Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 14 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Within 24 hours of purchase, the exhaust pipe became detached underneath the vehicle and exhaust fumes and odor were entering the cabin while driving. This created a potential carbon monoxide exposure risk to me and passengers. Subaru inspected the vehicle and confirmed the exhaust issue existed before I purchased the car. The selling dealership did not disclose this safety defect and refused to unwind the sale when notified.
In three separate incidents while car only shows 70 in fuel indicator, my 2016 Crosstrek stalled while driving on a highway. I have brought my car to Subaru dealer, but they cannot find anything wrong with my 2016 Crosstrek. In each of the three separate instances after waiting on the side road for 30 minutes, I was able to restart the car and drive home. My car just had a new engine air filter replaced.
Car caught fire from what seemed to be an electrical issue. Car became engulfed in flames within a few seconds. Fire department was called to extinguish the fire. I was lucky myself to make it out in time. The fire became so big, so quickly, I was concerned for the safety of the surrounding property. Luckily, no one was injured and no property damage took place. Car was inspected and totaled by insurance. The headlights were constantly needing to be changed. Otherwise the car was fine. I had just replaced the battery and just a few hours later the fire happened. The fire appeared to start somewhere under the hood on the passenger side.
My car has stopped working while driving 70 mph on the interstate in so separate occasions. Both times it has been driving fine, with fuel in the tank, and all of the sudden it shuts off and completely loses power. All of the warning lights on the dash light up and the only thing to do is to coast to the shoulder of the highway. Couldn’t start the car back up (cranked, no start). Battery is fine. Fuel level is fine. First time it happened it had to be towed. Towed to mechanic who ran diagnostics on it the next day but nothing threw a code. It started fine the next day. I’ve had certified Subaru mechanics tear this thing apart trying to figure out what causes the issue but they can’t find anything wrong. I’m scared this is going to happen again and will put me in a dangerous situation in the middle of a highway or on the side of the road. This is definitely an issue putting myself and others at risk. It seems similar to other issues Subaru crosstreks have had in close model years to mine (20 where recalls have been issued for fuel pump malfunctions etc. Please look into this, this could cause a terrible wreck and needs to be resolved ASAP.
My friend and I drove from Minneapolis to Duluth for a two-day short trip (Oct 20 - 21, 2022). On our way back, my car suddenly slowed down (from 70 m/h to 40 m/h and was non-responsive), and shut down completely at the intersection between Highway I-35 W and Lino Lake, MN 55038, about 30 miles away from TC around 8:30 pm, Friday night. And then I cannot start my car at all. Originally I thought it was the gas issue but the screen indicated there were at least 100miles to drive. Therefore, I called 911 right after (see EXHIBIT 1) and asked for help as well as Subaru roadside service (see EXHIBIT 2 ). Fortunately, my car stopped at the shoulders and we were not involved in a crash. This happened three days AFTER I had my car maintenance (Oct 17 at 10:15 am, Morrie's Minnetonka Subaru, 12520 Wayzata Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55305), and according to the report from that maintenance, the car was functioning well and had no red flag (see EXHIBIT 3). My car is currently located at Morrie's Minnetonka Subaru for further inspection. However, as far as I know so far (from the dealership mechanics), they have no clue what happened and they need to ask for additional help to figure out why the car engine suddenly lost power. In addition, I saw this is not a solo accident, many other Subaru Crosstrek Owners have encountered similar situations (i.e., lost power completely on the highway or freeway after regular car maintenance). Please see EXHIBIT 4 for detailed information.
At 89,000 the transmission was replaced because of a “known issue” and I was having problems. The car would lurch and hesitate coming off traffic stops. This prompted me to go to the dealer who called Subaru who offered to replace transmission, no further questions asked. Less than 20,000 miles later, this new transmission is causing problems again to the tune of $12,000! They refuse to replace it at no charge when they KNOW the CVT transmissions have issues
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU CROSSTREK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DCH SUBARU OF THOUSAND OAKS (3725 AUTO MALL DR, THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91362) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE ENGINE SHORT BLOCK NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, UPON RETRIEVING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE CORRECTLY WITH A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE SAME DEALER 4 MONTHS LATER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VALVES NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT BACK TO THE SAME DEALER FOR ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 118,000.
HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES, MAJORITY OF IT HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY, AND I EXITED OFF THE HIGHWAY. I WAITED AT A STOP LIGHT AND THEN TURNED ONTO A SECONDARY ROAD. THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN GAVE ALL WARNING LIGHTS WITH THE HYBRID SYSTEM AND I LOST ACCELERATION IN THE VEHICLE. IT MADE IT VERY HARD TO STEER, AND WHEN STEPPING ON THE GAS IT BARELY HAD ANY POWER TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE. FELT LIKE I LOST THE MAIN POWER A D WAS USING ONLY THE HYBRID BATTERY TO POWER THE VEHICLE. I PULLED OFF ON A SIDE STREET PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. I WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND THEN TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AND IF IT HAD HAPPENED TWO MINUTES EARLIER I WOULD'VE BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY AND IN REAL TROUBLE.
KEY IS UNABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM IGNITION AFTER SHIFTING TO PARK. SOMETIMES REQUIRES YOU TO SHIFT IN AND OUT OF PARK SEVERAL TIMES TO GET THE KEY TO RELEASE. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON COMPLAINT AND A DEFECTIVE PARK POSITION SENSOR.
VEHICLE TURNED OFF/STALLED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON 2 OCCASIONS, 2 MONTHS APART. NEEDED TO BE TOWED. SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. BOTH TIMES, DEALER STATED NO ISSUES WERE FOUND. FIRST TIME THEY SAID IT MAY BE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WHICH WAS REPAIRED UNDER RECALL. SECOND TIME THEY SAID IT MIGHT BE THE FUEL PUMP OVERHEATING BUT SAID PUMP LOOKED FINE. I DO NOT TRUST THE CAR AND WILL NOT DRIVE IT.
THE IGNITION KEY DOES NOT COME OUT AFTER TURNING OFF THE CAR. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO START IT ON AND TURN IT OFF MULTIPLE TIMES UNTIL IT DOES COME OUT. BTW, MY SISTER OWNS THE SAME CAR, AND SHE HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE FOR ABOUT FIVE MONTHS.
WHILE PUTTING MY VEHICLE IN PARK THE KEY WILL NOT RELEASE FROM THE IGNITION. IT TAKES MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS OF GOING BACK AND FORTH TO GET THE KEY TO RELEASE FROM THE IGNITION. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ, NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE AND SUBARU HAS YET TO ISSUE A NATIONAL RECALL. I HAVE ATTACHED A DOCUMENT THAT DETAILS THE PROBLEM.
THE VEHICLE WAS LOSING POWER AND GETTING CLOSE TO THE POINT OF STALLING BUT NEVER STALLED. IT WOULD PERIODICALLY NOT SWITCH GEARS AS WELL. SEEMS LIKE IT COULD HAVE BEEN A FAULTY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. APPARENTLY I WAS TOLD THAT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL PUT OUT EARLIER FOR THIS ISSUE. SO I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 SUBARU CROSSTREK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. COLONIAL SUBARU (761 E CHESTER ST, KINGSTON, NY 12401, (845) 339-3330) ADVISED THE CONTACT TO GO TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO HAVE OIL ADDED TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO SENT A LETTER TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER. THE DEALER CHANGED THE OIL AND A 1,000 MILE TEST WAS TO BE PERFORMED TO CHECK THE STATUS. AFTER THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, IT FAILED TO START WHILE IT WAS RAINING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ANOTHER UNKNOWN DEALER FOR A SECOND OPINION AND THE BATTER WAS REPLACED. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND SMOKE AND FLAMES APPEARED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED DESTROYED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,700.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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