Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
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Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. 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. 18 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
The CVT valve body was diagnosed as defective by the Subaru Dealership service department. The car was taken to the dcealership when the A/T OIL EMP, HILL ASSIST, ABS and TRACTION CONTROL, STABILITY CONTROL lights came up. The valve body is still available for inspection. The car was taken to the dealership for a Brake Light Switch recall that has the same simptoms.
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.
Ignition Key stuck in the ignition cannot be removed from ignition after parking. This problem never occurred in previous 5 years of ownership. It happens nearly every time the car is driven, and has been reported widely on the internet by Subaru owners. In many cases, owners have not been able to remove the keys at all, and have had to call for assistance. On the advice of a repair tech, we replaced our battery, which, at 5 years old, was probably due to be replaced. This has not solved the problem.
2016 SUBARU CROSSTREK, KEY BECOMES STUCK IN IGNITION. MUST MOVE SHIFT LEVER OUT OF AND INTO P(ARK) POSITION SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE KEY CAN BE TURNED TO THE PROPER POSITION TO REMOVE IT. COMMONLY HAPPENS WHEN PARKING VEHICLE.
I PUT MY CAR INTO PARK AND I TRY TO TURN MY CAR OFF THE KEY TURNS HALF WAY AND STOPS. I CAN'T GET THE KEY OUT. I TRY AGAIN BY TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF. SOMETIMES THAT WORKS. SOMETIMES PUTTING IT INTO DRIVE AND AND THEN PARK AGAIN WORKS. IT IS BECOMING A PROBLEM MORE AND MORE FREQUENT. IT CAN TAKE UP TO 3 MINUTES OF FIDGETING TO GET THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION.
SUBARU CROSSTREK 2016 CAR HAS HAD POWER TRAIN FAILURE 3 TIMES. THE LATEST CAUSED A REAR END COLLISION INTO MY CAR ON 2/28/2020. VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE TRAVELING APPROX 35 MPH ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE REMAINED ON AND POWER STEERING ALSO WORKED. CAR WAS IN DRIVE BUT NO POWER TO THE WHEELS. REAR ENDED BY A HONDA SUV WHILE DRIFTING TO SIDE OF ROAD. LUCKILY NO INJURIES...ABOUT $1500 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO HONDA SUV. NO REAL DAMAGE TO THE REAR OF MY CAR. HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER TWICE BUT NO TROUBLE CODES OR DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION. VEHICLE IS UNDER WARRANTY. SEEMS TO BE A MYSTERY PROBLEM AND THE DEALER HAS NO SOLUTION AT PRESENT. TRYING TO GET A RESPONSE FROM SUBARU. SYMPTOMS ARE THE SAME FOR ALL THREE FAILURES. POLICE REPORT NUMBER AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
THIS IS THE SECOND INCIDENT. THE FIRST, I DID NOT REPORT, BUT WAS IDENTICAL IN OCCURRENCE. WHILE DRIVING IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE OF A MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY @ APPROX. 70MPH, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION AND POWER, AS IF TO BE IN NEUTRAL. THE GEAR SHIFT WAS NOT JARRED, MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE BRAKE, THIS WAS NOT OPERATOR ERROR. THE CAR SLOWLY LOST SPEED AS PRESSING ACCELERATOR ONLY REVVED THE ENGINE WITH NO RESULTS. I IMMEDIATELY PRESSED THE HAZARDS AND MY INDICATOR TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. THANKFULLY ARRIVING THERE SAFELY ALTHOUGH OTHER VEHICLES ON THE HIGHWAY WERE REQUIRED TO REACT. UPON GETTING TO THE SHOULDER, I SHUT OFF THE CAR, AND TURNED IT BACK ON. ACCELERATOR WORKS AS IT SHOULD AND I WAS LUCKILY LEAVING THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT EXIT. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS APPROXIMATELY 4 MONTHS AGO. I REPORTED IT TO MY DEALER WHO WAS REPAIRING A BRAKE LIGHT RECALL, THE SERVICE MANAGER LAUGHED IT OFF AS OPERATOR ERROR. I ASSURE YOU IT WAS NOT. IN HINDSIGHT, THIS COULD BE A FAR MORE TRAGIC SCENARIO HAVING YOUR CAR LOSING POWER WITHOUT NOTICE ON A HIGHWAY. ALL POWER STEERING AND INDICATORS ON THE DASH WERE UNAFFECTED, ONLY THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE.
WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AROUND CURVES AT ABOUT 15-20 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL KIND OF LOCKED, AND COULD NOT GO BACK STRAIGHT. HAD TO STOP, TURN THE CAR OFF IN ORDER TO THE STEERING WHEEL FEEL NORMAL. IT DID IT A COUPLE OF TIMES, ALSO WHILE PARKING IT MADE LIKE A CLICKING NOISE BY THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL. HAD IT FIX, SUBARU REPLACE RELIEF VALVE, ELECTRIC OIL PUMP. EVEN THOUGH SUBARU IS AT FAULT, I HAD TO PAY ALMOST $600 TO HAVE THIS FIX BECAUSE MY CAR HAD A CONDITION THAT WAS NOT COVERED BY THEIR WARRANTY. IT ISN'T FAIR. I BOUGHT THIS SUBARU BECAUSE OF THEIR RELIABILITY. IT SHOULDN'T HAVE DEFECTS. THIS SITUATION EXPOSED MY DAUGHTER'S LIFE AND MINE. I HOPE NOBODY ELSE GOES THROUGH THIS RISKY SITUATION. THANK YOU.
CANNOT TURN OFF CAR AND REMOVE KEY AFTER SHIFTING INTO PARK. PROBLEM IN INTERMITTENT. HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES.
NOT ABLE TO REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION HAVE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK PUT IT BACK IN PARK IN PARK AND SOMETIMES REPEAT THEN ABLE TO REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION. DEALERSHIP SAYS IT'S NOT COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY THE SERVICE ADVISOR NEE EXACTLY WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AS THEY JUST DID THE REPAIRS TO ANOTHER VEHICLE THE PART IS TRANSMISSION PLATE GUIDE ASSEMBLY LOCATED IN THE SHIFT CONSOLE THAT COST $50 AND $350 FOR LABOR WITH A TOTAL OF $400. MY VEHICLE IS NOW AT 40,000 MILES.
VEHICLE WAS PLACED IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF DRIVEWAY. AFTER BACKING INTO STREET THE VEHICLE CANE TO A COMPLETE STOP THEN THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION WAS SHIFTED INTO DRIVE. I PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE STALLED FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN QUICKLY ACCELERATED AT A VERY FAST SPEED. THIS WAS ON A BUSY ROAD AND THE VEHICLE APPROACHING MY REAR HAD TO SLAM ON ITS BRAKES TO AVOID A COLLISION. LATER IN THE SAME EVENING IN A PARKING LOT THE SAME GEAR CHANGE PROBLEM HAPPED AGAIN. AFTER GOING FROM REVERSE THEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED TO THE DRIVE POSITION. THE GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED THEN THE VEHICLE CAME TO A NEAR STALL. AFTER A LONG DELAY THE VEHICLE JOLTED FORWARD. A PERSON WALKING THROUGH THE LOT NOTICED MY HESITATION AND THOUGHT I WAS LETTING THEM CROSS IN FRONT OF ME. MY VEHICLE CAME WITHIN A COUPLE FEET OF ALMOST STRIKING THE PEDESTRIAN.
2016 SUBARU CROSS TREK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING IN MANUAL MODE. *LD *JS
TRANSMISSION SLIPPING DANGEROUSLY WHILE DRIVING
TODAY WE HAD THE THIRD WHEEL BEARING REPLACED ON THIS CAR. AT 43K MILES THE RIGHT REAR BEARING HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE AND THE LEFT REAR BEARING ONCE.
THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING IS FAILING FOR THE THIRD [3RD] TIME AT 40K MILES. BEARING FAILURE APPEAR TO BE INCREASING IN FREQUENCY.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 110 MILES. I SLOWED DOWN TO PAY A TOLL AND THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS VEHICLE HAS STALLED DURING INTERSTATE HIGHWAY DRIVING. THE FIRST TIME WAS AROUND 17,000 MILES AND THIS TIME 38,000 MILES. IT TOOK APPROXIMATELY 2 1/2 HOURS BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD RESTART. HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER.
THE DURATION OF TIME THAT IT TAKES TO GO FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE IS UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS. EVERY MORNING I DRIVE MY CHILD TO DAYCARE AND THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHERE I FEARED THAT WE WOULD GET REAR-ENDED (WHICH WOULD INJURE MY CHILD) DUE TO THE SLOW RESPONSE TIME GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. EVERY MORNING I HAVE TO BE 100% SURE TO TIME MY REVERSAL WHEN BACKING OUT AND MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO CARS ANYWHERE NEAR ME SO I DON'T GET CRASHED INTO. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE THERE ARE ANY DEATHS OR INJURIES FROM THIS. ALSO, THIS IS A MINOR INCONVENIENCE BUT THE MOONROOF/SUNROOF DOESN'T OPEN 100% ALL THE WAY WHEN I CLICK THE AUTO OPEN BUTTON/FEATURE...IT OPENS AND THEN STOPS ABOUT 1 INCH BEFORE BEING FULLY OPEN. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU PRESS THE AUTO OPEN BUTTON TO OPEN THE MOONROOF, IT WILL STOP AT 90-95% OPEN THEN YOU HAVE TO MANUALLY PRESS IT AGAIN TO GET IT FULLY OPEN ANOTHER INCH TO 100%. WHEN I TOOK MY CROSSTREK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM REPROGRAM MY TELEMATICS FOR THE TELEMATICS/COMPUTER REPROGRAMMING RECALL I HAD THEM TAKE A LOOK AT THE MOONROOF AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS "WORKING AS DESIGNED". WHY WOULD A MOONROOF NOT FULLY OPEN 100% BY DESIGN? IT CAN'T BE A SAFETY ISSUE, SO THIS JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE AND LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE DEALERSHIP WAS BEING COMPLACENT AND LAZY AND DIDN'T FEEL LIKE HAVING TO ADJUST IT OR SIMPLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW.
THE LAG TIME ON THE CVT GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE IS BEYOND ANNOYING IT IS DANGEROUS. IT TAKES 1-2 SECONDS FOR THE CAR TO MOVE AND BECAUSE OF THIS LAPSE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT THE CAR WILL LURCH. FOR EXAMPLE, IF BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AND TRAFFIC WARRANTS THAT YOU PULL BACK INTO THE SPACE IT CAN LEAD TO A POTENTIAL OUT OF CONTROL SITUATION.
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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