general problems of the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek

A/c control head and connector burned on both ends. Dealer service center stated it was a significant safety/fire hazard if we had not immediately taken in to be checked. No warning, no fuses out. Only indication something was wrong is a/c turned on but only on 1,2 and 4. Then, same day, only on 4. Next day took to Subaru service center. When we asked how would replacing parts stop this from happening again, we were told original parts had a “design flaw” and was “defective”. Replacement/new parts wiring system actually corrects the oem defect.

Horn failed to sound. It sounds when hitting the lock button three times, but doesn’t when the steering wheel is pressed. This was identified during a near miss accident when we tried to alert another driving that was weaving into our lane and couldn’t.

Since at least 2009 all Subaru models have a faulty air bag clockspring. The horn doesn’t work due to this. Subaru knows about this issue. Even 2018 forester is still using the faulty clock spring. We almost had an accident because the horn didn’t work. After researching the issue, I cannot believe a recall has not been issued. Tried to get it fixed at Subaru today. Still not fixed. We cannot drive until the horn is fixed it is dangerous driving in northern va, 66, 495 and not having a horn to give a warning when you are about to be hit.

In three separate incidents while car only shows 70 in fuel indicator, my 2016 Crosstrek stalled while driving on a highway. I have brought my car to Subaru dealer, but they cannot find anything wrong with my 2016 Crosstrek. In each of the three separate instances after waiting on the side road for 30 minutes, I was able to restart the car and drive home. My car just had a new engine air filter replaced.

I own a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek with only 37,000 miles. There is a problem with my battery being drained after not driving the car for several days. I have had to call for a jump start 3 times, Aug. 8, 2023, sept. 5, 2023 and Nov. 14, 2023, each time after returning from vacation. I replaced the battery when it happened the second time, but the problem continued to occur. I have taken my car to the Subaru dealership for diagnostic. They checked the draw level in the vehicle electric system found excessive draw of 350mah when everything was turned off. The performed dcm (data control module) check and disconnected the fuse. The draw dropped down to 15mah. I was told I could leave the fuse disconnected, which would leave me with a useless navigation system, loss of front speakers and bluetooth, or replace the dcm that would cost me around $1000. I have done research online and found this is an ongoing problem with Subaru. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure each time. This poses a safety risk if I am in a public parking late at night and I cannot get my car started. I have reported the problem to Subaru of America.

Car caught fire from what seemed to be an electrical issue. Car became engulfed in flames within a few seconds. Fire department was called to extinguish the fire. I was lucky myself to make it out in time. The fire became so big, so quickly, I was concerned for the safety of the surrounding property. Luckily, no one was injured and no property damage took place. Car was inspected and totaled by insurance. The headlights were constantly needing to be changed. Otherwise the car was fine. I had just replaced the battery and just a few hours later the fire happened. The fire appeared to start somewhere under the hood on the passenger side.

I have a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek. Unfortunately I have had a couple of issues. The main thing being the horn. The location of the problem is affecting my air bag, and my rear window defroster. I don’t know if Subaru has a faulty clockspring and relays, that malfunction after a certain amount of time. But for everyone’s safety, it would seem that the Subaru corporation would implement a recall. As a result of the horn not working, I was involved in a fender bender accident, I was unable to alert a driver that they were merging into my lane of traffic. I’ve searched mechanics and auto parts stores, the cost is exorbitant, especially for a senior on a fixed income. I don’t know to whom these reports are or if they are forwarded, but I certainly hope someone in a decision making capacity will help the loyal owners of Subarus. I still, because I have no other option, drive, however I am so very cautious. And I limit my “outings” to as few as possible. It’s a hindrance, a rather very often at inopportune times. Hopefully there will be a chance for Subaru to do the correct thing.

On Jan 7th, during rush-hour traffic on the highway, without any warning all of my vehicle lights began to dim. The power steering and brakes went out. I was able to steer to the side of the road. Then, all of the lights went out and the car shut off. I was unable to shift the vehicle into park, and as I was going up a hill at the time, I was forced to roll backwards slowly and engage the emergency brake. Only luck prevented a serious, perhaps fatal accident. It was also below freezing in ohio so I had to sit in the frigid temperatures until a tow truck arrived. After being towed to two separate dealerships, the Subaru dealer believes this was caused by a faulty hybrid battery, alternator, or both. An inspection is available by request. The problem did flag multiple error codes (confirmed by the dealer) but it is very frightening that there was absolutely no warning and I feel unsafe driving this vehicle, even after it will be repaired. Next time, myself or others, may not be so fortunate. The alternator is being recalled in 2017+ Subaru Crosstrek for this very issue, but not the 2016 (my vehicle).

Ignition key stuck in the ignition cannot be removed from ignition after parking. This problem never occurred in previous 5 years of ownership. It happens nearly every time the car is driven, and has been reported widely on the internet by Subaru owners. In many cases, owners have not been able to remove the keys at all, and have had to call for assistance. On the advice of a repair tech, we replaced our battery, which, at 5 years old, was probably due to be replaced. This has not solved the problem.

I had to have it be jump-started first on 7/20/21 and again on 7/23/21, the battery had been replaced with a new manufacturer's battery in Feb. Of 2020. When the battery didn't start on 7/23 there were several warning lights concerning all the electrical safety systems. Aaa came again this time jumped it and it started and I had it towed to the dealership. Since it was towed to the dealership I have learned that this is a documented problem with this car and that there was even a service bulletin put out by Subaru about how to deal with the problem, their fix is to replace the battery but that is fixing the symptom but not a cure. I was told that I should report this to your agency.

2016 Subaru Crosstrek 2. 0 ltd (cvt) when placing vehicle in park, occasionally, will not allow me to remove ignition key when transmission is placed in park position. Safety issue is that I am not able to exit vehicle because if they remains in the car, it will be an easy vehicle to steal. Especially an issue if I am in a parking lot at night or during severe weather conditions. The car dealer and Subaru of America feel that it is my financial responsibility even though there are numerous other Subaru Crosstrek owners that have voiced the same complaint. Subaru has issued several service bulletins acknowledging that there is a defect and that the shifter was redesigned for model year 2019. Subaru service bulletin 16-112-18r states "the cause is contamination if the park-range switch internal components.

Had been driving for about 15 minutes, majority of it had been on the highway, and I exited off the highway. I waited at a stop light and then turned onto a secondary road. The car all of a sudden gave all warning lights with the hybrid system and I lost acceleration in the vehicle. It made it very hard to steer, and when stepping on the gas it barely had any power to accelerate the vehicle. Felt like I lost the main power a d was using only the hybrid battery to power the vehicle. I pulled off on a side street put the car in park and shut the vehicle off. I waited a few minutes and then turned the car back on and everything was fine. This occurred while driving and if it had happened two minutes earlier I would've been on the highway and in real trouble.

Battery drain bought new battery got dcm update pulled dcm fuse still battery goes dead thousands of vehicles involved suburu knows the cause to expensive to fix please help3/3.

I have had three occurrences with my vehicle where I discovered a dangerous situation in the manual heater and air conditioner control module connector that resulted in the module connector and the wiring harness connector both becoming scorched and melted due to excessive heat. I believe that this is probably occurring due to high electrical current at the connector. In all occurrences, the first symptoms of the problem are intermittent blower fan speed followed by the fan speed knob becoming melted into a fixed position. The first occurrence was in February 2021 and the damaged control module (part number 72311fj500) and the pigtail connector were replaced by a trained auto body tech. The second occurrence was in August 2021 and I took the vehicle to the Subaru dealership given it was a repeat occurrence and because we were concerned it might be a problem that could impact other vehicles. The service department at Subaru kept the vehicle for 2 weeks to diagnose the problem and eventually recommended we replace the vehicle's main wiring harness as well as again replace the damaged heater and air conditioning control module. We authorized the required repairs. The issue has now occurred for a third time and I will be taking the vehicle to Subaru again. I will be asking the service department to contact the manufacturer about this safety issue. I believe the primary risk to safety the potential of a fire in the vehicle in the right circumstances due to excessive current at the connector of the module. There is a secondary but less acute risk that the heater becomes inoperable during the winter and puts occupants at risk which is the situation we are facing as we travel frequently in rural areas.

Key is unable to be removed from ignition after shifting to park. Sometimes requires you to shift in and out of park several times to get the key to release. Seems to be a common complaint and a defective park position sensor.

When the car is put in park the keys automatically lock in the ignition and cannot be removed. When searching the internet for this issue it came up numerous amounts of times. Someone found out the issue that Subaru installed faulty connectors near the shifter. That is supposed to send a signal to the steering wheel in order to release the keys from the ignition. However that signal is not always sent because the electrical components do not connect when it is put into park. Driver's only have a temporary solution of shifting it into drive then back into park multiple times while trying to pull the keys out. My car is currently out of warranty due to mileage however it is only 4 years old and should be replaced by a recall, since this is a safety issue as keys may be locked in the vehicle in order for the automobile to be stolen.

My ignition key gets stuck sometimes. I believe it is this issue: https://static. Nhtsa. Gov/odi/tsbs/2018/mc-10153178-9999. Pdf.

The ket gets stuck in the ignition when the vehicle is put in park. The vehicle is stationary.

My car just has had backup camera issue since a month ago. I called the local Subaru service but they would charge me for a diagnosis which I dont like the idea to pay it. I learned that Subaru recalls other Subaru models (non Crosstrek) for its backup camera issue. I would like to see my backup camera to be fixed which that is a safety concern.

The key mechanism fails to let you remove the key from the switch. It fails to return to the full off position to allow the key removal. I have to turn key off & on anywhere from twice to 20 times to get the key to return all the way to the off position to allow the key removal. Sometimes, I start and stop to assist the operation but still can take up to 10 times for the key position to fully return to the off position to allow for the key removal.

While driving at night around curves at about 15-20 mph the steering wheel kind of locked, and could not go back straight. Had to stop, turn the car off in order to the steering wheel feel normal. It did it a couple of times, also while parking it made like a clicking noise by the front passenger wheel. Had it fix, Subaru replace relief valve, electric oil pump. Even though Subaru is at fault, I had to pay almost $600 to have this fix because my car had a condition that was not covered by their warranty. It isn't fair. I bought this Subaru because of their reliability. It shouldn't have defects. This situation exposed my daughter's life and mine. I hope nobody else goes through this risky situation. Thank you.

When putting the car in park I am unable to get the key out of the ignition. After 2-6x of putting it in and out of park the key will release.

The vehicle was losing power and getting close to the point of stalling but never stalled. It would periodically not switch gears as well. Seems like it could have been a faulty brake light switch. Apparently I was told that my vehicle was not covered under the recall put out earlier for this issue. So I had to pay out of pocket.

Experiencing same issues as many others. Key will not pull out unless turned back on and change gears; then when turned back off key will pull out. Started happening in 2019. Again, same as other people, hear clicking when turning left. Taking to dealership tomorrow but seems like it will be the axle from what others are experiencing.

My key gets stuck in the ignition on the acc position, so I can not leave my car with the key in it because the battery is still on. The vehicle is stationary and in park. I turn the key counter clockwise to turn the car off and remove the key, the key will not go further than the acc position, and no, it is not that I'm not pushing it in enough or the steering wheel lock. I am essentially stuck in my car or at risk of it being stolen. It happens frequently (at least once a day) but not every single time I drive the car. It has made it impossible to drive, and for fear of damaging the transmission or electrical components further I try not to drive it. Subaru is aware of this issue across five other Subaru models over five years (2013-2018; legacy, outback, impreza, Crosstrek, forester, wrx - until recently their entire lineup!) and issued a service bulletin last year (attached). It is affecting so many other customers, yet they will not fix it. The service bulletin announced a design change to the cvt select lever due to park-range switch internal components. They claim it is "isolated" but a quick search on the internet proves this is not the case.

Not able to remove key from ignition have to take the vehicle out of park put it back in park in park and sometimes repeat then able to remove key from ignition. Dealership says it's not covered under the manufacturer's warranty the service advisor nee exactly what the issue was as they just did the repairs to another vehicle the part is transmission plate guide assembly located in the shift console that cost $50 and $350 for labor with a total of $400. My vehicle is now at 40,000 miles.

Transmission in park. Key is in ignition and turned off. However the engine continues to run. Requires several on off attempts to shut engine off.

My battery keep draining all the time since I bought the car I have changed 3 of them. Two of the battery were still okay but I still changed them. Also, all the warning lights on the dashboard keep on and off without the check engine light. I brought the car to the dealer and they fixed the brake switch recall and I also mention the problem to them but they could not find anything wrong with the car. Few days later, I brought the car back to the dealer because the warning lights were on and off on the dashboard. They diagnosed the car and said the car need to replace the valve body transmission which I doubt that my car has problem with the transmission. I also have done some research and a lot of people who own the Subaru have that same issue. I personally used to own the Subaru brz and that car also has the problem with the battery and the dealer just replaced it for me.

Key is sticking in ignition. Was informed that there is a known fix for a known problem that happens but it will cost over $400 to fix. This is a known design flaw with a known service bulletin that makes a change to a piece of plastic in the shifter.

2016 Subaru Crosstrek, 27,500 miles. Unable to remove key from the ignition when vehicle is in park. When this happens the only way to remove key is to put the car in and out of gear and then back to park. Has occurred 1/2 dozen times, most recently today 11/13/2018. I am concerned that I may not be able to get the key out at some point in the future. Obviously, I cannot leave the car unlocked with the key in the ignition! switching gears is not always an instant fix and can take awhile going between drive/reverse/neutral before returning to park and the key releases from the ignition. Have a call into the dealer regarding this issue and service bulletin TSB-16-112-18r.

Key gets stuck in ignition. Intermittently, the key will not turn all the way to the off position to allow removal. Turning the key to the "on" position then shifting into gear and back into park sometimes allows the key to then turn off and be removed. The car is stationary and in park. The car doesn't seem to recognize that it is in park.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek. While making a right turn, the electrical system failed and caused the contact to rear end another vehicle. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. There were no warning indicators illuminated before or after the failure. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.

Rear view camera is malfunctioning. Randomly will come on while driving and will not go off. This prevents you from being able to use the hands free phone system. Unable to make it duplicate it when take it to dealer. However, I did get it on video. Took it to dealer and they said there was an update and that they loaded the update to the computer. However, it continues to do it. Just started this a couple days ago. The vehicle is over one year old. It happens when stationary and/or in motion.