Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
130–25K
625–50K
1050–75K
975–100K
13100–150K
1150K+
52 reports with mileage · 44 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.
Engine. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 14 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
96 reports
Mileage unknown · Oct 18, 2024
EnginePower Train
The recall Type: Safety Service Campaign:WTY84 NHTSA Campaign: 18V772000 FB20 Valve Spring Replacement was reported completed by the manufacturer Subaru has no record of it being done. My car is now experiencing symptoms of this recall when I had no issues prior and want me to pay to look into the problem further. Now my vehicle…
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The recall Type: Safety Service Campaign:WTY84 NHTSA Campaign: 18V772000 FB20 Valve Spring Replacement was reported completed by the manufacturer Subaru has no record of it being done. My car is now experiencing symptoms of this recall when I had no issues prior and want me to pay to look into the problem further. Now my vehicle has a check engine light for a recall that was potentially not done as I have no proof that it was completed.
NHTSA ODI #11620686
Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 2024
Unknown Or Other
The key will not come out of the ignition when turned off and in park. The battery runs with no way to turn it off. This is a known issue with a defective part. Subaru will not cover the repair.
NHTSA ODI #11617167
Mileage unknown · Aug 28, 2024
Engine
2.0L Engine Valve Spring Fracture may Cause Engine stall and excessive oil leaks that migrates in the catalytic converter causing fumes that linger inside the car with a very strong smell.
NHTSA ODI #11611473
Mileage unknown · Jul 8, 2024
Electrical System
The electrical harness to the variable fan speed switch overheated melting the harness and switch.
NHTSA ODI #11600188
Mileage unknown · Sep 15, 2023
Equipment
For the record I'm going to list the items here I'd rather them go down in writing then for my words to not have a witness. 1- safety : the Bluetooth connection is busted and crackling for both me and the caller 2- Automation: nothing happens automatic in this car the locks do not go down when I get in motion . the sunroof and…
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For the record I'm going to list the items here I'd rather them go down in writing then for my words to not have a witness. 1- safety : the Bluetooth connection is busted and crackling for both me and the caller 2- Automation: nothing happens automatic in this car the locks do not go down when I get in motion . the sunroof and the windows do not roll up in auxiliary power after the key is off. 3- Oil: every thousand Miles the oil light to show up I cannot live like that carrying oil in my car when I run a thousand miles every 3 weeks. 4- DENT REPAIR : have asked you to schedule the date guy to pull this dent out of the front driver wheel well and that hasn't happened yet 5- locking mechanism: the trunk has to be slammed closed every time. The passenger side seat belt noise comes on even if I put a bag of to go food in the seat. 6- sanitation: these seats are infected with something I have cleaned them multiple times and my passengers are complaining of itching and feeling a bite when they ride. 7- the front passenger seat has obviously some strong stain that resembles body fluid because it will not come up even when i clean up in the seat of the cushion it keeps reappearing to the surface. 8- overhead: when it rains above my head you can hear sounds of rain as though it's literally trickling in at the driver door. More than I have noticed that sound I'm not sure what's going on in the overhead but it shouldn't sound like that. PLEASE AND THANKS
NHTSA ODI #11544835
Mileage unknown · Aug 21, 2023
Vehicle Speed ControlCrash
While slowing to turn into a turn lane, my care unexpectedly accelerated to a very high speed, causing me to crash straight into a signal light post. The light post was knocked over by the force of impact. The car ended up around the corner, facing the opposite direction and having hit another car. Police responded to the sce…
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While slowing to turn into a turn lane, my care unexpectedly accelerated to a very high speed, causing me to crash straight into a signal light post. The light post was knocked over by the force of impact. The car ended up around the corner, facing the opposite direction and having hit another car. Police responded to the scene and inspected the vehicle, which was towed away. An insurance claim has been filed, though I am unaware if they have inspected the vehicle yet. The passenger airbag deployed but driver airbag did not. I had no warning before the sudden acceleration and this is the only time something like this happened.
NHTSA ODI #11539823
Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 2023
Engine
MY 2013 SUBARU CROSSTREK stalled on the highway in March 2023 while I was driving home from work. I brought it to Hassett Subaru in Wantagh because a friend told me that there was a recall on the spring valve (from 5 years ago, which I was never notified of). Vlad Oriol wanted to charge me a few thousand dollars to breakdown the…
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MY 2013 SUBARU CROSSTREK stalled on the highway in March 2023 while I was driving home from work. I brought it to Hassett Subaru in Wantagh because a friend told me that there was a recall on the spring valve (from 5 years ago, which I was never notified of). Vlad Oriol wanted to charge me a few thousand dollars to breakdown the engine, even though that was a requirement of the recall. I checked the VIN and found out my car was covered by the spring valve recall. Since the car was unsafe to drive, I then called Subaru headquarters who sent a tech supervisor to investigate the situation. The tech supervisor said the problem was due to the recall so the engine breakdown was covered. The tech supervisor said the "rocker arm had come loose from excessive lash, but was tied to the recall issue," and also added that there was no other damage. Hassett Subaru was forced by Subaru headquarters to preform the recall fix. I picked up my car (we live 2 miles from Hassett) and the very next day the car wouldn't accelerate and was constantly misfiring. I brought the car back to Hassett. The tech supervisor came out again to investigate, this time there was additional damage to the cam shaft (which was not there before Hassett worked on the car). Hassett told Subaru headquarters that there was a preexisting issue with the car (which was totally false). As a result Subaru headquarters would not cover the cost to fix the problem that Hassett caused by attempting to fix the recall issue. Thanks to Hassett's misrepresentations to Subaru headquarters we have a car that doesn't run and can't afford a new one.
NHTSA ODI #11529250
Mileage unknown · Dec 20, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other
Driving on the freeway my car lost power i pulled off to the side and tried to restart it. As I have the ignition turned over for 30 to 40 seconds the starter sounded erratic and the oil temperature light was flashing. I sat there for about ten minutes and tried again and it did the same thing but it started. This power loss ha…
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Driving on the freeway my car lost power i pulled off to the side and tried to restart it. As I have the ignition turned over for 30 to 40 seconds the starter sounded erratic and the oil temperature light was flashing. I sat there for about ten minutes and tried again and it did the same thing but it started. This power loss has happened twice. The erratic noise coming from the ignition, and the hesitation of starting is a regular ongoing issue along with the oil temperature light. Since the first stall at about 117000 miles on the odometer the car has been burning oil at a rate of a full quart about every 3000 miles. #2 Around 120000 miles my key wouldn't come out of the ignition. This happened first on a late night in a high crime area. I actually had to leave my keys in my ignition while going into a gas station to pay for fuel. Since then this happens every time I turn off my vehicle and put it into the park position. Usually I have to wait around ten minutes to be able to remove the keys. Both of these issues cause a great deal of anxiety on the freeway or having to leave the key in the ignition.
NHTSA ODI #11498204
Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2022
Unknown Or Other
Unable to turn off vehicle and remove key from ignition when vehicle is in park.
NHTSA ODI #11479063
Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2022
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemFire
Engine burst into flames during normal highway driving. Vehicle was well-maintained with all scheduled maintenance performed during the life of the vehicle. CEL was lit approximately 1 week before fire but driveability was normal.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Subaru Impreza, 2012-2013 Impreza Stationwagon, 2013 Subaru BRZ, XV Crosstrek and Toyota Scion FR-S vehicles. The engine valve springs in these vehicles may fracture causing an engine malfunction or a possible engine stall.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. Toyota will notify the FR-S owners. Dealers will replace the valve springs, free of charge. The recall began December 26, 2018. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614, Toyota owners may contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-888-270-9371. Subaru's number for this recall is WTY-84.
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Equipment
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Electrical System
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
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.
2013 Subaru Xv Crosstrek Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year