Complaint volume
106 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
2021 Subaru Crosstrek Complaints
106 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, grouped by component category.
106 Total complaints
8 Crash reports
2 Fire reports
4 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, engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 8 crash reports, 2 fire reports, 4 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 16 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 18,554 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, engine?
- 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 2021 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.
2021 Subaru Crosstrek
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek complaints?
8 Crash
2 Fire
4 Injury
0 Fatality
9 Towed
4 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Subaru Crosstrek complaint categories?
VISIBILITY/WIPER 26
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13
ENGINE 9
POWER TRAIN 7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5
VISIBILITY 3
SERVICE BRAKES 2
STRUCTURE 2
SUSPENSION 2
106 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2023 | ENGINE | Engine shut off at a stop sign and the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree with alarms sounding. Couldn’t get car restarted. Towed to Subaru dealer and they said there was a connector cable to the starter that was defective. Replaced at no cost. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | We were driving on a major highway today and the sunroof of my Subaru Crosstrek randomly exploded with a loud bang. Glass shattered everywhere in the car, covering us passengers with shards. Thankfully no one was hurt and we were able to pull off safely and remove the shards from our clothing and seats, but I could easily see this situation causing significant harm if it were to happen again. I have photos and my vehicle is available for inspection. A simple google search reveals that there are tons of people with Subarus who have had the same experience with a randomly exploding sun roof. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the dealer or manufacturer but I am bringing it in ASAP. The car is 1 year old and there were no symptoms of the problem prior to failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | bought the car last week and I got a crack on the windshield from a small rock. I did an insurance claim that I have an appt for next Wednesday and while driving to work another pebble hit the windshield. So the first crack has not even been fix and I got another one. In my years of driving I have never had this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was driving my 2021 Subaru Crosstrek slowly in a parking lot when it unexpectedly accelerated on its own without me pressing the gas pedal. I believe the Crosstrek was now going 40mph. I tried to shut off the engine and brake at the same time but neither one had any effect. I thought maybe I had two options. Either hit another vehicle or pedestrian or turn my car into the curb. I decided to turn into the curb which resulted in the breaking of both axels, flattening all the tires, and sustaining damage to the front fender and headlight. The car was then towed to a garage we’re it was declared totaled. I checked the internet to see if this had occurred to any other Crosstrek. It turns out their is a class action suit pending for the same reason. Police records will show I was not drunk, sleeping, and the car mat was off gas pedal.12 | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Spontaneous windshield crack. No impact or apparent cause. Available for inspection. Based on online research and your database, this is a common occurrence. Reporting to Subaru dealer has been initiated. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My brand new Subaru ignited in the engine compartment, burst into flames and exploded while I was driving it. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | In the winter of 2021-22, while parallel parking, backing up, then pressing the brake, my Crosstrek spontaneously accelerated in reverse and rammed into the truck already parked behind me. The Crosstrek paused, then rammed again, as I pressed harder on the brake. I put the car into “park” and turned off the engine. I was baffled and had no explanation for what happened. Thank goodness a person wasn’t between my Crosstrek and the truck. More recently, on October 4, 2022, I was at the post office mailbox drop-off. My Crosstrek was stopped with my foot on the brake. Some mail had fallen out of the overstuffed mailbox, I opened my door, set my foot outside, leaned over to pick up the mail, and my Crosstrek spontaneously accelerated forward. My car door hit the cement pylon and closed on my leg. The car lurched forward again, then stopped, and I was able to open the door. My leg was broken with a compound fracture and my foot was nearly ripped off. I called for help, 911 was dispatched, and I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield broke there are no signs of breaking by a rock or any external element, there is a crack coming from the de-icer region, it was a small crack but now it covers all the side from the passenger side. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY | Sunroof exploded outward, the majority of the glass was blown away. The sunshade was open. The temperature was 56 degrees. I was traveling north on I 15 in Davis Couty, Utah. I was not injured, there were no other occupants. I drove to Subaru dealer, they said they have seen this before, only one case. It was inspected by service dealer and deemed safe to drive with sunshade closed. There were no warnings, the sunroof is used infrequently. There were no other objects on the roof. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield is very fragile. (I think it cracks when a flower petal falls on it...) But seriously, I have about 20 chips in my windshield and have not had any significant boulders or trucks with rocks that have hit my windshield. It appears to be from every day urban commute, which is unusual. I have never had a car that I have had to replace the windshield in due to fragility. Also, the windshield seal has come completely off at the base near the hood. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The front window was hit by chips seal pebbles from the car in front of us and chipped the window, twice. It was repaired with standard window chip repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ENGINE | Had intermittent total loss of power for about 1/2 of a mile. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that the battery was drained quickly, causing the battery to need frequent recharging. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the replacement was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 1,300. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,300 |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The bluetooth system is not functioning properly. When a call is in progress, the bluetooth will indicate that no phone is connected and prompt the driver to connect the phone. In the meantime, the call is still active and the person on the other end hears the radio playing but the driver cannot hear the other person. The call will then reconnect for a few seconds before repeating this process. It will continue until the call is ended. While this might be considered an inconvenience, I believe it is a genuine safety issue as this problem takes the drivers eyes off the road and has them answering prompts on a visual screen and is a general distraction. Subaru is aware of the problem and has refused to take action to correct it. The incident is ongoing. As a result the hands-free phone option is unavailable. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield seems pretty fragile after being hit by a little gravel pebble due to construction work at the highway the crack extended in less than 24 hours to 12 inches. This is very concerning since it’s pretty weird to a chip to develop as bad as this one. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 70 MPH, the sunroof exploded without impact. The contact stated that the majority of the shattered glass blew up and out of the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 60,000 |
| May 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield cracked on driver side window for no reason - heard pop and looked at windshield and crack appeared. Contacted Eckbond who is subarus third party warranty for repairs, and they stated they can only reimburse me up to $500. Attempted to contact third party windshield repairs and they states it should be taken to subaru since there is no cause for crack. Contacted subaru and explained occurence and it will cost me $1800 for replacement even though, there was no reason for crack. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Subaru Pre-collision braking activates when no danger present. It detects exhaust steam or smoke as an obstacle. Approximately February 25th of 2021: While acceleration from a stop light in winter, Eyesight falsely detected the exhaust of the car in front of me as a danger and slammed on the brakes to a full stop causing the car behind me to bump into me. Thankfully this driver was paying attention and no damage was caused. This function overrode my foot being on the accelerator. Late Spring of 2021: While using cruise control on the highway, 70+mph, a diesel truck accelerated to merge. The eyesight again detected the exhaust as a hazard and slammed on the brakes causing the drivers behind me to take evasive actions and put them at risk for no reason. During both incidents, the collision warning lights fully activated. I spoke to the dealership about these incidents and was told to turn off the pre-collision system on cold days and watch out for diesel exhaust. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield chips easily. I have owned this car from new (approximately 18 months). The windshield has picked up 7 chips in that time: more than the total of chips I've had in my 29 years of driving. Only one of the chips had a notable sound that accompanied it's creation, and that was from the impact of a large insect while driving on I-77. This windshield seems to be easily damaged, if not fragile, and gives me concern about the potential for injury if it was faced with any substantial impact. I'm also concerned about the high replacement costs for the windshield and required Eyesight re-calibration. If I had known the windshields where so susceptible to damage, I would not have picked a Subaru. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | I suspect the car seat is counterfeit | Walmart sent me email that CYBEX Sirona M with SensorSafe 2.0 Infant Car Seat - Pepper Black UPC 72892545336 was recalled | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The automatic braking system engaged at highway speed while changing lanes with no other vehicle or object in front of the vehicle. I was accelerating to change lanes when the sensor started beeping and the car slammed on the brakes causing a sliding skid. I was able to maintain control and fortunately there was no one behind me. I believe the eyesight control malfunctioned. I do not believe this is a safe feature as it not only puts my safety at risk but also the safety of anyone on the road around me. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | POWER TRAIN | DRIVE TRAIN, TRANSMISSION ISSUE. CAR WAS RUNNING, IN PARK. I GOT OUT TO PICK UP A FLYER FROM YARD. CAR ACCELERATED AND DROVE THROUGH GARAGE DOOR, AND CRASHED INTO THE BACK WALL OF GARAGE. NO ONE HAS INSPECTED THE CAR, AS IT HAPPENED LATE YESTERDAY. WILL CONTACT DEALERSHIP TODAY. NO SYMPTOMS PRIOR. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission was about to fail. Car started making noise at low speeds in drive and reverse about 2-3 weeks ago, so I brought it in and mentioned the noise to the service advisor. There were no warning lights, messages on the dash indicating a problem. Confirmed by a Subaru dealer as needing to be fully replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | I bought this car January 2021. In June 2021, the smallest pebble cracked my windshield while I was driving on the freeway. Yesterday, 3/28/22, I was driving home from work like usual and my sunroof spontaneously exploded and completely shattered. Yep, you read that right. Don’t believe me? Search up: Subaru exploded sunroof on Google. Thank god I had the sunroof shade closed or else the glass would’ve fallen all over me. I suffer from trauma caused by a past car accident where I was in the passenger and do not take broken glass lightly which is why I chose Subaru to be my first car that I bought. I came home shaking and found out that other subaru owners experienced the same phenomenon after doing some research. However, Subaru does not want to take responsibility for this. You’re telling me that I don’t have to be in an actual accident in order to be harmed by my car that I was promised was not just one but THE TOP reliable and safest car in the industry? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I bought a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek in August 2021 and noticed that the hood has been very difficult to get open and closed. I brought it to the dealership and they did not do a thing about it. When I would try to pop the hood it wouldn't pop up at all and when I would get on the road it would come undone on it's own. It never came flying up over the windshield impairing my vision so the secondary safety latch was working properly but the fact that the Subaru dealership said nothing was wrong with it was concerning. A separate mechanic not related to Subaru looked at it and adjusted something under the hood so that it is easier to get open and doesn't do this anymore but I still want to report it because I believe that it is a safety issue others could be facing with this vehicle. Closing the hood without slamming it down and getting it to lock down into place is still difficult. No Police were involved in looking into this issue. The only warning light that I had was when the hood opened while I drove on a high speed roadway and it was to notify me that the hood has opened, but as I stated previously the secondary latch worked properly but if it hadn't it would have definitely impaired my vision and could have caused an accident. Thank you for your time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |