IllustrationPassenger side valve cover gasket and spark plug seal failure.
2023 Subaru Crosstrek
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek do not stand out strongly from 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: 2 of 34 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports
Engine complaints
5 reportsOct 7 2025 when me and my 6 year old daughter. Was leaving after picking her up at mom i drove off then came to stop sign so i slowly hit breaks and car accelerated very dangerous im very concerned
When driving after let of throttle it some time floors it 4 times
On the morning of 12/26/24 - I stepped inside my 2023 Subaru Crosstrek and turned on the engine. The vehicle was parked in a commuter parking lot near my home to begin with. When I turned on the vehicle - I noticed a loud roaring sound when the engine turned on which i thought was very strange. Additionally I did NOT have my …
Read full complaint
On the morning of 12/26/24 - I stepped inside my 2023 Subaru Crosstrek and turned on the engine. The vehicle was parked in a commuter parking lot near my home to begin with. When I turned on the vehicle - I noticed a loud roaring sound when the engine turned on which i thought was very strange. Additionally I did NOT have my foot on the gas pedal at all during this time. I proceeded to place the car in drive and all of sudden the car experienced a unintended acceleration straight forward with a sudden burst that i never experienced before. I proceeded to press the brake pedal and tried to turn the steering wheel - but both functions were non-responsive which was incredibly frightening. My car then went straight into a tree with great impact and the vehicle was damaged beyond repair. Also - the vehicle's windshield mounted motion detection camera system (Subaru Eyesight) along with motion detector auto breaking system did not engage before i hit the tree which was very troubling. Thankfully the airbag deployed and other then some medium knee pain i was not injured nor was anyone else injured. A local paramedic truck happen to be onsite at the same time and called local authorities. Overall the malfunctioning of the vehicle is of great concern to me.
Potential safety hazard ? Engine Auto start/stop feature for gas savings and emmisons control works by applying brakes and Engine shuts off, it restarts when brakes released. Normal operation, BUT I have noticed that unbuckeling the seatbelt or OPENING the DOOR will cause it to RESTART even though brakes are applied..this coul…
Read full complaint
Potential safety hazard ? Engine Auto start/stop feature for gas savings and emmisons control works by applying brakes and Engine shuts off, it restarts when brakes released. Normal operation, BUT I have noticed that unbuckeling the seatbelt or OPENING the DOOR will cause it to RESTART even though brakes are applied..this could cause an accident as it's an unexpected RESTART of the Engine in drive. Recommend this feature be disabled until door/seatbelt closed or seatbelt buckled or car in park before restart. Someone thinking car is OFF but actually in a pause restart could accidentally open door and upon getting out the car would start and move potential loss of control. My 2013 VW PASSAT would alarm to place in park if door open or seatbelt not worn.. Subaru starts ! I consider this a potential dangerous condition as it's not expect restart.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.