2023 Subaru Crosstrek Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Visibility721.2%
- Driver assistance618.2%
- Engine515.2%
- Electrical515.2%
- Brakes39.1%
- Airbags26.1%
- Body & structure13.0%
- Suspension13.0%
- Tires & wheels13.0%
- Seat belts13.0%
- Interior & seats13.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while her grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's side windshield cracked unexpectedly. The windshield had developed a crack without impact. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the front windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000.
The component that is compromised on my '23 Subaru Crosstrek Sport is the windshield. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Monday, Jan 13, 2025, a crack formed on my windshield. The crack happened on the inside of the vehicle. It was positioned above the defroster vent on the driver's side, and I saw it happen right before my eyes. I immediately inspected the windshield from the exterior of the car. The crack cannot be felt by touch on the exterior of the windshield. There was no evidence of any damage that the vehicle could have sustained that would have caused the crack. I continued to use the defroster without further incident during my morning commute drive throughout the work week of Jan 13. Monday, Jan 20, the crack expanded to the full length of the defroster vent. It now stretches across both the driver's side and passenger side of the car. Because of the crack, I no longer use the defroster vent in fear of further damage to the windshield. Without use of the defroster, my vision is compromised due to condensation build up between the temperature difference in the interior cabin of the vehicle in contrast to the outside weather temperature. The problem was confirmed by my local Subaru dealership. On Jan 13, I took my vehicle to my local Subaru dealership where I purchased the car. A service manager took pictures of the windshield crack on site and submitted a claim to the dealership’s district manager for review. On Tuesday Jan 21, I received an update from my dealership. The district manager offered a 35% rebate to go towards the repair and/or replacement of the windshield. However, the cost to replace the windshield is quoted at $1600, in which I would be responsible for covering the remainder of the expense. I feel this is an unacceptable attempt of resolve on behalf of my dealership due to the issue at hand is and was completely out of my control. There was no warning lamp, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
I was driving today January 30th 2026 on the road going 35 mph into the sunlight and all of the sudden my vehicle acted like I slammed on my brakes and I jerked forward almost hitting my chin in the steering wheel. Luckily no one was close behind me or I could have easily been hit. There was nothing in front of me so emergency brakes should not have deployed.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
Passenger side valve cover gasket and spark plug seal failure.
Oct 7 2025 when me and my 6 year old daughter. Was leaving after picking her up at mom i drove off then came to stop sign so i slowly hit breaks and car accelerated very dangerous im very concerned
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Replaced battery 3 times. Believe this car has the parasitic battery issue. Attached on of the bills. Looking for the other 2.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
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)
THE BRAKE PEDAL SOME TIME GOES DOWN TO THE FLOOR. I BROUGHT VEHICLE IN SUBARU DEALER FOR CHECK UP. THEY STATED THAT THE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER IS DEFECTIVE, NEED TO BE REPLACE. THIS IS 2023 VEHICLE AND THE MILEAGE IS ONLY 46,000 MILES. For safety to me and other drivers please investigate this safety concern.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Driving down highway in center lane, at or under speed limit, rainy conditions. Unexpectedly hydroplaned when transitioning from asphalt to bridge. Collided head-on with guardrail on right-hand side of road. Car then rotated and driver side rear collided with guardrail again. Airbags did not deploy, and during initial head on collision with barrier, driver seatbelt came unlatched from locking mechanism. No inspections at this time. No warning lights prior to crash. Potential for significant harm. Vehicle has been towed to IAA by insurance and will be temporarily available for inspection if requested. Presumed totaled, which will be confirmed within the week, after which the vehicle will most likely no longer be available to inspect.
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while turning into a parking spot at 20 MPH and upon depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle continued to accelerate, causing the contact to crash the front of the vehicle into the concrete wall. The vehicle came to a stop upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a local autobody center. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. The contact seated in the driver's seat was injured. No body outside of the vehicle reported an injury; however, a bystander nearby the crash site was taken to the hospital as a precaution in spite of her refusal to seek medical attention. The contact sustained internal bruising to her abdomen and chest, and medical treatment was needed for her injuries. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The windshield keeps chipping easily. I have not had it inspected. I am not sure who inspects them. It is obviously a safety risk.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
I've never taken my 23 crosstrek off the pavement I'm driving down hyw and my rear struts break my crosstrek has 38 thousand miles on it and it's only 3 and 1/2 years old I've owned many cars were if drove hundreds of thousands mile and none of them broke there struts going down the hyw
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
rear tire mostly but all 4 - need to add air 2-3 times daily. even adjusting the air pressure when tires are cold we still need to add air daily. Driving an hour at highway speed, parking car for a couple of hours and still the tire pressure is never sufficient. Brought to dealer 2 or 3 times and they cannot find a reason, me niece and others have also expressed this issue to me.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
Driving down highway in center lane, at or under speed limit, rainy conditions. Unexpectedly hydroplaned when transitioning from asphalt to bridge. Collided head-on with guardrail on right-hand side of road. Car then rotated and driver side rear collided with guardrail again. Airbags did not deploy, and during initial head on collision with barrier, driver seatbelt came unlatched from locking mechanism. No inspections at this time. No warning lights prior to crash. Potential for significant harm. Vehicle has been towed to IAA by insurance and will be temporarily available for inspection if requested. Presumed totaled, which will be confirmed within the week, after which the vehicle will most likely no longer be available to inspect.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
I purchased this vehicle in January 2023 model. The issue is that the driver side seat is heating up when sitting in the seat even though the heated seat button is NOT on. This issue happens most but not all of the time and the seat will get so hot it feels like my bottom and lower back is burning on fire to the point where I am EXTREMELY distracted while driving. This is a safety hazard, I fear it is only a matter of time before I cause an accident due to this distraction because it is so unbearable that I cannot focus on driving. I have searched to see if others have experienced this and there have been other reports on different forums etc. I have pasted a few below for reference: https://www.subaruxvforum.com/threads/hot-drivers-seat.182193/ https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/2020-driver-heated-seat-always-on-anyone-else.808784/ https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/2015-heated-seats-turning-on-themselves-dealership-cant-replicate-it.827426/ Dealership cannot replicate the issue on a very brief attempt even though the tech mentioned he could feel the warmth generated from the seat. The dealer told me to call Subaru customer advocacy who also blew me off and said they cannot replicate issue and advised no one else reported the issue so there was not action they could take. Her name was [XXX]. Email is [XXX] Please help me get resolution to this safety issue. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .