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2017 Subaru Crosstrek

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 43.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

60 reports with mileage · 34 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Visibility/wiper. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

94 reports
Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2021
Power Train

When I put the car in park the key would turn off the car but not come out of the ignition. The only way to get the key out was to turn the car back on and try again, sometimes 5+ times. When I took the car in for repair at a Subaru dealership they said this was a constant Subaru problem and that my shifter plate guide would nee…

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When I put the car in park the key would turn off the car but not come out of the ignition. The only way to get the key out was to turn the car back on and try again, sometimes 5+ times. When I took the car in for repair at a Subaru dealership they said this was a constant Subaru problem and that my shifter plate guide would need to be replaced. They charged me $600 but after searching Subaru forums I found that Subaru will sometimes pay for this repair because it is a known issue with a repair bulletin number (16-112-18). I believe this is a widespread defect and Subaru should pay for all repairs, not simply the repairs of consumers who have the resources to know to call the company.

NHTSA ODI #11430290

Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2021
Unknown Or Other

Key get stuck in ignition and cannot be pulled out after turned off. I've seen this not just happened to crosstrek but all other Subaru models after certain mileage. People tried to restart the car in place, shift gear to d and back to p. More than a dozen people reporting similar problems on subaruxvforum or cargurus.com and …

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Key get stuck in ignition and cannot be pulled out after turned off. I've seen this not just happened to crosstrek but all other Subaru models after certain mileage. People tried to restart the car in place, shift gear to d and back to p. More than a dozen people reporting similar problems on subaruxvforum or cargurus.com and a service bulletin (TSB #16-112-18R) issued to this problem, however people can only get repaired with the warranty. Very surprised to see this has not been recalled.

NHTSA ODI #11429330

Mileage unknown · Aug 4, 2021
Service Brakes

Outer left rear brake pad broke away from the backing plate causing damage to the brake rotor. The pads were original equipment and not worn out.

NHTSA ODI #11427683

Mileage unknown · Jun 11, 2021
SteeringWheels

CV axles click when turning. CV axles could break at any given point. If not fixed you could lose control of your car causing death to yourself or others while driving or render your car driveless. I've looked online and many other 2017 cross track owners have the same problem. So why is this not a recall.

NHTSA ODI #11420577

Mileage unknown · May 28, 2021
Unknown Or Other

The car key get stuck in ignition and cannot be pulled out after turned off. It is very dangerous in that as workaround, people tried to restart the car in place, shift gear to d and back to p. If they don’t pay atttention and press on brake they could potentially hit cars or people. I’ve seen more than a dozen people reporting …

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The car key get stuck in ignition and cannot be pulled out after turned off. It is very dangerous in that as workaround, people tried to restart the car in place, shift gear to d and back to p. If they don’t pay atttention and press on brake they could potentially hit cars or people. I’ve seen more than a dozen people reporting similar problems on cargurus.com and a service bulletin but surprised to see this has not been recalled.

NHTSA ODI #11418901

Mileage unknown · May 20, 2021
Unknown Or Other

On Sunday, 5/9, my wife and I were traveling back from NY to Philadelphia when out of nowhere, my car stopped accelerating and stalled, completely, in the left lane on the Staten Island Expressway. I called 911 and they were able to dispatch a tow, immediately. The battery worked. The dashboard said to check the engine. Luckily,…

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On Sunday, 5/9, my wife and I were traveling back from NY to Philadelphia when out of nowhere, my car stopped accelerating and stalled, completely, in the left lane on the Staten Island Expressway. I called 911 and they were able to dispatch a tow, immediately. The battery worked. The dashboard said to check the engine. Luckily, the tow arrived in about 5-10 minutes. The driver escorted us out to his truck and protected us from oncoming traffic. We were brought to a safe location and were able to start the car (and it kept running), without any assistance. We were too afraid to continue the ride back to Philadelphia (lots more distance and highways to go). We called AAA to tow the vehicle to my Subaru dealership in PA. This has never happened before. One strange thing that has been happening over the last few months is that sometimes our key will get stuck in the ignition when we try to turn the car off. We are able to turn off the battery, but are unable to turn the key further. We have to try several times or even put the car in drive and then park before trying to turn it off again. I am not sure if this is connected. The service at my dealership has been very nice. They’ve had my car for over a week. Unfortunately, they haven’t found anything wrong. They’ve checked for codes and nothing’s come up to indicate any issues. I am really at a loss because I do not feel safe driving this vehicle. I did see that there is a new recall (https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/subaru-recalls-crosstrek-forester-impreza-for-safety-concerns/) but it does not include my particular year. I wonder if this problem actually involves 2017 Crosstreks. I do not feel safe driving my car.

NHTSA ODI #11417874

67,000 miles · Feb 21, 2021
Visibility/wiper

I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 100 MINUTES TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS ON A 80 DEGREE AND SUNNY AFTERNOON. I PARKED MY CAR ON THE STREET AND WHEN I RETURNED TO IT 45 MINUTES LATER, THERE WAS A 12INCH CRACK ON MY PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD. THERE WAS NO APPARENT POINT OF CONTACT IN THE CRACK AND THERE WERE NO LARGE STICKS OR BRANCHES ON THE CAR. I…

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I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 100 MINUTES TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS ON A 80 DEGREE AND SUNNY AFTERNOON. I PARKED MY CAR ON THE STREET AND WHEN I RETURNED TO IT 45 MINUTES LATER, THERE WAS A 12INCH CRACK ON MY PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD. THERE WAS NO APPARENT POINT OF CONTACT IN THE CRACK AND THERE WERE NO LARGE STICKS OR BRANCHES ON THE CAR. IT APPEARED AS IF THE CRACK HAPPENED ON ITS OWN. I GOT THE CRACK REPAIRED RECENTLY AND IT COST OVER $1,000 TO FIX.

NHTSA ODI #11397230

Mileage unknown · Feb 19, 2021
Visibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD HAS HORIZONTAL CRACK MIDWAY DOWN WINDOW THAT EXTENDS ALMOST FROM LEFT TO RIGHT EDGE. CAR WAS PARKED IN PRIVATE DRIVEWAY.

NHTSA ODI #11396962

19,500 miles · Jan 5, 2021
Visibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. STARTED OUT ALONG BOTTOM ON DRIVER'S SIDE AND EXPANDED UP AND ACROSS DRIVER'S SIDE. FROM WHAT I COULD TELL, NOTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD TO INITIATE THE CRACK. HAD TO GET REPLACED.

NHTSA ODI #11386600

61,000 miles · Jan 4, 2021
Visibility/wiper

READ WINDSHIELD GLASS SPONTANEOUSLY BROKE WITH NO DAMAGE. HAD TO GET SERVICE TO REPAIR AND REPLACE. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, PARKED IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, PARKED AND NOT IN USE AT THE TIME OF THE BREAK.

NHTSA ODI #11386455

Official recalls

1

19V149000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Feb 28, 2019

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.