ENGINE07/16/2026
- Rod #4 failure of unknown cause, although there is speculation that current failure may be related to a major repair in oil system a year ago. - My safety along with my unborn child’s, husband’s and brother in law’s were all at risk. Another driver had to take evasive action to avoid hitting us in an active fast lane on I-70 going between 65-70 mph. There was no shoulder available to pull off on until a half mile up the road. - Yes the problem has been confirmed from the dealership partially. They did not identify a cause for the sudden failure. However stated it could not be determined if this failure is or is not related to a previous major engine repair made a year ago. - The engine has been inspected by the dealership and warranty company. - There were no warning signals prior to either engine failures. The first one being a year ago for head gasket failure that allowed oil to mix with coolant. With the most recent failure the engine ticked briefly after braking to merge for construction, the oil pressure light followed by engine light turned on 5 seconds before engine completely lost power.
POWER TRAIN07/14/2026
Viscous Coupling and center differential failing. unable to turn at low speeds. Low mileage vehicle, under 40,000. This is a several 1000$ repair that happens right after warranty
SUSPENSION07/14/2026
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds and turning to the right or the left, the steering wheel and the vehicle were shaking and vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the control arms and struts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE07/06/2026
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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM06/10/2026
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.
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE05/20/2026
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)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM05/16/2026
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.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER05/12/2026
Subaru Starlink alerts keep disrupting my navigation so it’s making driving unsafe bc it pops up and interrupts Waze Navigation and has to be addressed to get back to my map. It happens incessantly and persistently even though I’ve turned off app Starlink access and alerts. It is a distraction to my focus while driving and i fear it will cause me to get into an accident. Why hasn’t Subaru fixed this known issue?
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION05/12/2026
Power train automatic transmission park/neutral start interlock Reverse lights not illuminating increasing risk of collision Recall was issued not listed here WRQ-23 Recall issued 1/8/23 My issue started in 2026 off and on Why is this Recall not listed Subaru service department states not able to provide service without the recall on file Car purchased August 2025
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE05/07/2026
The car in front of me was about a two car's lengths away. It was very cold and that car's exhaust plume was larger than normal. The exhaust plume was highlighted by sunlight, and I believe my car thought it was an object. The auto braking system alerted and immediately slammed on the brakes in the middle of heavy traffic. There was no time for me to respond. Thankfully no one hit me. If I'd been on the highway it could have been catastrophic. The problem has not been reproduced or inspected.
ENGINE04/27/2026
The vehicle shuddered violently when turning the ignition, and then failed to start entirely. The mechanic found that the engine coil was severely damaged, no external influence, just that it had become worn out remarkably fast. The vehicle has less than 60,000 miles and just 5 years in service. The repair will end up costing about 1500 with tows included and the vehicle has not gone without maintenance or care.
BACK OVER PREVENTION03/23/2026
The backup camera on my Subaru Crosstrek started to a stop working a few weeks ago. It first started to intermittently transmit a video feed that was fuzzy and the colors were completely incorrect. That started to follow with the camera not working about half the time at all on my head unit. Now it's completely not showing up at all on my head unit when I go into reverse. I live near a school and when I back out, I'm concerned that I won't be able to see a child behind my car. Same for parking garages and parallel parking. The Subaru dealership is saying they have checked all the wiring and modules and have isolated it to the backup camera. There were no other messages besides the camera starting to malfunction.
Showing 12 of 111 complaints.
