Crashes
- 63
- Fires
- 17
- Injuries
- 35
- Deaths
- 0
Crosstrek complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Most common Crosstrek problems
Subaru Crosstrek recalls 14
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek and Impreza vehicles. Due to insufficient clearance, the instrument panel harness may contact the steering beam bracket, damaging the wire insulation and causing a short circuit.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Subaru Impreza and 2018-2019 Crosstrek vehicles. The Engine Control Module (ECM) may continue to power the ignition coil after the engine is shut off, causing a short circuit.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Subaru Crosstrek, 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid, and 2019 Forester vehicles. The rear stabilizer bracket bolts may loosen and detach.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek vehicles with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual-mode locking mechanism. The seat belt webbing sensor locking mechanism may not lock as intended.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent vehicles. The aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve can separate, allowing the separated components to enter the engine, resulting in a loss of power...
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Impreza and 2018-2019 Crosstrek vehicles. The Engine Control Module (ECM) may continue to power the ignition coil after the engine is shut off, which could result in a short circuit and blown...
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Impreza and 2018 Crosstrek vehicles equipped with an aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve. The PCV valve may come apart, allowing the separated components to enter the engine...
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek vehicles. The driver's side rear-door window glass may be improperly tempered. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)...
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake...
Latest Crosstrek complaints
Intermittently the vehicle will only accept fuel at extremely low flow and sometimes shuts off even at low flow. I assume this is a venting problem. Dealership says there's nothing wrong. Dealership doesn't have to fill this car up in winter.
There are 2 reoccurring problems that shows up to the Subaru Crosstrek hybrid 2021. First, it is the battery of the car, it would constantly die out or refuses to start. Second, the other issue that also constantly shows up is the flashing warning lights on the car's dashboard. It would show up multiple times every week and goes away randomly. Whenever, the warning lights do shows up it would disable Subaru's Eyesight which has majority of the car safety feature connected to it. We have brought up these concerns to...
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the Subaru dealership multiple times in the past, but they have only "look at it" and said there is nothing wrong with the car. Both of these problems show up constantly after only driven the vehicle for about 30k miles more or less.
The adaptive speed control has a delay if it is either 1) a distance behind a vehicle and that vehicle suddenly stops, the car does not register it until it is within 60-80 feet of the vehicle and then comes to an abrupt stop; 2) if it is following a slow car and that car suddenly switches lanes, it speeds up quickly toward the car in front, which causes an abrupt stop; and 3) the warning message of an object approaching comes on when you are approaching a yellow warning sign. The first two cause abrupt stops and...
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could lead to a rear-end collision because of the hard braking. The 3rd hasn't caused problems, but there is a concern that it might trigger an automatic stop if the yellow sign is close enough and the turn is sudden. The 3rd item has been noted by the service advisor at the dealer; these cars often create false flags for the yellow signs. No has inspected the vehicle specifically for these issues.
while operating my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek- a sudden and severe electrical malfunction occurred. While driving, the left side of the steering wheel overheated rapidly, causing the material to melt onto my arm and inflict a physical burn injury. The active electrical failure inside the steering unit caused a spontaneous thermal event that melted the vehicle's interior. Fearing for my safety and the safety of my child, I called [[redacted]], and the fire department was dispatched to the scene. This vehicle is subject...
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to a known federal safety recall for an electrical short-circuit in this exact location (Subaru Recall WUC-88 / NHTSA Campaign [[redacted]]). Despite this clear safety defect, Dealership has refused to open the steering wheel to inspect it and is demanding that I pay a percentage of the repair costs, on assumption. Requiring a consumer to pay for a remedy under an active federal safety recall violates federal safety regulations. I am requesting an immediate investigation into the manufacturer's failure to remedy this defect and the dealership's non-compliance. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
From February 2025 to June 2026, I've had to have my car battery replaced 3 times. Before the battery dies, I normally lose all of my pre-programmed radio stations, have to increase the volume, and my car will take longer to start. I've brought this attention to a Subaru Dealership (where I go for all of my repairs) and was told that if this keeps occurring, they will have to send an engineer out to look at my vehicle as it passes the parasitic draw test.
There is a significant wobble and wobble noise coming from my front driver side suspension. My vehicle does not feel stable the whole car kind of wobbles back-and-forth when turning, which is a major safety concern. The dealership just keeps saying everything looks fine visually I've had 6 different wheel alignments in the last month and each time the vehicle was out of alignment. The car is not holding alignments which is a huge safety concern for me and the dealership will not take it serious because they cannot visually see anything wrong. Nothing has been taken apart and inspected.. The vehicle has 18,000 miles on it and is fully covered under factory warranty still.
Questions about the Subaru Crosstrek
Which Subaru Crosstrek years have the most problems?
Which Subaru Crosstrek years have the fewest complaints?
What are the most common Subaru Crosstrek problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the visibility & wipers (342), electrical system (202), engine & cooling (150) most often.
How many recalls does the Subaru Crosstrek have?
NHTSA lists 14 recalls across all Subaru Crosstrek model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data