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.
Exterior lighting, Feb 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights did not function as intended. The contact stated that the visibility from the headlights was very dim. The contact stated that while driving at night, the headlights did not properly illuminate the roadway. Additionally, the headlights were very dim. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the headlights were designed according to safety regulations. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60. The VIN was available.
Exterior lighting, Feb 17, 2024
This vehicle has LED headlights. The low beam cutoff is very sharp and very close to the vehicle. The contrast between the lit area and the darkness beyond makes this even worse. You can not see an adequate distance for safe driving at night. To make it worse, there are these “black” areas just below the cutoff line. These shadows are distracting when driving. Further, when the “steering responsive headlight” feature is turned on, the shadow zone swing left and right, causing extreme distraction.
Other or unspecified, Feb 15, 2024
I received a notification on my Subaru app in January about the drive shaft recall that occurred in November 10th, just 2 days after I made the purchase of my car on November 8th. It took approximately 2 months after initial notice of recall for me to receive any notification. I have at this point managed to bring my car in for a check up to the dealership I purchased the car from. It was determined on January 31st that the driveshaft did have problems and I was given a car rental. Two weeks later there is still no news about the part replacement, despite the original recall notice having the date of November 10th, 2023 as I have attached. Please provide any update on the situation. This is not acceptable treatment of customer. Not only was I not notified of the recall that occurred just 2 days after my purchasing of the vehicle, now 3 months after the recall there are still no parts available for the repair. For 2 months I was driving a car that had a recall without knowing it. It was found that the drive shaft was damaged and I could have gotten into an accident. Looking on NHTSA the recall notice shows up with the date of November 9th just 1 day after my purchase.
Vehicle speed control, Feb 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 MPH and making a left turn, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration almost causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel before stopping the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed back to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,000.
Exterior lighting, Jan 31, 2024
Please look at the new Crosstrek models with my headlights. Subaru's are well known for their AWD capabilities and ease to drive through snow. The headlights on this model are shaped like a bowl and after 5 minutes of driving in snow the headlight bulbs are completely covered and you cannot see. The lights are almost a U shape facing forward and the way they are shaped causes all of the unmelted snow to collect directly in front of the headlight bulbs causing you to have no illumination unless you're fortunate enough to have some lighting from foglights. This should be a safety redsign and recall. This is the most unsafe thing I have even experienced in a vehicle and I have driven some really terrible cars in my life.
Other or unspecified, Jan 28, 2024
I got my new crosstrek and only drive it for 2 months 2676 miles and got multiple chips on my windshield and cracking later on. I have been driving to Tahoe for snowboard with my previous Corolla and have never experienced this issue. But this car got chips and crack so easy…I called to dealer and they refused to fix this issue so I also called Subaru American and their response are so close. How can I drive this car without fixing the windshield issue? Very disappointing
Electrical system, Jan 20, 2024
went in for the WRL-23 recall in sept 2023 a very short time after getting notice, the servicing dealer. found the work needed to replace the dash wire harness as per the instructions, we were told the harness had to be ordered, days later we got a phone call advising the harness was being back ordered, as of 01/19/2024 we again were advised it was still on back order, a call to subaru of america asking why the part for a recall could be back ordered for FOUR months did not give much help other than being told it would take a week to investigate the issue. being a retired service manger for another brand auto i felt being lead around how can a recall be made and zero parts available in a reasonable time to make a repair ,which in this case could cause a fire
Forward collision avoidance, Jan 18, 2024
On 12/21/23 at approximately 9:19am PST, I was driving [XXX] away from the intersection of [XXX]. This is a divided four lane road (two lanes in either direction). While driving on a winding section of road divided by pillars, my forward collision detection and automatic braking systems erroneously activated when there were no cars or objects in front of me. My dashboard displayed a pre-collision braking warning message and there was a loud beeping alarm. My vehicle rapidly and unexpectedly decelerated. Another driver was following closely behind me when my car rapidly and unexpectedly decelerated. This could’ve caused the driver behind me to rear end me. Also, at various points in the past the forward collision detection system has at time alarmed erroneously without activating the brakes, even when there are no cars in front of me or said cars were very far in front of me and there was no risk of collision. I reported to incident to Subaru and made a service appointment for the issue on 1/18/2024. The Service Advisor advised me that the system has been known to produce false positives. He advised me to disable the pre-collision braking system on windy roads, where the system may incorrectly detect that the car is about to collide with static objects in the median, especially if those objects are reflective. No further service or inspection was performed related to these issues on 1/18/24. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Jan 6, 2024
Pulling out of the garage, when I applied the brakes, the car came to a stop, then started beeping, and the control panel started flashing that several systems were disabled, and I needed to check the manual. The car shifter would not move (it was in Drive at the time, but wouldn't move). After turning the car off, the screen flashed to place car in park. At this point, the car was approximately 2/3 out of the garage (and blocking the garage door), with the front bumper just overhanging the curb of the street. Subsequent attempts to start the car and put it in gear to move it back into the garage were unsuccessful. The car refused to go into gear, and the display continued to flash about disabled systems. After approximately 75 minutes, the car 'reset' enough to put it in gear. This allowed the roadside assisnance driver to get the car on the tow truck without having to use tow chains. The dealership has not yet determined the cause of this behavior.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 26, 2023
I wanted to reach out to you about our new 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness. Subaru is having many issues with their thin windshields for 2023/2024 Crosstrek windshields. Our new vehicle has barely 2100 miles and the windshield has cracked in two places. Not from a rock chip and from normal highway driving. This is a safety issue. Normal to work driving, No off roading. I have been reading up on Subaru windshields and how they require constant repair/replacement. Subaru should issue a recall and install thicker windshields that meet higher safety standards. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle speed control, Dec 15, 2023, crash
When slowing to park, with foot on brake, vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surged forward going up an incline, side-swiping the parked car to the right of the driver, without any action taken by the driver. Safety at risk from uncontrolled car during sudden unexpected acceleration. Reported hours after event, police report filed, insurance claim filed. Dashboard during the event light up with multiple indicators. No prior unusual symptoms.
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 22, 2023
I have had several of the safety systems on the vehicle shut off suddenly. Twice, I have taken the vehicle into the dealership to get it looked at and now I will have to do so for the third time. It is pretty concerning because it has to do with all the safety features.
Other or unspecified, Nov 12, 2023
Windshield crackers with no outside damage. Started on drivers side and is spreading across.
Exterior lighting, Nov 11, 2023
Headlights are extremely dangerous on this model vehicle, the cut off is very sharp and the beam range very restrictive. When going up or down hills vision is almost completely lost. Drivers are lucky to see 10 yards in front of the vehicle at times. Lights are so bright there are also numerous dark/blind spots in the road when driving. When in a 55/65 mph zone, there are times I have to slow down to 30 mph so I can see an appropriate distance ahead of me. Turns and hills being the most severe instances. There are numerous other complaints online regarding this issue: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 5, 2023
- Pre-collision braking has deployed a number of times without cause (no one in front of vehicle, no collision threat at all. Most recently at 35mph, but at up to 55 mph prior. Feel free to inspect. - Brakes are automatically deployed HARD and without the warning that is supposed to occur. This has thrown me into the seatbelt a few times and poses a significant risk of getting rear ended. I'm afraid the automatic steering system is going to throw me into a ditch. - The dealer can't reproduce it and no log is recorded by the car because it isn't registered as a malfunction, rather the vehicle thinks it's doing the right thing. I've taken it in twice for this and a few other issues. - The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else as there has been no damage yet. - No signals were given and there have been no other symptoms other than the adaptive cruise control slowing down for no reason on occasion, presumably it thinks there are ghost cars in front of me?
Power train, Oct 5, 2023
When driving the vehicle and turning left. A popping sound occurs
Other or unspecified, Sep 27, 2023
When I make a left turn from a stop and accelerate, there is a popping/hollow tocking sound, usually three pops in succession. I don't know what this noise is or what could be broken on the vehicle. No warming lamps. Unfortunately, the dealership can't look at my car until November 24th. Many other 2024 crosstrek owners on reddit and facebook are reporting this problem.
Electrical system, Sep 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V551000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.