Electrical System Problems of Subaru Crosstrek - part 1

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, an advertisement for a product that the contact had never purchased suddenly took over the infotainment system, which required the driver to interact with the infotainment screen and to return the screen to normal functionality. The contact was concerned that the issue was a distraction for the driver and was temporarily preventing access to the infotainment system safety features. Upon investigation, the contact learned that the manufacturer had enabled product advertisement on the infotainment screen of the vehicle while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.

I got a pop-up message while attempting to back up using my rear backup camera that almost caused an accident. This blocked view of the camera and locked up the entire infotainment system until I could clear it. The pop up was: "enjoy siriusxm free thru 12/1. " this kind of distraction while operating a vehicle that weighs almost a ton while the vehicle is in motion is dangerous and irresponsible. This advertisement disables and interferes with safety features on this vehicle.

Advertisement for xm radio service popped up on console screen of the car, and would not go away unless manually dismissed (touch) - while driving, covering the entire screen. This is entirely unnecessary and distracting, all to serve an advertisement for a service I don't want or use.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

Advertisement pops up for siri’s radio while driving. Distracts from navigation and other primary functions.

Sirius xm advertizing obscures the entire screen making car data and navigation unavailable unless a driver takes their eyes of the road to press a tiny x on a corner. There are some offers when I bought the care where I had to shut the car off to get the ad to disappear. I do not want to have driver distraction from ads that could lead to an accident or have me pull over in traffic to shut off. Please ask them to stop this behavior.

To whom it may concern, I am filing a formal dispute and safety complaint regarding my 2022 Subaru Crosstrek limited. On November 12, 2025, while driving at approximately 70 mph on the highway, the vehicle suddenly stopped operating automatically without warning. This was a terrifying and dangerous event for me and my family. We could have been seriously injured or worse. The service department later claimed that the issue might be related to the battery, but I am not convinced that this explanation is accurate or acceptable. A vehicle with only around 41,000 miles should not suddenly lose power or stop at highway speed. This is a serious safety defect and raises strong concerns about the vehicle’s reliability, engineering, and overall safety. I request that Subaru of America open a formal investigation into this incident and document it as part of my ongoing complaints. I also ask that this matter be reviewed under the florida lemon law and bbb auto line programs, since this issue demonstrates a clear and dangerous failure of the vehicle’s systems that should not occur under normal operation. Please confirm receipt of this dispute and provide a case reference number and next steps for resolution. Sincerely, [xxx] [xxx] ?? 786-718-0305 [xxx] et 2022 Subaru Crosstrek limited vi [xxx] 29 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2022 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.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an unidentified recall; however, the recall repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that upon further inspection, the vehicle occasionally experienced an abnormal battery energy consumption, although the battery was previously recharged. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

See all problems of the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal ringing sound coming from underneath the dashboard. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, but the ringing sound persisted. After the contact connected the bluetooth, the ringing stopped. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,158.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

Dashboard warning lights required an inspection by a qualified mechanic and made the assessment of a faulty ecm relatively easily by noting the excessive heat emitting from the ecu.

Since purchasing the vehicle, I have had numerous problems with the lane departure warning. It is inconsistent on a daily basis. The only time it responds the way it is supposed to, is if there is average light and very vivid road/lane markings. It sometimes does not respond to yellow lines in the road unless they are very vivid. It often misses white lines unless there is a strong contrast to the road. When it rains, all systems on my dashboard show that they are off and the word "eyesight" has a slash through it. There have been some instances where the car has not turned off, despite pushing the control repeatedly. . . And not allowing me entrance to the car despite the key in my hand and trying to open the locked car.

All four tire pressure monitoring sensors failed on my 2018 Subaru Crosstrek at approximately 69,000 miles. The tpms light remains illuminated, and the system no longer provides low-tire-pressure warnings. Subaru of America acknowledged the issue but declined full repair coverage, offering only partial “goodwill assistance. ” because tpms is a federally mandated safety system, a full-system failure poses the risk of operating the vehicle without tire-pressure warning capability. The dealership quoted approximately $1,000 to restore the system. Subaru’s decision to deny full coverage leaves the safety defect uncorrected.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start and was jumpstarted several times by a dealer’s mobile technician. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was determined that the battery was in good condition, and the failure could be related to the manual transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that a aaa technician who assisted in jumpstarting the vehicle confirmed that the alternator and the battery were in good condition. The technician informed the contact that the vehicle was experiencing a parasitic battery drain; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power in the middle of the roadway. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the battery. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with head gasket failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.

Factory alarm is triggered late in the evening while in my garage regardless if vehicle is locked or unlocked.

Phone charger does not work. Power was out and I could not charge phone. Best I've ever got was 1% on a 1 hour drive. The phone however gets extremely hot. Anecdotally, my usb port also didn't work leaving me with no way to have a charged phone during a prolonged power outage. The wireless charger is a widespread common problem. Below, I have included links to multiple threads and videos where even more multiple comments are posted of people having the same issue. For background, I use wireless charging on my nightstand, my motorcycle, my work desk, all for this phone, all different chargers in this case. It's the charger not working. It is a 100% real issue and here are all the other countless people having the same problem: [xxx] same problem from this dealer employee. [xxx] same problem posted on Subaru forum. [xxx] multiple people complaining about similar issue in this forum. [xxx] mutiple people reporting a similar issue in this forum as well. [xxx] guy removing the charger, comment section full of people having the same problem as me. This should be a recall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

When attempting to put the car in park, the key will not release and is stuck. Incident happens often in recent past days. Key will not release from ignition.

See all problems of the 2014 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

Pressing the horn button on the steering wheel does not sound the horn. However, pushing the “lock” or “panic” button on the key fob still makes the horn beep. So the horn itself works, but pressing on the steering wheel does absolutely nothing. Other buttons on the steering column still work (cruise control, radio controls, etc). Only pressing the horn button doesn’t work thus making me unable to alert other drivers of my presence if they are drifting toward me. This has not been evaluated by a mechanic or dealer yet as I do not have the money to do so. However, a simple search on reddit will show you that many others are experiencing this with their Subaru Crosstreks. There were no symptoms or issues that led to this. It simply stopped working one day. And I am not someone who hits their horn very often so this is not an overuse issue. Once the horn button stopped working on the steering wheel, it has not worked since. I have not had the ability to alert drivers with my horn for over a month.

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

Hello! I started financing my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek in 04/2023. A month after that date, I had a head gasket issue. Then in 2024, a radiator cap deformed after going to the dealer to get an oil change at sf Honda. (the time on that was suspicious being that I didn’t touch that cap at all. ) so I had to pay for that repair. Now in 2025, after getting an oil change at Subaru, a day after that oil change, a lot of lights came onto my dashboard. I have two diagnosis reports from other places because I didn’t have the money to pay Subaru $300 to “diagnose” the issue, especially after my car just came from there a day before the problem existed. Since I got into this vehicle, I’ve been suspicious whether or not it’s safe for me, reason also being, I found out in 2024, that this car has been into 5 wrecks. Which I was not aware of prior. And now, they are making me feel, there is nothing they can do, unless I have a CO-signer, or the approved “credit” score. And now that my vehicle has “7” recalls! I am hoping I can get out of this vehicle. Thanks!.

Subaru owners have reported experiencing premature parasitic battery drain in vehicles equipped with starlink in-vehicle technology. The defect presents itself when the equipped data communications module (dcm) attempts to communicate with 3g cellular networks. As 3g networks within the u. S. Are no longer functioning, the call will continuously fail even after the vehicle has been turned off, draining the battery and resulting in a no-start safety risk for drivers. According to those familiar with the issue, the only solution to the battery drain defect is to remove the dcm fuse, thus disabling vital safety features such as hands-free calling. This issue is happening to me specifically, as I have had to jump my car multiple times within a week long period if in a bad cell range area. I have brought this into the dealership multiple times, under warranty, and presented this to them. They refuse to fix, even though multiple online threads and lawsuits point to this issue being known.

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

The fan in my car, that controls the heat/air-conditioning, went out causing my windows to fog up since it was raining & I couldn't use the dehumidifier. I couldn't see & had to manually wipe my windshield several times & drive with my hazard lights on in order to get the car home. There were no warning lights on the dashboard. I took the car to a mechanic shop on another day, when they could not find the problem through a diagnostic the mechanic took apart the dashboard & that's when he found the wires connected to the control panel were melting/overheating. He said it was very dangerous because it could cause the car to catch fire. He said he had to leave the wires disconnected to prevent the car catching fire until the wires and control panel could be replaced. When I looked up if others were having the same problem, I found other Subaru Crosstrek owners with the same issue and many of them stated it happened again after replacing the affected parts. The control panel is not a wear-and-tear part so I was told I would have to get it from a Subaru dealership. I have not been able to take it to a Subaru dealership yet due to the weather but the car is available for inspection upon request. It has not been inspected yet by anyone besides my mechanic.

See all problems of the 2013 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the usb a outlets under the head unit that allow connection to android auto and apple carplay yes it is available for inspection upon request how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the connection when hooked up to a phone is intermittent. This results in driver distraction whenever it disconnects due to trying to get it to reconnect. Especially when using gps apps this means the driver may be "lost" until it can be reconnected, which means they will try to get it reconnected while driving which is dangerous. Sometimes it goes in and out every 60-90 seconds. Sometimes it won't connect at all until the vehicle is power cycled or the head unit is reset but neither of these guarantees a stable connection. The issue is not fixed by replacing the usb cable or the phone with a brand new phone. The cables and phone do not have this issue with any other usb port that they have been used on (in other vehicles). Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? not on my vehicle but there are hundreds of reports online for years with multiple Subaru models where it has been. I could get it reproduced easily, just haven't had the time. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no this happens every day, at any speed, and has been happening since I got the vehicle at 20000 miles and there are 35000 miles on it now (approximately).

At various times of day or night, the brake lights turn on, while there is no one in the vehicle. The vehicle sits parked and is locked with the security on, and the lights just randomly turn on by themselves. The only way to turn the lights off is to go into the vehicle and step on the brake and then the lights are off after releasing the brake pedal. If the lights stay on, because it’s not noticed, then the battery drains and then needs to be jumped. It is concerning for vehicles traveling behind, because one wouldn’t know if there is an issue happening while traveling and could cause someone to be rear ended.

I sent my Crosstrek to the dealer for the wre21 recall. After retrieving the car from the dealership with the recall fix in place, the engine stalled while I was at a red light and I could see smoke coming out from the hood. This occurred after driving less than 4 miles from the dealership. I opened the hood and could see that one of the coil packs on the driver side cylinder bank was on fire. I called 911 and the fire department had to extinguish the fire. The fire has rendered the vehicle inoperable and smoke damaged.

Check engine light came on while idling. "eyesight" tech turned off along with certain associated safety features. Next day, vehicle struggled to ignite. Came to a complete stop at an intersection, released brake, stepped on gas, and the car rolled forward as if in neutral and bucked up and down like a rodeo bull.

On two incidents randomly and without warning the car failed to accelerate while driving in traffic on an open road and I had to coast to safety and put in park, then drive, then travel less than five miles home. Both times I immediately scheduled service with suburu with appointments about a week out. The car drove without incident while awaiting service. Service failed to replicate the problem, diagnose or remedy it after having the car a week and I was told“vehicle is operating properly at that time”. The second occurrence at the end of June was far more dangerous as I was traveling at a higher speed in heavy traffic on a multi lane road when it occurred car is unsafe for me, passengers and other drivers. I risk being stranded. I have no sense of reliability or safety and the car is just now at 30k.

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.

The electrical harness to the variable fan speed switch overheated melting the harness and switch.

Anti-lockout mechanism failed to prevent telematics-initiated lockout. 1) driver placed live child , keys, phone into car 2) driver closed door with keys inside. The car normally refuses to lock under these conditions, detecting key inside, and preventing a hazard to infant who is unable to unlock the car. 3) remote telematics command issued from 3rd party inadvertently locks car remotely. Driver has now lost control of the car lock state, and is locked out with child inside. Since it's a sunny day, car internal temperature increases, causing threat to child. 4) emergency efforts to reach 3rd party to unlock the car to free child are successful ~10 minutes later , avoiding harm to child. However, if driver had been unable to reach the third party, the only alternatives would have been 911/break-glass.

The infotainment system and apple carplay connectivity is posing a safety hazard. When I’m on a phone call my audio will randomly cut out and suddenly the person on the other side of the call can no longer hear me. In order to fix the issue I must pick up my phone while I’m driving to disconnect from apple carplay and reconnect. I have tried countless troubleshooting methods and reported the problem to the dealership. They don’t seem to have a solution for it. This is a serious safety hazard because I can end up getting into an accident from having to pick up my phone to correct this issue. It happens randomly and sometimes multiple times during a single call.

Hello, my Subaru Crosstrek 2018 has been brought to Subaru service departments in both CA and MA for the same issue. I have brought in my car 3-4 times for recurrent problems where the battery in the car dies. The battery has been replaced multiple times and I have brought it to Subaru service departments both in massachusetts and California, all of whom tell me that the battery needs to be replaced, over and over again. I called and filed a report with Subaru of America who directed me to a third party representative who deals with claims regarding Subarus and their recurrent battery issues and was informed that my Subaru is not eligible for reimbursement for recurrent issues with batterys, nor is it a model that is eligible for an extended warranty given the battery issues. This is a huge safety issue for me. I have found myself in empty parking garages at night with a dead battery where I have had to stay locked in my car while I call a tow/aaa service to come and jump my car. I have missed countless days of work due to this issue. I have been late to pick up my child from daycare. I have spent thousands of dollars missing work, getting ubers while my car is in the shop, using rental cars, calling tow companies while this issue has been ongoing for two years. In addition, I have spent hundreds of dollars on portable battery chargers so that I do not get stranded with a battery-less car. I have raised this issue to the Subaru service departments multiple times, as well as Subaru of America with no solution.

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.

I was driving with cruise control enabled right around 40mph. All of the sudden, while I was moving, my speedometer dropped to 0 and all of my dashboard lights turned on. I pulled over to the side of the road and tried to put the car in park to figure out what was going on. I was not able to shift the car into park, only remain in d or shift to n. I forced the car shutoff while in d with the press-button ignition, then turned the car back on. I was then able to shift the car into p. However, all of my dashboard lights were still on. I will attach an image to this description as I was able to take a photo of all the dashboard lights. After putting the car in park, I then shifted it back into d. However, my steering wheel was very stiff. Eventually, it loosened up back to normal. I then turned around and headed home for about a 2. 5 hour drive. For the first 1. 5 hours of the drive, most of the dashboard lights remained on and I could not initiate cruise control at all. After stopping for gas and turning the car back on, I was then able to drive as normal (putting the car in cruise control) and most of the dashboard lights also turned off. This was a Sunday evening. I then brought my car to the Subaru dealer in which I bought the Crosstrek from the very next morning. I told them exactly what happened. They said this was highly unusual and this wasn't something they've dealt with before, especially on a brand new car (I purchased this vehicle with 0 miles just 6 months prior). After sitting in the shop for 30+ days, the dealer eventually replaced the vdc module and gave the car back to me. I did submit this issue to Subaru of America, but they denied this to be a lemon case. They would not tell me why, even though a car sitting in a shop for 30+ days achieves lemon status in the state of utah. Since the dealer replaced the vdc module and returning the car to me, I have not yet had another issue, but am nervous this could occur again.

The electrical system and engine flickers on and off or sometimes dies entirely. The trigger is unknown and the underlying cause is unknown. It is unsafe because this has occurred while the vehicle is moving. The problem was confirmed and reproduced by a Subaru service center. They were unable to diagnose the issue. There is no warning when it will happen.