Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Subaru Crosstrek - part 1

On [xxx] ~[xxx] pm, at highway speed on [xxx] eastbound near frisco, CO (a mountain interstate), returning to denver from salt lake city, my 2021 Subaru Crosstrek suddenly and without warning dropped into reduced-power limp mode and began lurching and shaking while the engine kept running. I lost the ability to accelerate or maintain speed. At the same moment the check engine light came on and multiple active safety systems automatically disabled: eyesight, pre-collision braking, vehicle dynamics (traction/stability) control, and hill start assist. It took about two minutes to manage the lurching, power-limited vehicle across multiple lanes of traffic to reach the shoulder. My partner was in the vehicle. Had this happened on a bridge, a grade without a shoulder, a tunnel approach, or in heavier traffic, I believe a collision was a realistic outcome. The vehicle was towed to a Subaru dealer and diagnosed with a failed thermo control valve. Sixteen trouble codes were stored, including p26a6, p0606, p060b, p2138, p2135, p2122, p2119, p2004, p2005, and p0191. Mileage was 49,983. There was no prior symptom. The vehicle had a full multi-point inspection at the same dealer only 11 days and ~1,400 miles earlier ([xxx]); nothing was flagged. This failure mode is already known to Subaru, addressed by technical service bulletin 09-119-24 and a warranty extension to 15 years/150,000 miles; the dealer repair order confirms the TSB. I am concerned Subaru handles a safety-relevant failure, one that disables collision-avoidance systems at highway speed, through a quiet warranty extension rather than a recall or owner notification. Owners get no warning and discover it only when it fails dangerously. I request NHTSA open a formal safety defect investigation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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In the middle of driving car stuttered, engine light went on, and car stalled. Unable to restart, engine cranks but would not turn over. Had car towed for repair. Diagnostic shows engine coil short causing blown fuse. Subaru has an active recall for this identical issue for my same year and model 2019 Crosstrek but the recall does not cover my VIN.

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My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek cvt valve body equipment failure and cvt torque converter failure. This appears to be a common failure for prior Subaru Crosstrek model - however was not extended for coverage to 2020 and beyond models - appears the issue still persists and additional year models should be covered. My vehicle experience the same failure for cvt valve body failure and cvt torque converter while driving at highway speeds. Problem occurs for previous Subaru models example: mc-11021247-0001, Subaru service bulletin: 16-155-25r where Subaru extended coverage to 10yrs/100k miles or +1 year from date of notification - and my vehicle is currently at the Subaru dealership for repairs for both cvt valve body and torque converter. Warning lights did not appear until issue occored.

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My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek experienced a sudden loss of motive power and stalled due to a blown ignition fuse. Diagnostic code p1604 (startability malfunction) was stored. Inspection by wayne Subaru (invoice #25340) confirmed the cylinder 3 ignition coil had shorted and physically melted. This is the exact failure mode described in Subaru safety recall wre-21 (NHTSA campaign 21v825000), which currently only covers 2018–2019 models. My vehicle experienced a thermal event and a stall despite being a 2020 model. The dealer replaced only the melted coil and did not update the ecm software. This leaves the vehicle at risk of a repeat stall in traffic, as the underlying software defect that causes coils to overheat remains unaddressed in the 2020 model year and the remaining coils may already be at risk.

The vehicle shuddered violently when turning the ignition, and then failed to start entirely. The mechanic found that the engine coil was severely damaged, no external influence, just that it had become worn out remarkably fast. The vehicle has less than 60,000 miles and just 5 years in service. The repair will end up costing about 1500 with tows included and the vehicle has not gone without maintenance or care.

I have been working with Subaru of America and capital Subaru service in san jose, CA for a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek xv 2. 0 cvt automatic engine shortly after we bought it used for multiple faulty known engine problems with this specific make and model. Since we have owned the vehicle, we have not been able to drive it for more than 2 months short distance at a time due to engine, valve body, major low oil pressure problems, and multiple sensor issues. This vehicle has been very dangerous for us to drive and has left us stranded not to mention paying the bank we financed payments to for a car we have been unable to use since purchasing. Subaru of America and capital Subaru in san jose have been awful, insensitive, and unhuman to our concerns and needs. We had to call them several times and were repeatedly ignore both parties for several days without any answers or any solutions. We have spent many sleepless nights worrying about not having a vehicle to get to work and my daughter who drove the car when she could in nursing school with the burden of having no transportation and all the stress and worrying. There is a long history of defected engines because of the poor way these were built for our specific year, and we were told repeatedly that it was the lack of maintenance from the previous owner being the cause of the issues when that in fact is a lie as we have several maintenance records routinely. I will never buy or recommend these defected and lemon cars again especially when it involves the safety of your life! having to tow to and from our home to the dealership service parts was a big waste of time and a joke just to hear, "we are sorry but nothing is covered and your liable for the diagnostic and fixing for your car that will be $5,800 which our car was only worth $5,600 through kelly blue book and we still owe a remainder of $9,000 to the financing bank.

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The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that after driving and parking the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle, and the vehicle suddenly caught on fire under the hood. The vehicle had received an oil change three days prior to the failure. Additionally, the contact noticed smoke after the oil change. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the fire. The contact called 911, and the police and fire department responded to the scene. The fire department extinguished the fire, and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. There were no injuries sustained during the fire. The local dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and the dealer had not offered any assistance. The manufacturer was contacted, and a claim was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000.

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Dangerous stall in traffic due to ignition coil failure. Ignition coils and spark plugs were replaced during the wre21 recall campaign only 13k miles ago back in 2021. Stopped at red light awaiting to turn left when the vehicle started shaking violently. No check engine light came on though. When the light turned green, the vehicle was barely able to move forward then it completely stalled before pulling over to the curb. Since the tail of the car was sticking out into traffic a bit, it was a downright dangerous situation. Car had to be towed to dealership and took them 5 days to diagnose and fix the problem. Ignition coil and spark plug replacements costed $1500. Don't think the recall fixed the root problem and this could potentially happen again.

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Passenger side valve cover gasket and spark plug seal failure.

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While driving at normal operating speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of engine power with no prior warning. There were no dashboard alerts, warning lights, or check engine indicators before the failure occurred. The vehicle became immediately unsafe to operate and had to be pulled over in a main highway center lane divide. After inspection by a licensed mechanic, it was determined that the engine suffered catastrophic internal failure due to oil and engine coolant mixing. This resulted in complete engine failure and rendered the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle has been properly maintained with all routine oil changes and inspections completed on schedule. There was no indication of overheating or mechanical issues prior to the failure. The condition that caused the failure was not detectable through normal maintenance. The sudden loss of power without warning created a significant safety risk to the driver and surrounding traffic. Due to the nature of the failure, the engine requires full replacement, and both 12v and hybrid batteries were also damaged and require replacement. This incident raises concern regarding a potential latent defect related to the engine or cooling system, particularly given reports of similar issues in this model year.

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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).

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Oct 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.

The engine stalled unexpectedly during operation. I noticed a sudden loss of power, and the vehicle shut off without warning. This has happened more than once, posing a safety concern.

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.

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.

I am reporting a complete engine failure on my 2014 Subaru Crosstrek at 140,000 miles due to a valve spring issue that appears to match Subaru’s recall wty-84 (NHTSA campaign 18v772000). I checked my VIN and it currently shows no open recalls, but I’ve reviewed Subaru’s own documentation that lists 2013–2016 Crosstreks as affected by this defect. My vehicle clearly falls within that production range and has now suffered the exact failure described in that recall — a fractured valve spring causing a complete engine malfunction. I never received a recall notice, and when I contacted Subaru, they acknowledged the VIN wasn’t included in the recall despite the year, make, model, and symptoms matching exactly. This raises concern that the recall scope is too narrow and is excluding other affected vehicles. This failure created a safety issue due to sudden engine loss while driving and has led to significant repair costs that I believe should have been prevented. I am asking NHTSA to investigate whether additional vins — including mine — should be added to the recall to prevent further safety risks for other Subaru owners in the same situation.

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The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. While the contact was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while the engine was still off, the gear shifter was shifted into reverse(r) and the vehicle accelerated backwards. The contact slammed on the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from crashing into another parked vehicle. The contact pressed the ignition button with her foot on the brake pedal to start the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled to service the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

1. Subaru 2022 Crosstrek accelerated on its own when foot is on the brake and trying to move the shifter knob to park, instead the car thursted into the parked car in front with such force that ran into the garage. 2. Towed car to Subaru dealer informed to escalate to Subaru of America, opened a case #250402-1600810, please see attached email communication. 3. Subaru will not respond unless I signed a consent to extract edr (event data recorders) for inspection but denied me to be onsite or a copy of the files, the data retained from edr is the property of the owner, per section 563. 5 of title 49, code of federal regulations. 4. 4 weeks later, Subaru issued the results of this vehicle indicate it has no brake, accelerator or throttle abnormalities. Also quoting the police report that I provided. 5. There was no edr saved in the accident, Subaru cannot provide any summary or why the computer did not capture any of the events, the brake pedal, gas pedal, etc. 6. There has been over $12,000 damage on the Subaru, over $7,000 on the parked car, and the garage door. The insurance repair for the vehicles only address body work and no mention of the edr testing, engine and throttle, eyesight, etc. 7. Subaru should be more transparent and issue the summary of the inspection from the team, not the adovcacy (advocating for Subaru). The car battery went completely dead on March 14, 2025 and was told there is nothing wrong with it after the dealer service center look at it on March 15. The inspector was going to determine if the vehicle is drivable. 8. The car is under 3 year warranty with extended warranty for 7 years. I want a response from Subaru of America states that the Crosstrek 2022 is safe to drive and does not have an unintended acceleration issue since Subaru conducted the inspection.

I have a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, I am the second owner, the first owner bought it in 2019, I am having acceleration problems, I have already taken it to two different mechanics, they say it is a problem with the computer, they have already checked and scanned it and they tell me that you have to reprogram the ecm for dtc p1603 / engine idle drop or stall, when the car accelerates it makes a jerky or knocking noise when I go 15 miles or stop and move forward again the car locks, this only happens when the car is already warm and has been used for about 10 minutes.

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.

Per NHTSA product campaign bulletin wre-21, all ignition coils on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek premium were replace on August 9th, 2021. On November 26th 2024, the same vehicle experienced a total loss of motive power on a 50 mph, 2-lane road, resulting in emergency action to move the car off of the right-of-way. All occupants of the car were not injured. After the vehicle was towed to a Subaru dealership, the service notes stated “diagnosed no start scanned and found p1604 startability malfunction, and p0304 cylinder 4 misfire, checked fuel pressure and found it was within spec, found the ignition coil fuse was blown and upon further inspection found the cyl 4 coil pack shorted internally and the primary and secondary circuits connected blowing the fuse, coil pack and fuse will need to be replaced. ” the wording of the technician’s notes mirror the wording of the wre-21. The dealership offered a one-time free “goodwill replacement” of the part in question, but only for 1 cylinder. I believe further corrective action needs to be taken by the NHTSA to prevent total loss of motive power in affected Subaru Crosstreks.

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.

My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek was stopped at a red light behind a car. My cruise was disengaged after the car stopped and my foot was on the brake. Suddenly, the car lurched forward on its own and only stopped when I pressed hard on the brake and moved transmission from drive to park.

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.

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.

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.

I was driving to a friends house . When the engine started sputtering billowing blue smoke , the engine just stopped . I had it towed to my mechanics shop. Maui fix auto 808-877-3731 wailuku maui hawaii . He told me engine failed , extended warranty thru geico would not cover. I work as the equivalent of a park ranger. For the state of hawaii being a first responder this is techically my 3 Subaru purchased from the dealer . This vehicle died at 60,000. Miles and 5 years I bought this car for reliability , to get to work and respond ASAP . My car is dead I wish some one in Subaru had “love “ like they do in commercials. I need help fixing my car please .

Oil leaking into coolant system. Car has been through several repairs but the problem continues even after multiple repairs of possible source of leakage. Potential hazard or car catching on fire with leaking oil fluid.

While driving down the freeway, all the warning lights came on and the engine sputtered and cut out. As we were in the left lane on a busy freeway, it put us at considerable risk. We were able to get to the left shoulder and get towed off the highway. This was caused, I later learned, by a faulty electronic thermostat which caused the system to fail.

I have been getting my 2014 Subaru Crosstrek serviced at continental Subaru in anchorage, alaska for the last 4. 5 years. I initially thought that they were an honest dealer/mechanic. I originally bought my Subaru in California and drove it up to anchorage and it has been here ever since. My car burns oil very quickly. I mentioned this several times and the dealer always said it wasn't that big of an issue. Between oil changes I frequently had to add a couple of quarts of oil in addition to what they added during the oil changes because the car was burning so much oil. Recently in the last year, continental Subaru told me my spark plugs were bad. I brought the car in because my cylinders were misfiring. They replaced the spark plugs. However a month later the issue still persisted. I called Subaru and had them replace the spark plugs again. At this point they said it was just the spark plugs. The issue persisted. I took my Subaru to a local mechanic this time since I felt like continental was not being honest in their inspection of my car. Turns out the problem is much worse than Subaru was letting on for so many years. My car burns a lot of oil. Which is a manufacturing issue. They continually told me it wasn't an issue. Probably because my car was still under warranty. Now that my car is not under warranty they finally admit that there are a lot of underlying issues. Except now I have to pay out of pocket because the car is now out of warranty. Since the car burns oil at such a fast rate, the head gaskets have warped. The valve cover gaskets need to be replaced and are leaking oil into my spark plugs and my coils. So now that my car is out of warranty suddenly I have to pay out of pocket almost $9000 to get the valve cover gaskets, head gaskets, spark plugs, coils, engine harness, all replaced. The variable valve timing is leaking. And there is internal mixing of oil and coolant in the motor. They have been extremely dishonest with me for years. I want a recall.

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.

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.

There is a battery draining problem. I have had to replace the battery 3 times in a two-year period.

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Spark plug coil leaked oil into the spark plug.

When driving after let of throttle it some time floors it 4 times.