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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2022 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | I just leased a new '21 Crosstrek Limited. With only 90 miles on the car, while driving on the highway using the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, the vehicle started aggressively jerking over towards semi trucks (while going 70mph)- I had to give significant input to not be pulled into a semi truck. I turned off the feature then turned back on. Again, it was hard jerking only towards semi trucks. Drove back to the dealership. Their mechanic took for a drive and said the exact same thing, that it was "sketchy" and jerking towards semi trucks. It was suggested I bring back if the "condition persists" which would mean risking a fatal collision with a semi. I contacted the GM of the dealership and explained what was happening and he said to being back again and they'd get a field tech from Subaru to test. Their service manager test drove and noted the same thing, as did the field tech. "Severely pulls to the right as trucks pass. Test drive vehicle and found that when using lane centering, vehicle is quite jerky and pushes towards centerline, especially when larger vehicles like a semi trailer is present. Recommended calibrating eyesight camera and test driving again". They calibrated the Eyesight and I picked back up. Drove back on the highway and turned on LKA, this time the steering was completely taken over and jerking all over the lane and flashing telling me to keep hands on the wheel when both hands were very tight on the wheel. It's continued to jerk all over while using lane keep assist and when I try to override the steering to avoid a collision the wheel feels like it's fighting me. It's extremely dangerous. The car now has 300 miles and I'm terrified it's going to kill me and it's putting everyone on the road at risk. I had the same tech in my '19 Impreza Limited and didn't have a single issue. I fear there is a serious defect with the Eyesight and LKA. No codes are present. They said vehicle is operating as designed, it's now more more erratic | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The main battery drained completely while parked, once when left overnight, and once while on an errand for 30 minutes only. AAA jump-started car first time and Subaru Roadside Assistance the second. First incident was mid January 2022 when the new car had been in my possession for only 5 weeks (Dec 3 2021). Second incident happened one month later on February 5 2022. Subaru had no explanations other than I might have left doors open. In the second occurrence that was most definitely NOT true as I am now extra careful to turn everything electrical off and check all doors are fully closed. Being stranded alone on the roadside is not something I am in any way comfortable with. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery dies completely, seemingly under colder conditions. In the first case it was after 6 days of not turning the car on, however the next time it happened after only a day and a half of not turning on the vehicle. The vehicle is only a few months old so the battery or other cause of the dead battery (eg alternator) are only a few months in use. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield has cracked on the passenger side. It has not put anyone at risk however, this seems to be an issue with many Subaru owners yet Subaru has not done anything about this issue. The vehicle has yet to be inspected. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | When I bought the car last year I had it for less than 2 months before my windshield cracked from a rock while we were on the highway. I get this happens so I didn’t think anything of it until I saw how many other people have also had their windshield crack shortly after buying the car. Since I’ve gotten it replaced almost a year ago I haven’t had any issues. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, while downshifting gears the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated he continued experiencing the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | Problem 1)Had my '21 Sport for 7 days. Started stalling few times when shifting from P to R while on a slight incline (dash lights up like in Acc mode) after driving it for about 30 min before and then turning it off to go inside of the store, etc. after about 2-5 minutes of idling, the car engine stopped like I was in auto stop, but didn’t kick back on when I shift gears to reverse or when I applied gas. But then I hit the on/off button and engine turns over just fine. Problem 2) But today it started making a whirring sound with difficulty accelerating & quick decelerating/speed drop off upon release of gas, even when going down a big hill. It felt like resistance and pulling feeling almost? Like how a car feels when It doesn’t want to shift. Also felt a little jittery the longer I drove & loud clunk shifting gears. Got louder when I would press on the gas more. It continued even after starting the car again when leaving my location. It wasn’t doing it before yesterday, and then while positioning the car for the tow truck. But the back up cam started going crazy at me like I was about to hit something??? But nothing was there. Then eyesight was “disabled, check manual” a couple times today upon starting it. But no codes thrown thrown outside of the eyesight thing. I’ve seen a transmission issues and stalling and ECU issues with the 2018 & 2019 but quite a few people on Facebook and Reddit similar issues in '21. Dealer found no codes and couldn't recreate it so they told me to come get it. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Front windshield spontaneously cracked, originating from the frame. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I have been experiencing shuddering/jerking/hesitation in my vehicle since July. The dealership has had it in their service department several times and cannot diagnose the issue. Subaru of America was contacted and gave no resolution to repairing the vehicle. They did not inspect the vehicle, rather gathered the "data" from the dealership. The shuddering/jerking/hesitation happens from a start to stop position and is incredibly dangerous when pulling out into traffic or crossing over lanes in a left hand turn. This malfunction can cause a collision and is a huge safety concern of mine. I do not feel comfortable putting my life at risk driving this vehicle. The dealership has only tested the CVT transmission and ran "data" and cannot seem to tell me what is wrong with the vehicle, though there is clearly an issue, whether it is the CVT transmission or another component of the vehicle. I see several similar complaints on the NHTSA website for the Crosstrek dating back to 2015. I am confused as to why the manufacturer is not being held responsible for a defect that is so dangerous. Is it going to take someone getting seriously injured or a death before this is investigated? I encourage other Crosstrek owners to come forward and report similar issues you are having to NHTSA. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield is cracked from a very small pebble. We were driving down the highway and all of the sudden there was a small crack appear, you couldnt even hear the impact. The glass seems very fragile on these cars. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I’ve owned the vehicle for three weeks and have had three separate incidents with chips in the windshield. Had it repaired today. First chip the first week I had it and one Sept 12 another September 14th. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Among a few other headaches, the windshield cracked on the highway with only 2300 miles on the odometer. This 7 inch crack appeared after a 300 mile road trip. I recall hearing a small thud on the windshield with no immediate cause for concern. After driving another 10 miles, the crack has grown an additional 2 inches. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | STRUCTURE | In the first 200 miles of ownership, the paint began chipping off of the hood, fenders and front bumper. After 2000 highway miles, there are more chips down to bare metal/plastic than I can count. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Under NORMAL driving conditions, a speckle piece of rock, smaller than the size of a pebble lightly blew upon the driver-side windshield. As a result of this, a chip windshield glass developed that began to grow rapidly. I immediately had to park the vehicle and call Safelite to do the chip repair. Never in my 51 years of driving have I ever seen anything like this!!!! Subaru has a DEFLECTIVE WINDSHIELD being used on their 2021 Crosstrek and possibly other models!!! Immediate ACTION is needed for the PUBLIC SAFETY of this defect. This should not be allowed to be sold with this manufacture deflect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was crossing two lanes of a very busy ocean front street when the engine “bogged down” . I let off on the gas pedal and then depressed it again, which then caused the engine to go off. I the quickly restarted the engine and was able to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. This was the only time the engine failed, but on about three or four previous times, the engine “bogged down” when I depressed the gas pedal, but recovered after I quickly depressed the pedal again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield cracked while going over railroad tracks. Spiderweb cracks that are small to see unless driving into the sun and then they are visible all over the windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Upon entering the vehicle (parked in the garage) I looked at the rear view mirror which I always do as I reverse. I noticed a crack on the windshield behind the mirror. The crack was not there when I entered the garage because I had to use the garage remote on the mirror to open the garage door. I would have noticed it (crack). The crack appeared suddenly. I am reporting this problem because I read that another owner, of similar vehicle, has complained about the same issue and almost with same mileage on his car. Same year vehicle too. Given the windshield/Glass history Subaru has with the Outback model, I wonder if this problem is transferred to the Subaru Crosstrek. The two vehicles do share the same type of glass!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | SHUDDERING - CVT belt or pulley not working properly? JERKING, HESITATION - Crosstrek will not go when the gas pedal is pressed or hesitates or pauses for a moment after the gas pedal is engaged | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Crack about seven inches long appeared in bottom center of front windshield. Nothing hit the windshield as far as I know. Crack runs from bottom of windshield in an upwards direction. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated upon entering the vehicle, he noticed that the windshield had cracked on the passenger side. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic to have it diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,700. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,700 |
| Jun 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | Bought the car brand new 6 months ago and the windshield crack all of a sudden | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | My windshield all of the sudden got a massive crack. I don’t remember a rock ever hitting it. It has been growing rapidly and I worry it is effecting my drivers assist system. I did some research and learned this was a common problem for Subarus and worry my windshield is defective due to weakness as evidenced by how quickly the crack is growing. I bought my car brand new 6 months ago. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | DRIVING HOME IN DAYLIGHT AFTER TAKING DELIVERY OF 2021 SUBARU CROSSTREK PREMIUM ON 1/29/21, I RAISED DIMMER SWITCH TO HIGHEST POSITION TO ILLUMINATE DASHBOARD BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE SPEEDOMETER/INSTRUMENT PANEL, AND THERE WAS NO ILLUMINATION! THIS IS MY 3RD CROSSTREK PREMIUM SO I KNEW HOW THE DIMMER & LIGHTING CONTROLS WORK. I CONTACTED DEALER & SERVICE MGR IMMEDIATELY, WAS TOLD "IT IS WHAT IT IS, NOTHING CAN BE DONE, SENSORS CANNOT BE ADJUSTED!. AFTER NUMEROUS COMMUNICATIONS W/SUBARU THROUGH LAST MONTH, THEY WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE, NO LESS ADDRESS, THIS DESIGN FLAW THAT MAKES THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE SUBARU OWNERS FORUMS CONTAIN THE SAME COMPLAINTS ON VARIOUS MODELS AS WELL. I'VE ATTACHED FIRST SET OF EMAILS TO SUBARU STARTING IN FEBRUARY 2021 AND A SET OF EMAILS ENDING LAST MONTH. I ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT UNDER LEMON LAW TO NYS ATTORNEY GENERAL KNOWING I DIDN'T MEET THE REQUIREMENTS BUT FILED IT TO GET IT ON RECORD; BECAUSE IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE A DESIGN FLAW & NOT REPAIRABLE, COMPLAINT WAS REJECTED. HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME AS SUBARU WOULD NOT ALLOW THE CANCELLATION OF MY LEASE EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW OF THE PROBLEM BEFORE CAR WAS SOLD AND WERE ADVISED BY ME OF THE PROBLEM WITHIN 1 DAY OF TAKING DELIVERY. THANK YOU. | Crash: No Fire: No | 106 |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | MY VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH EYESIGHT, WHICH IS A SUBARU TECHNOLOGY THAT INCLUDES ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISON WARNING/BREAKING, LANE DEPARTURE WARNING, REAR AUTOMATIC BRAKING, ETC. SUBARU CLAIMS THAT WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENTS MUST USE SUBARU GLASS DUE THE OPTICAL CLARITY OF THE WINDSHIELD AND THAT THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM MUST BE RECALIBRATED. THIS IS A $1339 COST (VIA SAFELIGHT) TO REPLACE THE WINDSHEILD. I HAVE 8400 MILES ON MY VEHICLE, AND I AM GETTING READY TO HAVE THE SECOND WINDSHIELD PUT ON THE CAR. THE GLASS SIMPLY BREAKS TO EASILY. FIRST INCIDENT, A ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND IT CRACKED ABOUT INCHES WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH ALBUQUERQUE, NM ON I-25. SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED TODAY ON I-25 WITH A BARELY PERCEPTIBLE SOUND, AND THE WINDSHIELD HAS A CRACK ABOUT 6.6 INCHES LONG. I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE ISSUE IS WITH SUBARU WINDSHIELDS, BUT LOOKING IN OWNER FORUMS, IT'S A PRETTY COMMON OCCURRENCE. THE FACT THAT I AM AVERAGING A NEW WINDSHIELD EVERY 4200 MILES IS RIDICULOUS. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 35+ YEARS AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE A WINDSHIELD LESS THAN THREE TIMES. WITH THE SUBARU, I AM DOING IT ALMOST EVERY 4-5 MONTHS (SO FAR). | Crash: No Fire: No | 8,308 |
| May 2021 | STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | THE LANE KEEPING FEATURE WILL RANDOMLY CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO VEER TOWARDS THE CENTER LINE AT A VARIETY OF SPEEDS AND UNDER A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS, REQUIRING IMMEDIATE DRIVER CORRECTION TO AVOID CROSSING THE CENTER LINE. NO ACCIDENT HAS OCCURRED BUT THE SYSTEM IS NOW DEACTIVATED. IN ADDITION, THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM DOES NOT RELIABLY ACQUIRE A VEHICLE AHEAD IF THAT VEHICLE IS STOPPED AND THE SPEED DIFFERENTIAL IS >30-40 MPH. WITHOUT DRIVER MANUAL BRAKING, A CRASH WOULD OCCUR. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,950 |