Complaint volume
193 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Subaru Crosstrek Complaints
193 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, grouped by component category.
193 Total complaints
10 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
1 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are visibility/wiper, unknown or other, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 10 crash reports, 1 fire report, 1 injury report, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 117 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 23,314 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to visibility/wiper, unknown or other, electrical system?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Subaru Crosstrek?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Subaru Crosstrek complaints?
10 Crash
1 Fire
1 Injury
0 Fatality
6 Towed
1 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Subaru Crosstrek complaint categories?
VISIBILITY/WIPER 56
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 25
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18
ENGINE 15
POWER TRAIN 6
VISIBILITY 6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4
STRUCTURE 4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3
193 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2018 | POWER TRAIN | THE CVT TRANSMISSION IN THIS CAR IS JERKY, WILL OFTEN ACT AS IF APPLYING THE BRAKES WITH STOPPING, WILL HAVE TROUBLE SHIFTING DURING STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, RESULTING IN JERKING OF THE CAR. WILL OCCASIONALLY VIBRATE AS IF TRAVELING OVER ROUGH PAVEMENT. THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION WHEN THIS HAPPENS. CAN BE IN URBAN OR HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. | Crash: No Fire: No | 7,600 |
| Jul 2018 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | CRACK APPEARED IN LOWER DRIVER'S SIDE PORTION OF WINDSHIELD. CAR WAS PARKED WHEN CRACK APPEARED. NO KNOWN SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO WINDSHIELD. CRACK APPEARS TO HAVE STARTED UNDERNEATH WINDSHIELD WIPER AT THE DE-ICER AREA AND THEN SPREAD UPWARDS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,000 |
| Jul 2018 | ENGINE | MY OIL TEMP ON MY SUBARU IS HIGHER THAN NORMAL...I HAVE HAD IT IN THE DEALER 2 TIMES ALREADY AND EVEN THO THEY SAY THE TEMPS ARE NOT NORMAL THE SAY THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE EVERYTHING LOOK FINE..BUT THEY TELL ME TO CHANGE MY OIL EVERY 3K NOW INSTEAD OF 6K...I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ABOUT THE OIL TEMPS AND HAVE NOT FOUND ANYONE OR ANY OTHER CASE THAT HAS THIS PROBLEM WITH A 2018 CROSSTREK .I HAVE ASK SUBARU WHAT THE OIL TEMP RANGE IS AND AFTER MONTHS OF CALLING SOMEONE FINALLY TELLS ME MAX TEMP IS 247...MY CAR GOES OVER THAT..I TAKE IT TO THE DEALER AGAIN AND SAME THING..THEY DO NOTHING..I ASK THEM AGAIN WHAT THE NORMAL TEMP RANGE IS AND THEY DON'T KNOW...THEY TELL ME TO JUST DRIVE IT THAT IT'S UNDER WARRANTY..THE HIGH OIL TEMP PROBABLY DID SOME LONG TERM DAMAGE...SUBARU IS UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING HERE EVEN THO THEY SAY THE TEMPS ARE NOT NORMAL....THE TEMPS RISE UP AT HIGHWAY DRIVING..UP HILLS MOSTLY...NORMAL SPEED...IT'S LIKE THERE IS NO COOLING...GO UP HILLS DURING REGULAR HIGHWAY DRIVING THE OIL TEMP JUST SHOOTS UP...WATER TEMP IS NORMAL | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,700 |
| Jul 2018 | POWER TRAIN | THIS CAR IS A LEMON!! I ORDERED MY 2018 CROSSTREK JUNE 2017, TOOK DELIVERY AUG. 7TH. CAR RAN GREAT, LOVED IT! NOV. 2017, 5600 MILES ON IT, IT STARTS INTERMITTENTLY BUCKING/SHUDDERING UNDER ACCELERATION. TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER, THEY HAD IT 3 DAY, COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SOME TIME PASSES, AND WE'RE INTO WINTER, THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE, AND I CAN'T GO WITHOUT IT ESPECIALLY WITH THE SNOW. CAR STILL ACTS UP FOR MONTHS, PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE AND MORE FREQUENT. APRIL 2018 TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER, THEY HAVE IT 13 DAYS, CAN'T FIND AN ISSUE. I PICK THE CAR UP ON A FRIDAY, THE SERVICE MANAGER AND A MASTER TECH RIDE WITH ME SO I CAN DUPLICATE THE CONDITION, THEY EXPERIENCE IT LIKE I DESCRIBED. THAT MONDAY, I RETURN IT TO THE DEALER. SUBARU TECH CASE #63 DAYS LATER, AND COUNTLESS CALLS TO SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY TELL ME THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME ON IT! SO, NOW I'VE RESOLVED TO DIAGNOSE MY OWN "BRAND NEW CAR". I SPENT 3 DAYS WITH MY PERSONAL SCAN TOOL HOOKED UP, AND I FIND THE REASON FOR THE BUCKING/ SHUDDER. I'VE CONSULTED THE DEALER, THEY ARE DISCUSSING WITH SUBARU TECH ON WHY I SEE WHAT I'M SEEING ON THE LIVE DATA. SO, TO SUM UP 80+ DAYS AT THE DEALER, THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING, I HAVE IT 3 DAYS, AND I FIND THE REASON FOR THE SYMPTOM! NEEDLESS TO SAY, I WON'T BUY ANOTHER SUBARU, AND THIS ONE WILL BE GOING BYE BYE! I DON'T BLAME THE DEALER, THEY CAN ONLY DO WHAT SUBARU ALLOWS. THIS IS SUBARU CORPORATE'S FAULT, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO COME TO THE TABLE ON MAKING IT RIGHT WITH THE CUSTOMER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,600 |
| Jul 2018 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | MY SUNROOF EXPLODED YESTERDAY, 7/13/18, WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON RT. 95. IT MADE A HOLE THROUGH BOTH LAYERS OF GLASS. FORTUNATELY I HAD THE SUNSHADE PULLED OR THE GLASS WOULD HAVE COME INTO THE CAR. NO ONE WAS HURT BUT MY ROOF CAN'T BE REPLACED UNTIL AUGUST BECAUSE OF THE HIGH DEMAND FOR REPLACEMENTS. I WAS TOO SHAKEN TO THINK OF TAKING A PICTURE AND IT IS NOW WRAPPED UP TIGHT AT THE DEALER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,980 |
| Jun 2018 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU CROSSTREK. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (RELIABLE SUBARU, 438 S INGRAM MILL RD, SPRINGFIELD, MO 65802, (417) 720-8373), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 677. | Crash: No Fire: No | 677 |
| Jun 2018 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | JUNE 2, 2018. PURCHASED A NEW 2018 SUBARU CROSSTREK FROM MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND DROVE THE CAR HOME. THE NEXT DAY (JUNE 3, 2018), ON MY FIRST TRIP OUT TO RUN ERRANDS THE CAR STALLED AFTER GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE AT SLOW SPEED IN A PARKING LOT. THE NEXT DAY (JUNE 4, 2018), THE CAR STALLED AGAIN TWICE IN RAPID SUCCESSION UNDER SIMILAR CONDITIONS IN ANOTHER PARKING LOT. THE SAME DAY (JUNE 4, 2018), I DROVE THE CAR TO MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. SUBARU ENGINEERS EVALUATED A SIMILAR PROBLEM ON OTHER CROSSTREKS AND DETERMINED THAT THE ISSUE WAS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. 21 DAYS LATER I AM STILL WAITING FOR A REMEDY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 200 |
| Jun 2018 | STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | VEHICLE TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING TWO TIMES IN TRAFFIC CAUSING NEAR COLLISIONS. ITS BEEN AT DEALER FOR MORE THAN A WEEK. THE DEALER SAYS THEY COULDN'T REPAIR IT SO SUBARU SENT OUT ENGINEERS AND DETERMINED THEIR WAS A FAULT WITH NO REPAIR PROTOCOL AVAILABLE. THEY SAY THEY WILL HAVE TO KEEP MY CAR UNTIL THEY CAN REPAIR IT. THEY MENTIONED ANOTHER CAR IN THE PHOENIX AREA HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY STATED THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE TO DEVELOP NEW SOFTWARE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA CASE #[XXX] ON JUNE 18, 2018. I ASK THEM TO RETURN THE VEHICLE THAT I HAVE HAD FOR LESS THAN 2 MONTHS, BUT THERE IS NO RESOLUTION FROM THEM AT THIS TIME. THE VEHICLE HAS ALREADY HAD AIR CONDITIONER ISSUES THAT THE DEALER SERVICE TEAM SAY ARE RESOLVED, BUT AS YET WE HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR SINCE THE REPAIR, TO SEE IF THE AC IS ACTUALLY WORKING PROPERLY. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FOR ITS OUTSTANDING SAFETY RATING IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF OUR ELDERLY MOTHER TO AND FROM MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS AND ANY COLLISION COULD BE A LIFE THREATENING EVENT FOR HER, IN HER CURRENT CONDITION. WE ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS AND VERY DISAPPOINTED IN SUBARU FOR CONTINUING TO SELL THIS VEHICLE TO THE PUBLIC WITH THE KNOWLEDGE IT HAS A DEFECT THAT CAN TURN IT OFF AT ANY TIME CAUSING A COLLISION. PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,200 |
| Jun 2018 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | MAIN COMPUTER SYSTEM STOPS WORKING ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS. NO RADIO, NO VOLUME CONTROL, NO CD, NO PHONE, NO MAP/GPS. MAP/GPS WAS IN USED AT THE TIME. SYSTEM RESUMES ALL OF ITS FUNCTIONS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND SHUT DOWN FOR A FEW MINUTES. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN THIS HAPPENS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 9,000 |
| May 2018 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | AFTER BEING PURCHASED ON APRIL 4TH, 2018, WITH 125 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, I RAN THE VEHICLE ROUGHLY 2000 MILES, AT WHICH TIME MY VEHICLE BEGAN HAVING MAJOR ISSUES. THE FIRST OCCASION, I WAS DRIVING IN BUMPER TO BUMPER STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON I25 IN DOWNTOWN DENVER, I STOPPED THE VEHICLE WITH TRAFFIC, AND AT THAT TIME THE CAR HAD A "COMPUTER MALFUNCTION" AS I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER, ESSENTIALLY KILLING MY CAR, LEAVING ME STUCK IN THE CENTER LANE OF A 5 LANE HIGHWAY. THE SECOND OCCASION WAS THE SAME MALFUNCTION, I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ON A CITY STREET , AND THE CAR DID THE SAME THING, HAD A "COMPUTER MALFUNCTION" AND I HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER FOR SERVICE, THE ENTIRE ECM WAS REPLACED. THE THIRD BREAK DOWN WAS THE EXACT SAME MALFUNCTION AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME I WAS GOING 40 MILES PER HOUR. EXITING FROM HIGHWAY 34 IN GREELEY, CO. THE DASH LIGHTS ALL LIT UP AND MY VEHICLE SLOWED ITSELF TO A STOP AND I WAS FORCED TO PULL OVER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 4,000 |
| Apr 2018 | ENGINE | MY SAFETY CONCERN WITH THE 2018 SUBARU CROSSTREK RESULTS FROM A HUGE AMOUNT OF ENGINE REV HANG ( REV HANG - A HIGH (OR 'HANGING') ENGINE RPM AFTER DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH PEDAL. REFERENCE - SUBARU OUTBACK SB# 11-174-17R DATED 6 23 17 ) WHEN SHIFTING UP THROUGH THE LOWER GEARS. AS A RESULT OF REV HANG, IT IS ESSENTIALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE THIS CAR SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT SEVERELY ABUSING THE DRIVE TRAIN. THE PROBLEM IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC WHILE UP-SHIFTING FROM FIRST AND SECOND GEAR, WHERE REV HANG CAN EXIST FOR 3 TO 4 SECONDS. A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE EXISTS AS YOU ARE AT RISK OF A REAR END COLLISION AS THE CAR ABRUPTLY SLOWS, WITH THE CAR'S BRAKE LIGHTS OFF ( THIS IS ESPECIALLY EVIDENT WHEN DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AND GOING UP A HILL ) WHILE YOU SIT AND WAIT FOR ENGINE REV HANG TO DISSIPATE IN ORDER TO UP-SHIFT THE CAR'S TRANSMISSION. I MENTION THIS POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE AS IT IS ONE THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED WHILE DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC AND GOING UP A HILL IN BOSTON EARLIER THIS MONTH. ADDITIONALLY, I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS REV HANG ISSUE, IF LEFT UNCORRECTED, WILL ULTIMATELY RESULT IN UNACCEPTABLY SHORTENED CLUTCH, TRANSMISSION AND ASSOCIATED DRIVE TRAIN COMPONENT LIFE. ALSO, EXCESSIVE BRAKE WEAR WILL MOST CERTAINLY RESULT, AS ANY AVAILABLE ENGINE BRAKING HAS BEEN ESSENTIALLY ELIMINATED BY ENGINE REV HANG. NOTE ' THIS REV HANG ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO SUBARU OF AMERICA, SEE S OF A SR #:1-31863796593, AND REMAINS UNCORRECTED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 500 |
| Apr 2018 | STRUCTURE | WATER COLLECTING IN FRONT DOORS AND NOT DRAINING OUT OF DOOR WHEN PARKED FACING UPHILL. THE DRAIN HOLES IN THE FRONT DOORS ARE NOT LOCATED IN THE REAR CORNER OF THE DOOR. IF THE VEHICLE IS ON AN INCLINE FACING UPHILL, WATER CAN NOT ESCAPE THE REAR CORNERS OF THE DOOR INTERIOR UNTIL THE VEHICLE OR DOOR IS LEVEL. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,800 |
| Apr 2018 | SUSPENSION | WATER IS COLLECTING UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE STRUT TOWER DUST COVER IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND CAUSING RUST/CORROSION OF THE STRUT SHAFT/NUT AND STRUT TOWER POCKET. VEHICLE NEW AND HAS LESS THAN 4000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,800 |
| Feb 2018 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | SUBARU'S SAFETY SYSTEM EYESIGHT THAT USES ACROSS MULTIPLE MODELS INCLUDING MY 2018 CROSSTREK HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT PREVENTED THE HUMAN DRIVER TO BE ALERTED. THE EYESIGHT SAFETY WARNING AUDIO ALERT DOES NOT INTERRUPT THE AUDIO FROM THE RADIO UNIT, IN ADDITION THE AUDIO WARNING SOUND LEVEL IS VERY LOW DESPITE THE MAX SETTING ON THE SYSTEM. MY CELL PHONE'S RINGER VOLUME IS MUCH LOUDER THAN THE SUBARU'S EYESIGHT VOLUME. DURING THE NORMAL MUSIC LISTENING I CAN'T EVEN HEAR THE SAFETY WARNINGS (REAR CROSS TRAFFIC, FORWARD WARNING, AND LANE ALERT ETC). THIS CREATE AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DRIVING ENVIRONMENT THAT MIGHT LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. MY CROSSTREK DOES NOT HAVE AN ADDITIONAL WINDSHIELD VISUAL ALERT LIKE MY GM CAR THAT HAS A RED LED PROJECTED TO WINDSHIELD IN ADDITION TO AUDIO ALERT. BY THE WAY GM'S ALERT STOP THE RADIO AND THE VOLUME IS LOUD. MY PROBLEM WAS CONFIRM BY DEALER AND SUBARU OF AMERICA. SOA TOLD ME THAT THER ARE NO PAIRS NEEDED. I HOPE YOU CAN WORK WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA TO ASK THEM TO REPAIR THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE. I HAVE A YOUNG TEENAGE DRIVER IN MY FAMILY AND I AM VERY CONCERN ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 450 |
| Feb 2018 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | THE CAR BATTERY WAS DEAD AND RECHARGED BY SUBARU ROADSIDE ASSIST. WE RAN THECARFOR 40 MINUTES. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE CAR BATTERY WAS DEAD AGAIN. WE CALLED THE RYE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND HAD IT TOWED THERE. THE PERSON WHO CHARGED THE BATTERY THE FIRST TIME TOLD US THAT SUBARU'S HAVING A LOT OF CALLS FORDEADBATTERIES BUT NOTADMITTING THERE'S A PROBLEM | Crash: No Fire: No | 200 |
| Jan 2018 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | HEAD UNIT FREEZES. CANNOT ADJUST RADIO VOLUME OR CHANGE STATIONS. MUST SHUTDOWN VEHICLE FOR A FEW MINUTES TO ALLOW COMPUTER TO REBOOT. VEHICLE IS IN MOTION WHEN THIS SITUATION OCCURS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,400 |
| Oct 2017 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | UPON STARTING THE CAR, THE RADIO BLARES AFTER A FEW SECONDS, WHEN BACKING UP, FOR INSTANCE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. ACCORDING TO SUBARU, THAT'S THE WAY IT'S DESIGNED. I THINK ITS A SAFETY HAZARD, AS THE FIRST MOMENTS WHEN DRIVING CAN REQUIRE SPECIAL ATTENTION (WHEN BACKING UP, FOR INSTANCE), AND THE RADIO BLARING WITHOUT WARNING CAN BE DISCONCERTING AND JARRING. CAN THIS BE CONSIDERED A DESIGN FLAW, AND THE VEHICLES WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM RECALLED? | Crash: No Fire: No | 25 |
| Sep 2017 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | PURCHASED NEW 2018 CROSSTREK WITH HARMAN KARDON PREMIUM AUDIO SYSTEM. AFTER ONE WEEK THERE WAS A CONSTANT STATIC BUZZ COMING FROM THE DOOR SPEAKER ON THE PASSENGER-SIDE, EVEN WHEN THE AUDIO SYSTEM WAS TURNED OFF. DEALER SAYS THAT THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE AMPLIFIER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50 |