RoadVitals

2023 Subaru Crosstrek

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
36
+2 complaints in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
4
4 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 36 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek, most frequently naming the visibility, driver assistance and electrical categories. 218 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Visibility718.9%
  • Driver assistance718.9%
  • Electrical616.2%
  • Engine513.5%
  • Brakes410.8%
  • Airbags25.4%
  • Interior & seats12.7%
  • Powertrain (other)12.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Driver assistance
Filed Oct 29, 2026

I filled up my 2023 Subaru Crosstrek with gasoline and a short time later the Check Engine light came on as did the warning lights that the safety features associated with the EyeSight system indicating it was no longer functioning. It encouraged me to get the car checked immediately. It turned out that I had not completely tightened the gas cap. I tightened the gas’s cap hoping the safety featured would reset - it didn’t. I contacted Subaru and they said it should reset after a few stops when the engine is shut off. I was on a road trip from Pennsylvania to Maine on a weekend so there was no place to get it checked or reset. We stopped multiple times along the way and it never reset. There were no Subaru dealers at our destination in Maine. Finally after some research I found out I needed disconnect the battery for at least 30 minutes and the car’s computer will reset. It worked. My point is that a simple loose gas cap will TOTALLY DISABLE all of the car’s SAFTY features associated with the EyeSight system create a safety problem totally unassociated with a loose cap or vapor leak. I can understand the warning lights coming on telling the driver to have the car serviced immediately. I do not understand why it needs to disable the collision avoidance, line crossing warning and other SAFETY FEATURES associated with EyeSight, making the car less safe.

NHTSA ID
11774391
Incident
Sep 12, 2026
Powertrain (other)
Filed Oct 18, 2026

2023 Subaru Crosstrek, 88,000 miles. Oil temperature warning light illuminated on October 5, 2026; dealer diagnosed CVT torque converter failure requiring replacement ($2,954 repair). This is the second CVT failure in two months: the same dealer replaced the CVT valve body in August 2026 (~$3,400) for the same warning light. Vehicle has remained parked at the dealer since the failure — driving with a failing torque converter can damage the CVT. Submitting as a transmission defect report."

NHTSA ID
11771919
Incident
Oct 5, 2026
Brakes
Filed Sep 1, 2026

Often the brakes are squishy. They require me to push almost all the way down on the brake pedal to engage. This has happened several times of the last year.

NHTSA ID
11761205
Incident
Sep 1, 2026
Electrical
Filed Aug 23, 2026

The battery and electrical system died while I was at a red light in traffic on my way to work. I was stuck on a major road with trucks and traffic behind me while I was stuck in the middle lane. I had to wait for help to be pushed out of traffic to the sidewalk and wait for a jump. The Subaru dealership confirmed this was an issue with their battery and auto stop/start system and charged me $600 to replace the battery. When it died, every light on my dashboard lit up but there was no prior warning. I no longer have this vehicle as I did not feel safe driving it anymore and I traded it in for something completely different.

NHTSA ID
11758851
Incident
Apr 24, 2026
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed May 14, 2026
Crash reported1 injury reported

Purchased vehicle 8/27/2025 within 1 day and 1 month of 2 separate class action lawsuits. Purchased from CarMax Wilmington. Car produced electrical shock to my hand first time I attempted to pair the vehicle. Parkway stated at that time I was under an additional warranty but the vehicle would require constant “updates”. This was an intentional deception to prevent me from pursuing what is required under the law, which is the replacement of head unit and subsequent by back of the vehicle when those services fail. "I am reporting a severe pre-crash safety module defect and subsequent dealer concealment on a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek. Two weeks prior to being rear-ended, Parkway Subaru in Wilmington, NC, executed seven failed EyeSight safety recalibration sequences. The service department concealed the component failure, falsely stating the vehicle 'just needed updates,' releasing an unsafe vehicle with non-functional automated braking into commerce. Post-collision, the vehicle was redirected to an uncertified shop to perform unauthorized repairs and cover up the pre-existing safety failure. Service Manager Selena Tighe verbally threatened me to suppress my references to federal class-action safety filings.

NHTSA ID
11737874
Incident
Apr 15, 2026
Electrical
Filed May 7, 2026

Replaced battery 3 times. Believe this car has the parasitic battery issue. Attached on of the bills. Looking for the other 2.

NHTSA ID
11736353
Incident
Dec 24, 2024
Brakes
Filed May 4, 2026

the rear brakes keep engaging while the car is driving. we purchased the car in November 2022. this happened in December 2024 & at the time a dealership in [XXX] area (where my son attended college), said it was an issue and replaced parts in the brake system. yesterday while we were driving back from [XXX] to Houston - the brakes started to make loud squeaking noise as if they were engaged and the brake light keep going on and off. fortunately, this happened very near to Houston and we drove slowly on by roads back home. it feels likes driving with hand brake engaged. fortunately nothing happened to us. but this is a systemic problem with subaru crosstek! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11735448
Incident
May 3, 2026
Engine
Filed Mar 2, 2026

Passenger side valve cover gasket and spark plug seal failure.

NHTSA ID
11721593
Incident
Feb 14, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

09-142-26

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This bulletin announces a change to the troubleshooting tree when diagnosing DTC P2404 EVAP SYSTEM LEAK DETECTION PUMP SENSE CIRCUIT RANGE/PERFORMANCE.

09-122-24R

ENGINE; FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This bulletin the announces diagnostic procedures and availability of new Engine Control Module (ECM) reprogramming files to address DTC P2404 (Evap System Leak Detection Pump Sense Circuit Range/Performance) detection. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

SubaruNet Announcement (T

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; POWER TRAIN

This is an update announcement regarding the TechShare & NorthStar Integration - CVT Diag.

SubaruNet Announcement (S

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This announcement provides information on the connected services platform for Subaru EVs.

15-304-22R

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This Service Information Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

15-344-26

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE

This bulletin provides a step-by-step diagnostic procedure for resolving Remote Engine Start (RES) failures for both Telematics and remote engine start equipped vehicles.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Subaru Crosstrek by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026111050.2
2025480043.7
20241212056.5
2023Viewing360045.6
2022320040.8
20211151048.2
2020710044.2
20192887052.2
20181955052.0
2017961042.4
20161331041.0
2015171031.0
2014161044.0
2013261045.4
2012200—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.