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
118 reports, newest first.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 28, 2024
I have only had my vehicle (new 2024) for 5 months- no known or prior issues. I was driving on the highway, no vehicles around me and I hear a loud pop. A few minutes go by and the windshield begins to crack. Over the course of about an hour, it had spread across almost the entire windshield. With the recent history of Subaru windshields, I’m worried about the strength of their glass. Not saying there is a widespread issue at the moment, but concerned that in a few months or a year there may be a pattern.
Air bags, Nov 26, 2024
The passenger front airbag does not always activate when my wife (who weighs [XXX][) sits in the seat. Car has been brought to the selling Dealer (Lester Glenn Subaru, Toms River, NJ). They state that the weight sensor under the front seat is calibrated correctly and there is nothing they can do about this issue. When I sit in the front passenger seat (I weigh [XXX] pounds) the airbag indicator light is always in the on position. I also own a 2024 Subaru Legacy and the same issue is evident with this vehicle. I will file a separate incident report on that vehicle. This is very frightening as we fear that if we get into an accident my wife will be severely injured or killed because her airbag will not deploy. We bought the car in June 2023; but did not notice this indicator light issue until after we bought the Legacy in September 2024. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Exterior lighting, Nov 20, 2024
The headlights allow for only extremely limited visibility. At night, The windshield from the top to about 15” down is black. The lighting is bright for about 50-75’. If I am headed downhill the headlights shine down and the top of the hill can be invisible. Per Subaru this is standard. It is horrible. I can’t believe this hasn’t resulted in a recall. I will not drive the car after dusk. I didn’t notice this problem till about a week ago. I avoid night driving when possible but it shouldn’t be impossible for me to drive at night.
Air bags, Nov 12, 2024
The Front Passenger Side Air Bag Indicator Does Not Indicate The Air Bags are Functional when my husband is driving and I am Siting in the Front Passenger Side Seat. This Is Un acceptable. The Condition has Existed Since The Car was New. The Car Now has 380 Miles On it.
Visibility, Oct 23, 2024
I have noticed an issue with Driver side mirror housing, vibrates, and shakes while driving at any speed since I took delivery on September 27, 2024 from Subaru Of Clear Lake. It is making it hard to observe anything in that mirror, making it almost useless. Took it to Team Gilman Subaru north. They said that they tighten the mirror/ housing and that are confident that it is secure, but once I pull off lot it is still doing it! But I also was told that they would get me out quick and not have to do anything paperwork makes me wonder.
Service brakes, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 15, 2024
My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek was stopped at a red light behind a car. My cruise was disengaged after the car stopped and my foot was on the brake. Suddenly, the car lurched forward on its own and only stopped when I pressed hard on the brake and moved transmission from drive to park.
Power train, Oct 1, 2024
I purchased the vehicle used on 8/7/24 with 4,507 miles on it. On 8/13/24 while stopped at a red light in the fast lane, the car failed to accelerate and all the warning lights on the dashboard illuminated including the AT oil temp light which according the to owner's manual indicates the transmission. It stands for automatic transmission oil temperature. After turning on my hazard lights, I put the car in park and turned off the car and restarted it and I was able to pull into a parking lot. I had it towed to Subaru who said it was code p1868 and was the transmission. They drained and refilled the transmission and said the fluid was dirty and contained metal debris. When I asked them why a car with such low mileage would have dirty fluid containing metal debris, I was told it could have had low fluid from the factory or the factory could have used "crappy" fluid. I was also told the reason so many warning lights come on is because those systems become disabled when there is a problem. I got the car back on 8/17/24 and then on 9/7/24 while driving, all the lights came on again including the AT oil temp light which was noted to be yellow and flashing. Subaru of America towed it to Subaru again. They said it was the same code and this time they're replacing the valve body. Today is 10/1/24 and Subaru still has my car. They said if it happens again, then they will finally replace the transmission. When it was towed to Subaru on 9/7/24, it had less than 6,000 miles on it. I will upload the invoice from the first incident but I don't have the invoice from the second incident since my car is still at Subaru being repaired.
Visibility, Sep 27, 2024
Driver side exterior mirror vibrates and blurs / distorts the visibility at higher speeds when on the freeway or interstate. This is on a brand new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek purchased less than a month ago. Dealer recreated the issue but will not fix because they said other new crosstreks do this as well and is a design flaw issue that does not have a repair???
Exterior lighting, Sep 15, 2024
The SRH headlight system has a Dark square at the top of each side light pattern that is extremely distracting to the driver. As the vehicle is in motion and the headlights are moving back and forth due to steering inputs the dark spots appear almost as if an animal or object is running out in front of you. This constantly moving distraction is an accident waiting to happen
Service brakes, Sep 5, 2024, crash
The contact owned a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH on the slow lane in the snow, he lost control. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The contact veered to the side of the road, off a slope, and then fell and crashed into a tree. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries or fire. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the event data recorder was retrieved. The manufacturer was unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
Exterior lighting, Engine, Sep 5, 2024
1. The headlights in this vehicle have shadows and this is exceedingly disconcerting and actually dangerous. Subaru insists the headlights are fine and yet other owners of this same model complain of the same issue which I discovered in doing internet research. AND 2. Due to the use of soy based materials in the engine of this 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, it has literally been assailed by rodents. This has caused extensive and very costly damage. It has become a job in essence trying to find solutions to this problem in order to try to prevent it happening again. In all the 28 years at my location and two previous vehicles, this Subaru Crosstrek has had INCOMPARABLE rodent attacks to the engine materials. Apparently, this vehicle had rodents getting into the engine right away once it came to my location and it had to be taken in twice, having been out here around a little over one month. It was unknown to me rodents were getting into the engine until the first incident of something not working. The second time it had to be towed in as it would have been dangerous to try to drive it due to the damage. Additionally, the loaner, another 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, was out here less than a week and suffered damage from rodents. This despite the fact that multiple rodent repellents, baits, bait traps, poisons, live traps, snap traps, etc., were used by myself personally and a professional pest control agency having been hired in addition. Using such attractants in vehicle manufacture is unethical, unprofessional, irresponsible, dangerous, constituting a hardship in several ways for customers and unconscionable. Naturally Subaru does not want to take accountability, despite it undeniably being their fault for choosing to use these materials while being fully aware they are rodent attractants. It also affects insurance rates adversely. Often you would not realize what damage and how much damage has been done to these vehicles until it might cause a breakdown on the road or worse.
Steering, Aug 23, 2024
My steering feels loose to the point it is pulling to the right when you drive excess 35mph. It is to the point where it doesn’t feel very safe because if sometimes if you hit a pothole, it will want to turn the wheel to the right and pull you in that direction. I had the issue repaired once at the Subaru dealer where they did an alignment and tire rotation and the issue returned after about 1000 miles. There is no warning lights but the vehicle steering is not correct in any means.
Tires, Aug 20, 2024
THREE of four original equipment tires failed, the first one at 10K miles. Two failures were located at the sidewall/tread corner. The third tire failure was located in the tread area. The third tire is available for inspection. The vehicle electronic system informed us of the tire problem, when tires failed, so vehicle could be moved to safe area. The vehicle was inspected by Subaru of Little Rock, AR on July 23, 2024. Tire size: 225/60R17 The first failure was 1/25/24 with 10K miles The second failure (of a different tire) was on 7/16/2024 with 19K miles. The third failure (of a different tire) was on 8/8/2024 with 20K miles. See case number with Subaru of America # 240808-2001440
Other or unspecified, Aug 19, 2024
The windshield cracked during driving. Two linear cracks developed from the bottom of the windshield, one is extending across the whole bottom side of the windshield, the other is extending in the vertical direction. Picture of the cracks can be located in the attachment labeled in blue lines.
Visibility, Jul 7, 2024
In speeds above 50 mph, the drivers side mirror shakes and vibrates. This causes the picture to be extremely blurry, and makes it hard to discern other cars. I believe it to be a very real visibility issue for highway driving.
Vehicle speed control, Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving with the cruise control activated and attempting to overtake another vehicle, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, after overtaking the other vehicle, the vehicle independently started braking and slowed down to the preset cruising speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
Suspension, Wheels, Jun 12, 2024
The low tire pressure light came on and noted the left front tire had 27 pounds of pressure. Inspection revealed tire cord damage only on the inside edge of both front tires. This is clearly a suspension defect as the car only has 29000 miles. The rear tires have been checked to have 6.5/32 and the front are less than that. Tire wear appears to be even across the face of the tire but the inner edge is extremely dangerous and likely would blow if we did not notice this. We called Subaru of America and they said it’s a tire problem and to consult the manufacturer. This is not a tire problem as the rear are not showing the cords. We discussed this with the dealer but they can’t do anything for the premature wear. We are told we must replace all 4 tires as two new ones would be larger than the rear with 60 pct wear. Tire info is Falken ZIEXZE001AA/S. Dot 1R800 FM2R1623yread wear 360, traction a, temp a. Size 225 25r18max load 850kg, tread wear 380
Visibility/wiper, Jun 12, 2024
Driver's Outside mirror shaking at highway speeds. Massive blur, headlights "dance" around, quite distracting and disorienting when checking for safe lane changes. Took brand new (less than 400 mile) 2024 Crosstrek Limited into local dealer to report buzzy left mirror. They took a look at it. Received this report: (Tech) said the mirror glass itself does shake but that is going to be normal because of how the mirror glass sits in the housing...according to our tech the vehicle is operating as designed I'm sorry, there's no way that a mirror should be shaking like that. The inside rearview mirror is pristine. The passenger side doesn't shake. It's the driver's mirror and now two Subaru employees have confirmed some shake, but won't do anything about it. This is a safety issue. It's starting to get traction on Reddit. [XXX] To avoid headaches, I have to tilt the mirror down to keep dancing lights from affecting my vision. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed. I was hoping that it would happen at a local dealer lever, but apparently, it might take submitting to the NHTSA. It's a great car, just has this particular issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Steering, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, May 17, 2024
I was driving with cruise control enabled right around 40mph. All of the sudden, while I was moving, my speedometer dropped to 0 and all of my dashboard lights turned on. I pulled over to the side of the road and tried to put the car in park to figure out what was going on. I was not able to shift the car into park, only remain in D or shift to N. I forced the car shutoff while in D with the press-button ignition, then turned the car back on. I was then able to shift the car into P. However, all of my dashboard lights were still on. I will attach an image to this description as I was able to take a photo of all the dashboard lights. After putting the car in park, I then shifted it back into D. However, my steering wheel was very stiff. Eventually, it loosened up back to normal. I then turned around and headed home for about a 2.5 hour drive. For the first 1.5 hours of the drive, most of the dashboard lights remained on and I could not initiate cruise control at all. After stopping for gas and turning the car back on, I was then able to drive as normal (putting the car in cruise control) and most of the dashboard lights also turned off. This was a Sunday evening. I then brought my car to the Subaru dealer in which I bought the Crosstrek from the very next morning. I told them exactly what happened. They said this was highly unusual and this wasn't something they've dealt with before, especially on a brand new car (I purchased this vehicle with 0 miles just 6 months prior). After sitting in the shop for 30+ days, the dealer eventually replaced the VDC Module and gave the car back to me. I did submit this issue to Subaru of America, but they denied this to be a Lemon case. They would not tell me why, even though a car sitting in a shop for 30+ days achieves Lemon status in the State of Utah. Since the dealer replaced the VDC Module and returning the car to me, I have not yet had another issue, but am nervous this could occur again.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, May 9, 2024
The infotainment system and Apple CarPlay connectivity is posing a safety hazard. When I’m on a phone call my audio will randomly cut out and suddenly the person on the other side of the call can no longer hear me. In order to fix the issue I must pick up my phone while I’m driving to disconnect from Apple CarPlay and reconnect. I have tried countless troubleshooting methods and reported the problem to the dealership. They don’t seem to have a solution for it. This is a serious safety hazard because I can end up getting into an accident from having to pick up my phone to correct this issue. It happens randomly and sometimes multiple times during a single call.
Forward collision avoidance, Apr 24, 2024
While making a left turn out of a parking lot, across one lane of the two-lane road to the middle left-hand turn lane of the traffic signal, the car cut power and issued an alert (which I could only hear - not see due to the urgency of the situation) causing me to almost get t-boned by traffic in the lane that I was crossing. I think the car sensed the stopped traffic I was facing, and the car didn’t realize I was turning left, and “thought” I was going to collide with the stopped traffic, engaging the pre-collision braking system, which was not correct for the situation and almost caused a crash. There is no way to have a dealer verify the issue as it was just situational. There was an emergency warning issued both on the dash (which I couldn’t see due to the urgency of the situation) and an auditory alarm (which I heard as the car cut power to the engine).
Exterior lighting, Apr 19, 2024
Bullet 1: headlights defect Bullet 2: I am blinded at night because when I have low beams on there are 4 distinct shadows projected on the road. I can’t drive at night because it not only is very distracting but blocks my vision of the left side of the road. Bullet 3: yes, the problem has been reproduced by the dealer at least twice Bullet 4: it has not been checked by anyone except service and sales reps Bullet 5: there are no warnings, this has been an issue since I started my lease.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 20, 2024
My Subaru Crosstrek Sport with 600 miles on it, had a small pebble hit the windshield while on the highway. Within 24 hours it splintered out about 10 inches. As the repair company was cleaning the windshield for repair, it went from a ~4 inch crack to 10".
Visibility/wiper, Mar 5, 2024
Got the car in December, a month later I took the car to the dealearship to show them the scratches from the windshield but claimed its not from the wiperblades and not covered by warranty. Now got chipped and spreading fast.
Steering, Feb 29, 2024
Steering power assist deactivated suddenly with no advance warning while driving in traffic. Warning lamps on dash lit concurrently. Steering still functional with higher level of driver effort. Under the circumstances, no real danger. Curvy road at speed would be dangerous. Vehicle currently at the dealer awaiting replacement steering rack. Two weeks today.