2013 Subaru Xv Crosstrek Electrical Problems

When the car is put in park the key will not come out of the ignition. Sometimes to be removed from ignition. Therefore the key will get stuck. The transmission has to be put back in drive and then back into park for the ignition system to recycle and release the key.sometimes it takes about 2 or 3 times to get the key out. I have had to turn the car on put it in drive then park push the lock switch then turn the car off. I have been told that Subaru knows the problem exists. No recalls have been made.

NHTSA ID

11730297

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

Within 10 days of purchasing this vehicle a certified Subaru dealership documented the following safety defects. Both front CV axles failing and clicking on turns creating loss of vehicle control risk. EPS electronic power steering fault codes creating safety critical steering concern. CAN bus communication fault U0073 affecting multiple vehicle safety systems simultaneously. CVT transmission fluid critically low at 1 to 2 quarts. These defects were professionally documented by Subaru of Portland certified technicians on [XXX] at 113,494 miles. Repair quote for safety related defects totals $7,516.51. Vehicle was sold by Overland Automotive LLC 2900 SE Cornelius Pass Rd Ste 105 Hillsboro OR 97123 with these defects undisclosed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11723030

Incident

Feb 9, 2026

The fan in my car, that controls the heat/air-conditioning, went out causing my windows to fog up since it was raining & I couldn't use the dehumidifier. I couldn't see & had to manually wipe my windshield several times & drive with my hazard lights on in order to get the car home. There were no warning lights on the dashboard. I took the car to a mechanic shop on another day, when they could not find the problem through a diagnostic the mechanic took apart the dashboard & that's when he found the wires connected to the control panel were melting/overheating. He said it was very dangerous because it could cause the car to catch fire. He said he had to leave the wires disconnected to prevent the car catching fire until the wires and control panel could be replaced. When I looked up if others were having the same problem, I found other Subaru Crosstrek owners with the same issue and many of them stated it happened again after replacing the affected parts. The control panel is not a wear-and-tear part so I was told I would have to get it from a Subaru dealership. I have not been able to take it to a Subaru dealership yet due to the weather but the car is available for inspection upon request. It has not been inspected yet by anyone besides my mechanic.

NHTSA ID

11632206

Incident

Dec 16, 2024

At various times of day or night, the brake lights turn on, while there is no one in the vehicle. The vehicle sits parked and is locked with the security on, and the lights just randomly turn on by themselves. The only way to turn the lights off is to go into the vehicle and step on the brake and then the lights are off after releasing the brake pedal. If the lights stay on, because it’s not noticed, then the battery drains and then needs to be jumped. It is concerning for vehicles traveling behind, because one wouldn’t know if there is an issue happening while traveling and could cause someone to be rear ended.

NHTSA ID

11629691

Incident

Nov 15, 2024

The electrical harness to the variable fan speed switch overheated melting the harness and switch.

NHTSA ID

11600188

Incident

Jun 3, 2024

Driving on the freeway my car lost power i pulled off to the side and tried to restart it. As I have the ignition turned over for 30 to 40 seconds the starter sounded erratic and the oil temperature light was flashing. I sat there for about ten minutes and tried again and it did the same thing but it started. This power loss has happened twice. The erratic noise coming from the ignition, and the hesitation of starting is a regular ongoing issue along with the oil temperature light. Since the first stall at about 117000 miles on the odometer the car has been burning oil at a rate of a full quart about every 3000 miles. #2 Around 120000 miles my key wouldn't come out of the ignition. This happened first on a late night in a high crime area. I actually had to leave my keys in my ignition while going into a gas station to pay for fuel. Since then this happens every time I turn off my vehicle and put it into the park position. Usually I have to wait around ten minutes to be able to remove the keys. Both of these issues cause a great deal of anxiety on the freeway or having to leave the key in the ignition.

NHTSA ID

11498204

Incident

Mar 30, 2022

Unable to remove key from Ignition when placed in Park

NHTSA ID

11454804

Incident

Feb 28, 2022

I PURCHASED 2013 SUBARU CROSSTREK I AM 2ND OWNER, I NEVER SEE ANY PROBLEM FOR ENGINE LIGHT CHECK AND END UP CONTROL CURISE BLINKING AND SUBARU WILL NOT PROVIDED ANY RECALL FOR TRANSMISSION ISSUE IT'S NOT SAFE TO DRIVING THEY SAID ONLY WILL WARRANTY UNDER 100K THAT UNFAIR THIS NOT SAFE CAR AND SO MANY COMMON ISSUE TRANSMISSION ON SUBARU. IT'S FIRST MAKE 2013 ON CROSSTREK HOW IT'S EXPECT UNDER 100K MILES... SHOULD RECALL FOR TRANSMISSION FIX

NHTSA ID

11415955

Incident

Apr 29, 2021

ON TWO OCCASIONS WHILE TRAVELING OVER 70 MPH ON I-26 OUTSIDE OF COLUMBIA, SC THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRIC SYSTEM APPEARED TO MALFUNCTION AND VEHICLE DIED IMMEDIATELY. THE CLOCK, FUEL ECONOMY READINGS, AND RADIO SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND HAD TO BE MANEUVERED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE WITH NO ACCELERATION CAPABILITY OR POWER STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS CAPABLE OF BEING RESTARTED. ON THE FIRST OCCASION, I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THERE WERE NO FAULTS, ERRORS OR ANYTHING NOTED SO I CONTINUED TO DRIVE, ASSUMING IT WAS A ONE TIME EVENT. THE SECOND TIME, THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AND THEN A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED. FOLLOWING THE SECOND TIME, CHECK ENGINE ILLUMINATED, AS WELL AS THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, AND THE CRUISE CONTROL IMAGE WAS BLINKING. PRIOR TO ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS, I WAS HAVING MAY ISSUES ENGAGING THE CRUISE CONTROL AND TRIED MULTIPLE BUTTON SEQUENCES TO MAKE CRUISE CONTROL WORK. I WAS ABLE TO GET VEHICLE TO AUTOPARTS STORE WHERE CODE READ P0021. TO GET SAFELY HOME, THE AUTOPARTS STORE RECOMMENDED THAT I DO A RESET BY DISCONNECTING BATTERY AND TURNING OFF ALL ELECTRONICS. THIS WORKED AND I HAVE DRIVEN SINCE WITHOUT THE SAME EVENT. THIS COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN FATAL AND MUST BE INVESTIGATED.

NHTSA ID

11372655

Incident

Oct 31, 2020

Mileage

121,000 mi

AFTER PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK UNABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM IGNITION, KEY GETTING STUCK IN IGNITION. *TR

NHTSA ID

11327410

Incident

May 29, 2020

Mileage

77,000 mi

OUR SUBARU CROSSTREK RECENTLY HAD A SENSOR ISSUE CAUSING THE CAR TO THINK IT WASN'T IN PARK WHEN IT WAS IN FACT IN PARK. THIS CAUSED THE IGNITION TO NOT RELEASE THE KEY PROPERLY, WHICH MEANT YOU COULD NOT LEAVE THE CAR UNLESS YOU LEFT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND DIDN'T LOCK IT. THIS IS APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM ON SUBARUS BASED ON TALKING WITH SERVICE REPS AND SEARCHING THE INTERNET. WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED, I AM NOT SURE. THE REPAIR FOR THIS LITTLE SENSOR WAS QUITE EXPENSIVE. $449.00

NHTSA ID

11323274

Incident

Apr 24, 2020

Mileage

142,000 mi

MY CAR IS CURRENTLY USING A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL. I'VE HAD TO PUT IN ABOUT 1.5 QUARTS OF OIL ABOUT 2 TIMES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. THE HORN HAS ALSO STOPPED WORKING IN SOME POSITIONS (THINKING THIS IS LIKELY THE CLOCKSPRING). MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 106K MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ID

11251865

Incident

Aug 27, 2019

THE HORN DOES NOT FUNCTION WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS ALIGNED STRAIGHT WITH THE WHEELS AND THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY OR MOVING HOWEVER WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT THE HORN WILL FUNCTION. "SUBARU HAS ALREADY ISSUED A RECALL IN AUSTRALIA FOR PROBLEMS RELATED TO MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT COULD LEAD TO A SHORT CIRCUIT, WHICH WOULD DISABLE CONTROL OF THE WIPERS, HEADLIGHTS, HORN, DRIVER'S AIRBAG AND FEATURES ACTUATED THROUGH THE MULTI-FUNCTION STEERING WHEEL, SUCH AS CRUISE CONTROL, AUDIO SYSTEM AND MOBILE PHONE CONNECTIVITY". MODELS AFFECTED IN THIS RECALL INCLUDED IMPREZA AND CROSSTREK XV YEARS 2012-2014, AND FORESTER MODELS BUILT IN 2013 AND 2014. NO RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED IN THE U.S RELATED TO THE STEERING AND/OR CONTROLS (APART FROM THE TAKATA RECALLS) *TR

NHTSA ID

11039788

Incident

Oct 25, 2017

Mileage

141,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED AND ATTEMPTING TO ADJUST THE AIR CONDITIONER, THE MOTOR SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAN FAILED TO WORK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEATER BLOWER CONTROL POWER PLUG SHORTED AND MELTED THE CONNECTOR. AS A RESULT, THE HEATER BLOWER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,454.

NHTSA ID

10892114

Incident

Jul 22, 2016

Mileage

106,454 mi