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2024 Subaru Crosstrek

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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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

Limited mileage data: 12 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.

  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Visibility/wiper. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

13 reports
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Mileage unknown · Mar 5, 2025
Exterior Lighting

Headlights are pointed low. It is hard to see down the road. The top half of windshield is darker than the bottom half. Car may be safe for city driving, but not for country roads. Going up and down hills and around curves the suv is unsafe. Dealer said they recieving complaints but can not adjust the lights. Sorry I bought such…

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Headlights are pointed low. It is hard to see down the road. The top half of windshield is darker than the bottom half. Car may be safe for city driving, but not for country roads. Going up and down hills and around curves the suv is unsafe. Dealer said they recieving complaints but can not adjust the lights. Sorry I bought such an unsafe suv.

NHTSA ODI #11646581

Mileage unknown · Jan 20, 2025
Exterior Lighting

Oem Headlight shadowing on brand new car moves all over the place. It mimics child or wildlife. The reduced area is unsafe.

NHTSA ODI #11637214

Mileage unknown · Jan 8, 2025
Exterior LightingVisibility/wiper

Headlight performance on this vehicle is extremely dangerous when driving at nighttime. Unless you keep your high beams on constantly, these headlights offer only extremely limited visibility during night driving. From the top of the windshield down about16 inches it's totally black. You can only see out of the bottom half of …

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Headlight performance on this vehicle is extremely dangerous when driving at nighttime. Unless you keep your high beams on constantly, these headlights offer only extremely limited visibility during night driving. From the top of the windshield down about16 inches it's totally black. You can only see out of the bottom half of the windshield. The road in front of you is only lit up for about 60 feet then it's dark beyond that point. Visiblity problem gets even worse when going downhill. Incident #1. . . . I almost ran into a bicycle rider the other night as he was traveling just beyond the area that was lit up by my lights. I was only traveling at about 35-40 mph, but by the time he was visible i was almost not able to avoid hitting him. He was riding his bike just on the edge of the lane of car traffic so he was easily in the line of my car. I was so shaken up, my heart was pounding, that I had to pull over to the side of the road to reflect on what had just happened and to get my bearings again. Now I find myself afraid to drive this Subaru, my new car of only 2 months, at nighttime. Incident #2. . . .Same complaint regarding headlights. The above described problem with headlights gets even more, much more, dangerous when you're driving down an incline such as a hill. Because you're car is going downhill, the available space that is lit up in front of you becomes even more diminished so that you also can't see any curves in the road that are coming up as well as stop signs, pedestrians or other cars!. It's a miracle if you don't end up crashing your car off the side of the road while trying to navigate down that hill. I have complained numerous times at the dealership, but no help. To verify, a rep. would have to drive the car at night time. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE Subaru needs to make this right and correct this HEADLIGHT problem ASAP or there is bound to be drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists injured and/or killed.

NHTSA ODI #11634978

Mileage unknown · Dec 20, 2024
Exterior Lighting

There is something inside the headlights that produces two shadows that are posing a safety risk. When driving and turning the steering wheel the shadows move which look like a small animal is darting out from the sides. The shadows are a distraction and have resulted in rapid braking thinking I was going to hit an animal. I a…

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There is something inside the headlights that produces two shadows that are posing a safety risk. When driving and turning the steering wheel the shadows move which look like a small animal is darting out from the sides. The shadows are a distraction and have resulted in rapid braking thinking I was going to hit an animal. I attached photos showing the shadows up close but they are larger when I am driving. They are about the size of a boot or shoe box.

NHTSA ODI #11631763

Mileage unknown · Nov 28, 2024
Exterior Lighting

Headlights on low beam have a very low distance reach. This is more apparent if you are going up or down an incline. On inclines, the Steering adaptive headlights change in such a way that you have very little distance in your sight. There is also a very sharp delineation of light vs dark at its maximum distance at even levels…

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Headlights on low beam have a very low distance reach. This is more apparent if you are going up or down an incline. On inclines, the Steering adaptive headlights change in such a way that you have very little distance in your sight. There is also a very sharp delineation of light vs dark at its maximum distance at even levels. This give the impression that you have good lighting at short distances then instant blackness. Once you reach a certain distance in the lighting your visual information stream is cut off completely. Worst headlights I have had in 45 years of driving. I wondered if I was going crazy. I looked up the same problem being described on forums. Some suggested write NHTSA and let you know of the problem. I believe it is a serious safety issue which interferes with us being able to see well enough at night.

NHTSA ODI #11627872

Mileage unknown · Nov 20, 2024
Exterior Lighting

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 has…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11626447

Mileage unknown · Sep 15, 2024
Exterior Lighting

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 movin…

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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

NHTSA ODI #11614683

Mileage unknown · Sep 5, 2024
EngineExterior Lighting

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…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11612840

Mileage unknown · Apr 19, 2024
Exterior Lighting

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 …

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11583996

60 miles · Feb 28, 2024
Exterior Lighting

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. Add…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11574482

Official recalls

2

23V754000 · Power Train:driveline:driveshaft

Nov 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

23V551000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Aug 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A short circuit may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

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.