2020 Subaru Crosstrek
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 69 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 14 Crosstrek model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 6 involved a crash. 3 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
No safety recalls on file.
Representative owner complaints
69 reports, newest first.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 23, 2022
My car was parked outside when one morning I noticed a 2-inch crack started from the edge of the windshield on the passenger side of my vehicle which grew to 19 inches in the following days. The crack feels smooth from the outside and to my knowledge didn't happen due to any impact. My vehicle is available for any inspection. I have not taken my car to the manufacturer regarding this issue yet.
Other or unspecified, Oct 18, 2022
Repeatedly battery drains after a few days of not driving. Won’t start. Requires a jumpstart.
Other or unspecified, Aug 30, 2022
I was driving on the I-5 north. The car had already been in operation for over 2 hours by this point. While traveling around 70 mpg, the speed limit on that section of the highway, my front driver's side door, which had been locked, became unlocked and unlatched on its own — my car's "open door" warning went off and significant wind noise entered the car's cabin. Additionally, the cabin's interior lights all turned on, a normal feature that occurs when the car is stopped and the door opened, but incredible dangerous when traveling at night and at high speeds. I was in a safety corridor on the highway, so there was no shoulder to pull off to. If I tried pulling the door closer to the frame of the vehicle, I was able to get the "door open" indicator to turn off and the lights to dim, but the door would not latch. When I released my grip, however, the door returned to its unlatched/open state. Unable to tell how long the safety corridor would last, I was forced to open and close the door manually while still in motion to correct the problem. Had this been a one-lane section of the highway or had traffic been coming in the lane to my immediate left, it's possible this procedure would have caused an accident. I am unable to attach dashcam footage of this incident to this report, but have uploaded it here for you (and Subaru) to review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5vn_YOnpgI Please note that the time on the dash cam is incorrect - this occurred around 5 am.
Visibility, Aug 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated after entering the vehicle it was discovered that the front windshield had developed a crack extending approximately four inches from the top of the windshield to the rearview mirror attachment. The contact indicated that no object or rocks had made contact with the windshield to cause the crack. The cause of the failure was not determined. The windshield was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 13,000.
Electrical system, Jun 6, 2022
Car is a Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Car was connected to its electrical charge cable The connector is a type SAE J1772 When the connector is connected to the car, the ignition is supposed to be disabled, and the car is not supposed to be able to be removed from Park. Neither safety system was operable. When the car was moved, it broke the connector, exposing the bare pins. Hazard - potential exposure to electrocution or fire There is a small orange indicator on the display when the cable is connected. It should be RED, and it should inhibit the operation of the car.
Vehicle speed control, May 19, 2022, crash
The contact owned a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that as attempted to park her vehicle at 5 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning and drove onto a boulder. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. Three of the contact’s front teeth were knocked out as a result of the failure. The police were called to her property; however, a police report was not filed since the failure happened on private property. The contact was able to make an appointment with a dentist where she was treated for a fractured jaw; in addition, two front teeth were extracted from her jaw. Once her jaw had healed, dental implants were used to replace her missing teeth. The vehicle was towed to an independent auto body mechanic and later sold the vehicle since she no longer felt safe driving it. The dealer was notified of the failure; however, they claimed to have never heard of such a failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The whereabouts of the vehicle are unknown. The failure mileage was 5,104.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 10, 2022
My 2020 Subaru crosstrek has repeatedly had its windshield crack for little to no reason. I have noticed my windshield crack in a similar spot (near the vin number area) multiple times with no incidents where a rock or other debris struck the windshield. This provides a visual distraction and safety issue while driving.
Power train, Mar 7, 2022
The vehicle has experience numerous times now, and has been to the dealer for repairs regarding an unanticipated loss of all ability to accelerate or maintain speed until the vehicle is shutdown and restarted. This has caused significant stress when traveling on a fast moving freeway in the fast lane and then having to quickly get to the shoulder to "power-cycle" the vehicle. The dealer has seen the vehicle 5 times for this issue in the 10 months we have owned it, starting at 6k miles and we just got it back from 2 weeks with the dealer; today it has 9k miles. The dealer has told is that the vehicle losing all power and ability to accelerate or maintain speed is a safety feature. I feel having my wife and three children in a vehicle the significantly increases the chances for collision as very much the opposite of a safety feature. We have tried working with the dealer over the past 6 months and 3k miles, but need the help of an advocate who can influence the dealer to correct the issue before someone gets hurt or worse. The date shown below is only the first instance of many instances of power loss.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 20, 2022
Windshield cracked across bottom portion. Many other Subaru owners have had the same problem.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 14, 2022
Windshield defective/easily damaged. Minor roadway pebble created a pit. Seems to be an issue with many Subarus.
Other or unspecified, Jan 31, 2022
My front windshield cracked one day on its own sitting in my driveway.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 15, 2021
The windshield seemed to just start cracking for no known reason.
Electrical system, Nov 20, 2021
Battery drains quickly.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 25, 2021
Windshield spontaneously cracked
Structure, Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Oct 12, 2021
Driver side rear door window exploded while driving. Shattering was unexpected. No rocks were heading that way and car is only 1.5 years old.
Other or unspecified, Oct 12, 2021
2020 Crosstrek windshield cracked. The windshield easily chips. crack started in lower windshield. car was parked in carport when crack started. Subaru does not fix windshield and told us to call glass company. car taken to glass replacement center for replacement of windshield. Subaru dealer told us over the phone that the pictures show there is chip in windseild and Subaru will not cover repair.
Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 28, 2021
Stalls sometimes when in intersection or when making a turn from dead stop ,then goes along fine. Seems like it is fuel or computer problem
Visibility, Jun 25, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while entering the vehicle she noticed that the front windshield had a 10-inch crack on the driver’s side. The contact stated that an object had not struck the windshield to cause the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
Electrical system, Jun 21, 2021
If car sits unused for 2 or 3 days, the battery will have slowly drained down to the point where the car won't start. It seems that the car's internal electronics drains the battery down, even if the car isn't being operated. Even if the car is being operated, the battery is only charged up to about half of a full charge which contributes to the battery drain problem. The dealer says that the car should be started up every day to keep this problem from occurring, but that doesn't seem reasonable, and is practical if the car needs to be parked a few days at the airport.
Structure, May 11, 2021
WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO REASON. CRACK FORMED UNDERNEATH THE EDGE OF THE RUBBER WINDOW SEAL AND HAS SPREAD A CRACK SIX INCHES IN HEIGHT.
Visibility/wiper, May 3, 2021
WINDOWS WILL NOT ALWAYS GO DOWN WHEN TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW 26 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. REPORTED PROBLEM TO DEALER ON JANUARY 6, 2021. MADE SERVICE APPOINTMENT FOR JANUARY 19,2021. THEY VERIFIED PROBLEM. DEALER ORDERED REPLACEMENT DRIVER'S SIDE RUN CHANNEL, APPOINTMENT MADE FOR INSTALLATION JANUARY 26, 2021. MORNING OF JANUARY 28, 2021, TEMPERATURE 20 DEGREES F, NONE OF THE WINDOWS WOULD GO DOWN. NO FROST/SNOW/ICE ON WINDOWS. SERVICE APPOINTMENT JANUARY 28-29 DIAGNOSED 'POSSIBLE WINDOW FREEZING NEEDING TO DEFROST IN WINTER TIME'. FEBRUARY 17, 2021, TEMPERATURE 10 DEGREES F, WINDOWS DID NOT GO DOWN. DROVE CAR 30 MINUTES TO THE DEALER, DEFROST AND HEAT ON HIGH. SERVICE TECHNICIAN VERIFIED WINDOWS DID NOT GO DOWN, LEFT CAR WITH DEALER. FEBRUARY 19, 2021 ONE WINDOW STILL DID NOT GO DOWN. RECORDED VIDEO OF WINDOWS NOT GOING DOWN ON MARCH 2,2021,CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA, SERVICE RECORD # 1-66493397585. INITIAL PHONE CALL FROM SERVICES DEPARTMENT LEFT VOICEMAIL OFFERING 'COMPENSATION FOR THE PROBLEM'. I REFUSED COMPENSATION. RECEIVED EMAIL RECOMMENDING PURCHASING AN ACCESSORY TO 'ALLEVIATE THIS CONCERN'. PHONED SUBARU OF AMERICA AGAIN, SERVICE RECORD #1-67542809043, AND AGAIN ADVISED PURCHASE OF ACCESSORY TO 'ALLEVIATE THIS CONCERN'. APRIL 2, 2021, WINDOWS NOT GOING DOWN, RECORDED SECOND VIDEO. PHONED DEALER, WHO INITIATED A THIRD SERVICE RECORD #1-67810220574 WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA. RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE SERVICES DEPARTMENT AT SUBARU OF AMERICA INFORMING ME THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE CAR WINDOWS. THERE ARE INSTANCES IN KEENE,NY WHEN TEMPERATURE IS BELOW ZERO AT NIGHT NEVER ABOVE 15 DEGREES F DAILY AND WINDOWS WOULD NOT GO DOWN FOR DAYS. VEHICLE IS ALWAYS PARKED OUTSIDE.
Electrical system, May 3, 2021
MY CAR WOULDN'T START AFTER STOPPING TO VISIT A FRIEND. THE FRIEND WATCHED UNDER THE HOOD WHEN I PRESSED THE START BUTTON. HE SAW SPARKS FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I HAD DRIVEN OVER 27 MILES THAT DAY BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS BECAUSE I MADE TOO MANY SHORT TRIPS. THEY OFFERED TO INSTALL A BATTERY CHARGER WHICH I DON'T FEEL SHOULD BE NECESSARY ON A BRAND NEW CAR.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 30, 2021
I WOKE UP WITH A HUGE CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD. NO IDEA HOW IT HAPPENED. THIS IS THE THIRD ONE. I'VE HAD THIS CAR FOR 11 MONTHS.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 29, 2021
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WITH NO VEHICLES AROUND MY VEHICLE OR PASSING IN THE OPPOSING DIRECTION THE SUNROOF VIOLENTLY SHATTERED ALLOWING GLASS TO RAIN DOWN ON THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER. THERE WERE NO CARS NEARBY OR TREES OVERHEAD
Visibility/wiper, Mar 8, 2021
I BOUGHT MY 2020 SUBARU CROSSTREK IN MAY OF 2020. THE WINDSHIELD IS UP TO TWO CRACKS. I HAD THE FIRST FILLED THROUGH MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND I JUST DISCOVERED THE SECOND TODAY. BOTH CRACKS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE.