DRIVE TRAIN, TRANSMISSION ISSUE. CAR WAS RUNNING, IN PARK. I GOT OUT TO PICK UP A FLYER FROM YARD. CAR ACCELERATED AND DROVE THROUGH GARAGE DOOR, AND CRASHED INTO THE BACK WALL OF GARAGE. NO ONE HAS INSPECTED THE CAR, AS IT HAPPENED LATE YESTERDAY. WILL CONTACT DEALERSHIP TODAY. NO SYMPTOMS PRIOR.
2021 Subaru Crosstrek
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Crosstrek years
Owner complaints for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek are substantially higher than the model-year median of 43.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Crosstrek years →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
Limited mileage data: 17 of 115 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
115 reportsTransmission was about to fail. Car started making noise at low speeds in drive and reverse about 2-3 weeks ago, so I brought it in and mentioned the noise to the service advisor. There were no warning lights, messages on the dash indicating a problem. Confirmed by a Subaru dealer as needing to be fully replaced.
I bought this car January 2021. In June 2021, the smallest pebble cracked my windshield while I was driving on the freeway. Yesterday, 3/28/22, I was driving home from work like usual and my sunroof spontaneously exploded and completely shattered. Yep, you read that right. Don’t believe me? Search up: Subaru exploded sunroof o…
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I bought this car January 2021. In June 2021, the smallest pebble cracked my windshield while I was driving on the freeway. Yesterday, 3/28/22, I was driving home from work like usual and my sunroof spontaneously exploded and completely shattered. Yep, you read that right. Don’t believe me? Search up: Subaru exploded sunroof on Google. Thank god I had the sunroof shade closed or else the glass would’ve fallen all over me. I suffer from trauma caused by a past car accident where I was in the passenger and do not take broken glass lightly which is why I chose Subaru to be my first car that I bought. I came home shaking and found out that other subaru owners experienced the same phenomenon after doing some research. However, Subaru does not want to take responsibility for this. You’re telling me that I don’t have to be in an actual accident in order to be harmed by my car that I was promised was not just one but THE TOP reliable and safest car in the industry?
I bought a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek in August 2021 and noticed that the hood has been very difficult to get open and closed. I brought it to the dealership and they did not do a thing about it. When I would try to pop the hood it wouldn't pop up at all and when I would get on the road it would come undone on it's own. It never cam…
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I bought a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek in August 2021 and noticed that the hood has been very difficult to get open and closed. I brought it to the dealership and they did not do a thing about it. When I would try to pop the hood it wouldn't pop up at all and when I would get on the road it would come undone on it's own. It never came flying up over the windshield impairing my vision so the secondary safety latch was working properly but the fact that the Subaru dealership said nothing was wrong with it was concerning. A separate mechanic not related to Subaru looked at it and adjusted something under the hood so that it is easier to get open and doesn't do this anymore but I still want to report it because I believe that it is a safety issue others could be facing with this vehicle. Closing the hood without slamming it down and getting it to lock down into place is still difficult. No Police were involved in looking into this issue. The only warning light that I had was when the hood opened while I drove on a high speed roadway and it was to notify me that the hood has opened, but as I stated previously the secondary latch worked properly but if it hadn't it would have definitely impaired my vision and could have caused an accident. Thank you for your time.
I just leased a new '21 Crosstrek Limited. With only 90 miles on the car, while driving on the highway using the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, the vehicle started aggressively jerking over towards semi trucks (while going 70mph)- I had to give significant input to not be pulled into a semi truck. I turned off the…
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I just leased a new '21 Crosstrek Limited. With only 90 miles on the car, while driving on the highway using the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, the vehicle started aggressively jerking over towards semi trucks (while going 70mph)- I had to give significant input to not be pulled into a semi truck. I turned off the feature then turned back on. Again, it was hard jerking only towards semi trucks. Drove back to the dealership. Their mechanic took for a drive and said the exact same thing, that it was "sketchy" and jerking towards semi trucks. It was suggested I bring back if the "condition persists" which would mean risking a fatal collision with a semi. I contacted the GM of the dealership and explained what was happening and he said to being back again and they'd get a field tech from Subaru to test. Their service manager test drove and noted the same thing, as did the field tech. "Severely pulls to the right as trucks pass. Test drive vehicle and found that when using lane centering, vehicle is quite jerky and pushes towards centerline, especially when larger vehicles like a semi trailer is present. Recommended calibrating eyesight camera and test driving again". They calibrated the Eyesight and I picked back up. Drove back on the highway and turned on LKA, this time the steering was completely taken over and jerking all over the lane and flashing telling me to keep hands on the wheel when both hands were very tight on the wheel. It's continued to jerk all over while using lane keep assist and when I try to override the steering to avoid a collision the wheel feels like it's fighting me. It's extremely dangerous. The car now has 300 miles and I'm terrified it's going to kill me and it's putting everyone on the road at risk. I had the same tech in my '19 Impreza Limited and didn't have a single issue. I fear there is a serious defect with the Eyesight and LKA. No codes are present. They said vehicle is operating as designed, it's now more more erratic
The main battery drained completely while parked, once when left overnight, and once while on an errand for 30 minutes only. AAA jump-started car first time and Subaru Roadside Assistance the second. First incident was mid January 2022 when the new car had been in my possession for only 5 weeks (Dec 3 2021). Second incident happ…
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The main battery drained completely while parked, once when left overnight, and once while on an errand for 30 minutes only. AAA jump-started car first time and Subaru Roadside Assistance the second. First incident was mid January 2022 when the new car had been in my possession for only 5 weeks (Dec 3 2021). Second incident happened one month later on February 5 2022. Subaru had no explanations other than I might have left doors open. In the second occurrence that was most definitely NOT true as I am now extra careful to turn everything electrical off and check all doors are fully closed. Being stranded alone on the roadside is not something I am in any way comfortable with.
The battery dies completely, seemingly under colder conditions. In the first case it was after 6 days of not turning the car on, however the next time it happened after only a day and a half of not turning on the vehicle. The vehicle is only a few months old so the battery or other cause of the dead battery (eg alternator) are o…
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The battery dies completely, seemingly under colder conditions. In the first case it was after 6 days of not turning the car on, however the next time it happened after only a day and a half of not turning on the vehicle. The vehicle is only a few months old so the battery or other cause of the dead battery (eg alternator) are only a few months in use.
The windshield has cracked on the passenger side. It has not put anyone at risk however, this seems to be an issue with many Subaru owners yet Subaru has not done anything about this issue. The vehicle has yet to be inspected.
When I bought the car last year I had it for less than 2 months before my windshield cracked from a rock while we were on the highway. I get this happens so I didn’t think anything of it until I saw how many other people have also had their windshield crack shortly after buying the car. Since I’ve gotten it replaced almost a yea…
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When I bought the car last year I had it for less than 2 months before my windshield cracked from a rock while we were on the highway. I get this happens so I didn’t think anything of it until I saw how many other people have also had their windshield crack shortly after buying the car. Since I’ve gotten it replaced almost a year ago I haven’t had any issues.
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, while downshifting gears the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated he continued experiencing …
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The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, while downshifting gears the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated he continued experiencing the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Official recalls
123V755000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:park/neutral Start Interlock Switch
Nov 9, 2023
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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