2024 Subaru Crosstrek
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Exterior lighting is the leading concern among 118 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 14 Crosstrek model years with reports.
Of the 2024 reports, 10 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 3 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power train, driveline, driveshaftNov 9, 2023
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.
A broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.
Campaign 23V754000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, instrument cluster/panelAug 4, 2023
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek and Impreza vehicles. Due to insufficient clearance, the instrument panel harness may contact the steering beam bracket, damaging the wire insulation and causing a short circuit.
A short circuit may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect the harness and install an additional clamp on the steering beam bracket. If damage is found, dealers will add protective tape or replace the instrument panel harness, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 3, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRL-23.
Campaign 23V551000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
33 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 21, 2026, crash
I was backing out of my driveway at 630 am this morning, September 21, 2026 when I heard what sounded like a loud crash. However, if anything had been in my car’s line of vision a beep would go off to alert me and that didn’t happen. I pulled back into my driveway to check if anything had somehow been behind me and then discovered I had no brakes! My driveway goes down a steep incline and I kept trying to apply my brakes to no avail and I crashed into some trees at the bottom of the driveway. I was not hurt and ran back up the driveway to make sure my car had not hit anyone or anything and there was nothing at all at the top of the driveway. I went back down and saw all the damage on my car: Front bumper and hood were smashed in as well as the driver’s side front and the passenger’s side front areas. I called the local police, my dealership where I leased this car, Patrick Motors in Shrewsbury, Ma, Subaru of American and my insurance agency, Liberty Mutual. At this time, I have nothing available to upload. I wanted to alert you to this situation because after I researched what happened to me and my 2024 Subaru Crosstek Wilderness Model this morning, I discovered that something called Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB) has frequently occurred with the Crossteks. I am fortunate that this happened to me in my own driveway and not going down any other street where I could have hit a person or vehicle or gone into a lake because the brakes stop working when RAB occurs!
Other or unspecified, Sep 20, 2026
Driver side mirror vibrates/shakes (not the housing just the mirror) I am still under warranty and Subaru service techs said they could see the issue but looked for a cause and said nothing was found and therefore couldn’t be a faulty part. There are plenty of like situation posts online. They really need to issue a recall to replace affected mirrors. It is hard to see at highway speeds(50+) with the vibrations occurring
Other or unspecified, Jun 6, 2026
Radio/Infotainment system popped up a over-the-air In-Vehicle Messaging (IVM) alert for SiriusXM advertisement. This in-motion ad force them to take their eyes off the road just to hit "Dismiss" resulting in missing a critical navigation turn in an unfamiliar location. This seems to happen every few months. The vendor does not offer a way to make these driver interruptions stop. I later called the number on the screen and they do not have a way to Opt Out of the IVM advertisements since I am not a California resident protected by CCPA.
Other or unspecified, Jun 4, 2026
My issue is with Sirius XM advertisements popping up on the screen while I'm driving, it is very distracting and seems unsafe especially when I'm using navigation apps on my screen trying to navigate the city. The message on the screen does have a phone number that says "Limited-time SiriusXM offer available through 6/30. Call 866-635-2495 for info/vehicle msg opt-out" but when I called the number they said it was physically impossible for them to opt me out and recommended I purchase a new in car stereo to address the issue. Which is completely outrageous because the car is a 2024 and basically new still. I asked to speak to a manager and they were unable to do anything to address it despite the message sating call to opt-out.
Other or unspecified, Jan 3, 2026
In-car pop-up advertisements, specifically from SiriusXM. The advertisement pops up while driving, attempting to use the safety features of the car, including navigation. It happens every few months, at random. There is no way to opt-out from the vehicle; the only option is using a desktop computer, creating an account, and finding the communication preferences. This is a dangerous feature, as it causes multiple issues when it happens, including driver safety. They violated FCC rules by making this easy to opt out of; I've never opted in, as I had to create an account just to cancel.
Other or unspecified, Dec 5, 2025
Advertisements routinely pop up on infotainment screen and block safety features like X Mode (for snow). They are a driving distraction, as they block all features on the screen and will not disappear until they are interacted with. This means that in inclement weather, I have to INTERACT WITH AN AD before using this safety feature. SiriusXM has refused to remove them. Subaru has said there is nothing they can do. This was also NOT disclosed to me upon purchase of the vehicle, so this is also a dishonest business practice on top of being a safety hazard by: not allowing usage of safety features and being a driving distraction. First and second incident was in November 2024, third was December 4, 2024. Most recent incidents occurred November 22, 2025 and December 2nd, 2025. I have photos as proof.
Other or unspecified, Dec 3, 2025
This is the second time this has occurred. While driving (vehicle in motion for multiple minutes beforehand), an ad for SiriusXM radio popped up on my infotainment, which disables CarPlay, A/C controls, car settings, driver assistance settings, etc. until you dismiss the ad. There is no way to dismiss the ad except clicking a small “X” button in the corner, which is difficult and dangerous to do while driving because you have to really focus on the screen and tapping the right spot. Absolutely unacceptable and inappropriate to show an ad like that. If I were driving at night or in the rain, there is a high likelihood I would crash, and that chance is not zero even in good daytime weather. It also forces me to do something illegal (interact w screen while driving).
Other or unspecified, Dec 3, 2025
Infotainment displayed an advertisement for serius XM radio while I was using navigation and operating the vehicle on the roadway.
Other or unspecified, Dec 2, 2025
Advertisements from serious xm taking over the screen. Distracting me from the road because I had to close the ad and open CarPlay back up. This is unacceptable!
Other or unspecified, Dec 2, 2025
While driving, the infotainment screen was overtaken with an advertisement for SiriusXM radio which had to be manually cleared by hitting an X button on the screen. The vehicle was in motion when the advertisement appeared and completely covered the screen. At the time of the incident, the vehicle had been on and driving for over an hour.
Other or unspecified, Nov 26, 2025
About 5 minutes after I started driving, an ad for Sirius-XM radio subscription appeared on my infotainment system. It took up the entire screen, covering my AC controls and Apple CarPlay navigation - this meant that I was required to interact with/dismiss the ad. Because it was shown when I was driving (in motion), I was forced to unsafely and illegally interact with the touch screen to re-enable the functionality of my car. Showing an ad in the car is unacceptable in general, but especially in a situation when the car is in motion, where it poses a significant safety risk.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2025
Ad for Sirius XM popped up on infotainment center AS I WAS DRIVING. This caused an unexpected interruption in my ability to drive safely. Subaru gives you zero option to opt out and I have repeatedly had this pop up on my screen. I bought and paid for this vehicle and they should not be allowed to place ANY ADS on the infotainment center.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2025
While driving, the infotainment system, which I was using for navigation, popped up an ad for SiriusXM radio. This distracted me, as the driver, while I was trying to use the navigation system to find my way. Thankfully, I was on a road with a speed limit of 30 mph, and an area that I am familiar with. However, there should be ZERO tolerance for advertisements on automotive infotainment systems.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2025
On infotainment touchscreen, repeated Sirius XM ads are shown while the vehicle is in operation. This is distracting and dangerous as the ads obscure actual critical functions like climate control, navigation, and vehicle settings until I tap the X on the ad to close it. Running ads while the vehicle is driving is not safe - this puts myself and other drivers at risk by introducing an unnecessary distraction. I cannot stress enough that these ads only appear WHILE the vehicle is driving.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2025
Distracting SiriusXm adds keep blocking navigation requiring physical input from driver to clear.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2025
While I was driving the other day my entire infotainment screen (which shows my map, as well as climate controls) was completely overtaken by a giant ad for Sirius XM radio service. It was the ENTIRE screen and it required me to take my focus off of the road long enough to determine what was happening on the screen, find a button to make it go away, then accurately tap the button while driving. This was EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and I don't know how it is legal! WHY are they allowed to project an ad into my field of vision, distracting my focus and potentially causing a deadly accident? This needs to be stopped! I love Subaru, but they need to stop endangering our lives with ads for satellite radio service I already don't want WHILE I'M DRIVING.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2025
I am not a customer of Sirius XM, so approximately once per month, an ad appears on my screen for a Sirius XM free trial. This is incredibly distracting and dangerous as it takes up the entire screen and requires me to take my eyes off the road to click the close button.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2025
Advertisement for XM radio service popped up on console screen of the car, and would not go away unless manually dismissed (touch) - while driving, covering the entire screen. This is entirely unnecessary and distracting, all to serve an advertisement for a service I don't want or use.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2025
Advertisements for SiriusXM radio are being pushed to the infotainment system. These ads temporarily render all radio and climate controls as unavailable until driver taps on screen to disable the notification… causing driver to take eyes off of the road.
Other or unspecified, Nov 23, 2025
Sirius XM ad shows up randomly on infotainment screen. It completely takes over the screen, distracting, and no way to disable it.
Other or unspecified, Nov 23, 2025
While driving in Alaska during icy conditions my entire display for my infotainment screen changed abruptly. I glanced over at this to see if this was important information as it doesn't usually do thing. Upon looking I realized this was an advertisement for Sirius XM radio free until December 1st. In order to get back to my normal navigation I had to click a small red X on the screen. This entire situation cause me to swerve and slide on the ice and almost go off into a ditch. This is extremely negligent behavior to display an advertisement while a car is in full motion and I, as the driver, am expected. To keep my eyes on the road.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 30, 2025, crash
I had a frontal accident on March 6, 2025. When I turned to pull into the driveway of my rental apartment, I lost control of the vehicle. It surged forward, climbed a low retaining wall of about 14" and then hit a support post. I sat there stunned thinking "what just happened and how?" At first, I thought it was me, but thinking about it more, I'm wondering if this could be a potential safety problem. I have read several other similar instances on the internet, and someone I know had a similar accident which was attributed to her age. Collision repair for the Crosstrek was $10,358 done by a local facility, not Subaru. Repair of damage to the support post was $1,340. I reported this to Subaru, but after several follow-ups (last one on July 29, 2025), I still have not received a reply from Subaru. I can forward the email string to you if you want. I don't know how to attach it in one of the acceptable formats.
Wheels, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Jun 30, 2025
The affected component of this vehicle is the braking system. When rocks or gravel get stuck to, in, on, or around the brake pads/brakes the braking system is compromised. Yes, The vehicle is available for inspection. When gravel gets stuck in, on, and around the brake pads, the safe operation of the braking system malfunctions. If the vehicle braking system does not work as designed/intended, lives are at risk. When you need to brake, the braking system needs to be reliable. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, upon taking the vehicle back to the dealer, the service manager confirmed this is a known defect by both sales and service teams. The service manager said this happens often and we should expect it to happen again. The service manager told me this vehicle is not to be driven on gravel. This was not disclosed at the time of purchase. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The dealer service department inspected the vehicle when it was towed back to them for service related to this problem. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, there was no warning. The brakes failed to operate properly, they did not completely fail.
Other or unspecified, Apr 19, 2025
This is not a safety issue. But the paint on the car seems to be of poor quality that is easily chipped or stained by bird droppings. The hood of the car has a multiple chips in the paint. The car has been well taken care of and normal driving conditions. For only 18000 miles on the car, the paint seems very thin and poor durability to hold up to normal driving conditions.
Other or unspecified, Electrical system, Feb 20, 2025
I had purchased my car over a weekend and in less than 2 days, on my way to work, I noticed that the horn volume and reliability was severely diminished to the point where you can't hear it if you have the windows rolled up inside the vehicle, and/or doesnt work at all. I used my warranty to replace the horn and have the dealership take a look at it. they recognized that it was a problem but even after replacing the horn, the issue still persisted.