Steering Problems of Subaru Crosstrek - part 1

After driving the vehicle for 30 minutes to an hour in temperatures approximately above 45°f the steering wheel will get "stuck" on center and go loose then tighten again when trying to make minor corrections in steering. Easiest to duplicate on roads with speed limits at or above 55 mph. If temperatures are below 40°f when the vehicle is started, the issue cannot be duplicated unless the temperature reaches approximately 50°f while driving. If starting a drive in temperatures that cause the issue, then driving into temperatures below 32°f, the issue will go away while driving. This issue has caused me to have to overcorrect on a 55 mph mountain road with spots of melting snow and was noticeable enough for my passenger to be quite concerned. After driving with this issue for 1-2 hours, the added fatigue of constantly fighting the steering wheel can and will lead to a crash. This has been looked at by a Subaru dealership when temperatures were warmer, but they were not able to duplicate the concern. There are no warnings, lights, or alerts while this issue is happening. I have been waiting for this to get worse to bring it in to Subaru, but I fear without assistance from the NHTSA I will be turned away by the dealership again. Added information: all lane departure and driver assistance features were and are currently turned off. The issue still happens in cruise control with or without the lane centering turned on.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

Power steering issue at highway speeds conditions: lane centering turned off. Lane departure turned off. Straight line hwy driving. Occurs after constant driving over 60 minutes. Most noticeable above 50 mph issue began after about 15,000 miles symptoms: when vehicle drifts slightly off center line right or left with about plus or minus 5 degrees steering input from steering center position. The power steering becomes sticky with resistance. It feels like power steering is grabbing hold then releasing. Occasionally simulates a toe-out alignment condition. Example: vehicle drifts slightly to the right-of-center or left-of-center then driver attempts a very slight opposite correction input, the steering feels resistant as though it is stuck in position then steering quickly releases hold causing a slight steering jerk. This causes the vehicle to swerve unexpectedly and dangerously causing the vehicle to potentially cross into oncoming traffic or into adjacent lane traffic. Steering goes from normal resistance then stiff then suddenly too loose. Then repeat over and over… causing constant dangerous swerving at highway speeds. Note: this occurs even when all eyesight and lane centering/departure is off or disabled.

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 🔎.

When driving long distances, the steering wheel encounters a sticky area where the steering wheel gets stiff to turn and then all of a sudden loosens up causing excessive corrections. This issue is apparently the same that was experienced by Honda owners. My car only has less than 10k miles. This can be dangerous for drivers who are not that experienced.

There are 2 issues that I have noticed since I bought my car from a Subaru dealership 10 days ago. The first is that upon driving at highway speeds (over 50 mph) it feels like the car is jerky and pulls in a shaky rocking manner. This happened continuously, when I was using the cruise control and when I was not using the cruise control. It basically felt like I was driving in 40mph winds that were moving my car independently of what I was doing. The second is also something that happens at highway speeds, my driver side mirror shakes and vibrates so much so that I can't make out the surrounding space, cars and road at all. I scheduled a service appointment at the same dealership immediately. I told them these issues and upon inspection they reported that they do not see or report any such issues that I am concerned about. Stating that these are quote "characteristics" of the car. These are both potentially very dangerous problems that Subaru has stated is not an issue as far as they are concerned. There is a lawsuit about the driver side mirror that was filed in September of 2024. I just bought this car used with 10,500 miles on it and nobody mentioned anything in person or on the pre certified inspection checklist, carfax report or anything of that nature about these issues which Subaru must actually know about. If I was told about theses issues I would have not bought the car. And they are continuing to deny anything is wrong, saying its just a characteristic of the car. There are no warning lights or messages alerting of this issue within the car.

I noticed that when I am driving on the freeway/highway for extended periods of time (30+ minutes) the wheel will start locking up. It stiffens enough that I have to force the wheel in a different direction. When it occurs there is no warning lights or messages from the car, it just suddenly stiffens. Other than driving on the freeway for 30+ minutes there does not seem to be any particular trigger for it to happen. This is a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek sport with 14,000 miles that we bought new. I noticed the first instance of it maybe a month into having the car.

See all problems of the 2025 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

The steering sticks when moving it from the null position. It feels as though there is a lock of some sort and one has to exert more force that normal to move the steering wheel in either direction. This is very noticeable when driving on a straight road or highway where normal steering adjustments are just slightly to either side of null. I find myself over adjusting for things like the crown/pitch of the road. Also, cold weather seems to mask the issue. Now that the weather is warming up though, the issue is consistent and seems to have become worse with more miles logged on the vehicle. Please note that this is not related to the lane assist or road departure safety features as the steering issue occurs with neither in use.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while taking the vehicle for a routine oil change. There were no warning lights illuminated. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the control arm was cracked. The contact stated had not experienced the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,500.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

Full electrical power steering failure.

See all problems of the 2016 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!.

Intermittent power steering malfunction while driving causing car to violently "self-steer". Vehicle is not equipped with adaptive cruise control or lane assist features. Loss of control while driving become intermittently high risk having to clutch the steering wheel and counteract undesired vehicle self-steering forces to avoid hitting other cars on the road. No other vehicles or other property were damaged during discovery of eps malfunction. Malfunction occurs at highway speeds and also local town speeds. There are no check engine lights present on vehicles obd system. Vehicle is only ever serviced at the same dealership where originally purchased. Upon occurrences of malfunction, vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostic testing. The dealership's determination is that there is an electrical fault inside the electronic power steering gearbox. The dealer was able to duplicate the electrical malfunction while test driving. Vehicle currently remains at dealership indefinitely until operating hazard remedied. Original oem malfunctioning eps gear box still installed on vehicle as of 12/16/2024 and is available for requested inspection. Since current existing recalls for the eps gearbox were not applied to this vehicle, customer is forced to pay out of pocket ($1400 part plus $600 labor) to fix. Requesting NHTSA to confiscate malfunctioning part for examination and comparison to known oem defects involved with other safety recalls. Replacement parts currently on order by dealer as of 12/16/2024. Reference existing Subaru recall # (wuc-88). Reference existing NHTSA # (19v065000). Replacement oem part # (34110fl133 2019 Subaru Crosstrek steering gear). Existing oem part number currently on vehicle is unknown. Subaru dealer: minooka Subaru 4141 birney Ave, moosic, PA 18507 (570) 346-4641.

The cvt valve body was diagnosed as defective by the Subaru dealership service department. The car was taken to the dcealership when the a/t oil emp, hill assist, abs and traction control, stability control lights came up. The valve body is still available for inspection. The car was taken to the dealership for a brake light switch recall that has the same simptoms.

My steering feels loose to the point it is pulling to the right when you drive excess 35mph. It is to the point where it doesn’t feel very safe because if sometimes if you hit a pothole, it will want to turn the wheel to the right and pull you in that direction. I had the issue repaired once at the Subaru dealer where they did an alignment and tire rotation and the issue returned after about 1000 miles. There is no warning lights but the vehicle steering is not correct in any means.

I recently have started experiencing a sticky/jerky steering wheel (24k miles). It happens when the car is fully warmed up on longer road trips whether the cruise control engaged or not. In fact, it's worse without cruise control. The steering wheel requires stronger pull and then releases quickly. I could not reproduce it at the dealership as it's nearby and does not require a long trip, but of course right after I left it, the steering wheel started sticking again. The technician did not know what it could be and stated he could not reproduce the issue. There is no issues with alignment or tire balancing. I am noticing it more consistently in warmer weather. It is not an issue at all when it's 20 degrees f. No lights are triggered. I believe this is a huge safety issue as I constantly need to correct the steering when it is stuck. I posted this issue on reddit with multiple owners experiencing the same problem: [xxx] / it is also the same problem as Honda civic 2022-2023 models have. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

Steering power assist deactivated suddenly with no advance warning while driving in traffic. Warning lamps on dash lit concurrently. Steering still functional with higher level of driver effort. Under the circumstances, no real danger. Curvy road at speed would be dangerous. Vehicle currently at the dealer awaiting replacement steering rack. Two weeks today.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 75 mph, the power steering assist failed to operate as the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle swerved to the left before the contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the highway. The contact restarted the vehicle and the power steering assist returned before the failure recurred upon exiting the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering had failed and needed to be repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 19v065000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the dealer possession. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

My 2019 Subaru Crosstrek surges at speeds around 60 mph, and swerves the vehicle without my control. I have to hold the steering wheel tightly and steer out of the swerve, which is incredibly dangerous on freeways or mountain roads. Apparently, the lane departure assist is the culprit, so now I have to disable the app before I drive. Why would I allow this dangerous application to drive my car for me? I have barely avoided crashing into semi trucks and driving into road shoulders because of this device. I think the car is dangerous. There is yet another dangerous issue with this car. There is another device that disables the transmission while idling in traffic. The steering and transmission are literally locked in place. I had this happen once in a drive through window, and once on a hill, while traffic was stopped for an accident. When the traffic started to move again, 20 minutes later, I could not get my car to start, and I was in front of a mile long line of traffic, coming back to highway speed, completely stopped. A policeman stopped and knew that there was a little " dimple" on my dashboard that would uncover a locking mechanism. If we only had a slender probe that would fit inside the dimple-pencil too big, so was screwdriver. By this time, I had 2 policemen stopped and traffic whizzing by me. An electrician stopped, knew about the dimple too, and had a slender enough rod to fit into the area, slid the locking mechanism to the side, and started the car again. On both of these issues, I called Subaru customer service and Subaru corporate. Nobody knew what these issues were, never heard of them! the car is inherently dangerous and I am stuck driving it because I financed it only a year ago and can't afford to buy another car. Subaru should at least acknowledge these dangerous issues, and offer me another model without these issues. The 2019 Crosstrek is the model I have that has these dangerous issues. Earlier and later models do not.

Started the car and a warning light came on and the steering froze. I turned it off for the day. The next day I started it and it didn’t freeze again. I’m concerned that while driving the steering will lock up and cause an accident and possible injury or kill me. My uncle reached out to Subaru of America. They didn’t offer any help. They just said take it in at your own expense. We were quoted over the phone approximately $2000 to repair. My uncle researched this issue. This locking steering problem has been a big problem with the Subaru Crosstrek subjecting it to recalls. I believe Subaru should repair this safety issue.

See all problems of the 2014 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while pulling out of her driveway, the steering wheel became stiff, and the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to diagnose by a dealer. The failure mileage was 48,300.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

This is the 4th time since 2022, that my steering wheel has locked after driving. If the steering wheel is to the left when I go to turn it off and not in the middle it will lock. I had to call again suburu assistance. The first time was in hartsdale, NY 2022, the 2nd time was in larchmont, NY had to call the police, the 3rd time was 2022 in key Ford in buhre and westchester avenue, and the 4th time in my driveway 2023. Each time it took forever for the men to unlock the steering wheel, I am a women and my girlfriend tried with no avail. I am terrified I will be on a road trip with my son and get stuck. When you put in the key and turn it supposed to unlock. Each man had to force the wheel with heavy pressure to unlock the vehicle. I have a video. This is the 2nd report I made of this.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

My lane keeping assistance feature was turned on by someone else. Nobody has access to my vehicle and I keep it armed when away from the vehicle. In addition, I noted the vehicle was well within the street lines. There was no reason to take control of the wheel. Given I was not driving outside street lines, I worried about the possibility that someone was controlling the wheel. A dealer has not confirmed or reproduced the problem. The vehicle has not been inspected regarding my issue; however, it is a brand new vehicle. No accidents have occurred. There were no warning signs. I finally noted the lane keeping assist icon was turned on. But again, there was no reason to take control of the wheel. I have also noted the door locking system has been behaving strangely, unlocking, locking unexpectedly. My key fob works properly. The incidents started to happen at the beginning of December 2022. The latest occurrence happened more recently. As a result, I decided to report the incidents. Thank you.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

-driving at moderate pace between 30 and 40 mph when vehicle engine shut off without warning. Loss of power, no steering and all warning lights illuminated. Difficulty getting vehicle over to side of road so not in way of traffic. Braking was difficult once on side of road.

This issue has happen 2 other times one time last year where suburu tow truck had to be called, 2nd time may 2022 in larchmont, NY and a police office had to come help me. And, the 3rd time on July 4, 2022, in the super market of key food, throggsneck, NY a stranger had to help me. When, I park my car and I turn off my ignition and the steering wheel is to the left it will lock. The manual says when the steering wheel locks to insert the key and slightly turn the wheel and it will unlock. Well I am not strong enough to do it. Usually, men come to assist me and they have trouble unlocking it. There is something definately not right. I should never have to go through so much trouble and why is my steering wheel locking. I also have issue with my car staining in various places. I don't eat in my car and my car is under a port in a shaded area. I have taking it to the dealer and reported it to suburu they said nothing. But, my car keeps staining. I had my car since 2017. And, I had multiple problems with it. The air conditioner doesn't cool enough, even when it is 70 degrees inside or out, the hose has be change multiple times, my tires rotors have always been black and I never take to a car wash I wash it at home and dry it wheel by wheel, and the back door does open properly and I have been hit in the head several times. I had computer problems where it keeps being reprogramed. But, the steering wheel is freaking me out I have a child and being lockout of my vehicle because I can't turn it on is very dangerous. Please assist. I have a video. It won't let me upload the video? why ann alvez I.

The steering wheel goes to the left so if you take your hands off the wheel for one second it just totally goes to the left. I’m afraid I might get into an accident I’m having it looked at by a Subaru dealer in tomorrow which is February 14th. It’s been doing this for about a year. It didn’t start out as bad as it is now and there were no warning lights that came on. I read on the internet many other people with the same make & model but the year varies of 2015 cross treks have had this problem and there has been no recalls. I did get a recall in the mail, but it’s a recall that is optional that the power steering box could crack.

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

I just leased a new '21 Crosstrek limited. With only 90 miles on the car, while driving on the highway using the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, the vehicle started aggressively jerking over towards semi trucks (while going 70mph)- I had to give significant input to not be pulled into a semi truck. I turned off the feature then turned back on. Again, it was hard jerking only towards semi trucks. Drove back to the dealership. Their mechanic took for a drive and said the exact same thing, that it was "sketchy" and jerking towards semi trucks. It was suggested I bring back if the "condition persists" which would mean risking a fatal collision with a semi. I contacted the gm of the dealership and explained what was happening and he said to being back again and they'd get a field tech from Subaru to test. Their service manager test drove and noted the same thing, as did the field tech. "severely pulls to the right as trucks pass. Test drive vehicle and found that when using lane centering, vehicle is quite jerky and pushes towards centerline, especially when larger vehicles like a semi trailer is present. Recommended calibrating eyesight camera and test driving again". They calibrated the eyesight and I picked back up. Drove back on the highway and turned on lka, this time the steering was completely taken over and jerking all over the lane and flashing telling me to keep hands on the wheel when both hands were very tight on the wheel. It's continued to jerk all over while using lane keep assist and when I try to override the steering to avoid a collision the wheel feels like it's fighting me. It's extremely dangerous. The car now has 300 miles and I'm terrified it's going to kill me and it's putting everyone on the road at risk. I had the same tech in my '19 impreza limited and didn't have a single issue. I fear there is a serious defect with the eyesight and lka. No codes are present. They said vehicle is operating as designed, it's now more more erratic.

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).

Involved in a collision, possibly related to the stall issues mentioned in the collision. Reported to the insurance. They are pending repair on the matter due to recall and entire engine was required, which is more than the car is valued for.

See all problems of the 2013 Subaru Crosstrek 🔎.

The stall led to a collision, bent cam shaft and need for total engine repair.

The vehicle had 51666 miles on it when I last serviced it for an oil change in oct. Of 2021. The owner puts very few miles on the vehicle. The vehicle would be available for inspection by your agency. At this time, no specific component has been identified in the intermittent failure. 2016 and newer Subaru's have recalls on similar symptoms. Owner complaint is that the power steering intermittently stops working and the steering wheel is very hard to turn if it can be turned at all due to the fact the owner is 80+ years old. Subaru vehicles from 2016 and up have had this issue and recalls have been issued on them, but not on this model year. Owner stated today that the problem has only occurred so far on initial start-up, and one time, once the key was cycled start, then off and back to start again then the power steering worked. She said the p/s warning light came on, and then went off, but I cannot verify that at this point. Warning lamps on ip's do come on during the key on to start on the ignition switch start process, so this may be part of normal ip function. I am an auto repair shop owner and have grave concerns that this failure may happen while the customer is driving down the road, and if approaching a turn and the power steering locks up, they could die due to the inability to safely maneuver out of traffic and get off the road or miss a bend in the highway. The customer brought the car in once, and I could not re-create the problem cold or warm. I am currently waiting for the dealer in green bay to call me back with more information as the nearest dealer from the customer's residence is a 170 mile round trip. At this point, it has not been back to the dealer for inspection for the p/s system, and I am awaiting call back today from bergstrom Subaru in green bay. Bergstrom did confirm the recall for a brake light switch was completed previously by them, and there were no other campaigns or recalls listed in their computer records.

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru xv Crosstrek. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left and to the right. The contact stated that the steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her destination at a slow speed. The contact took the vehicle to two independent mechanics who were both unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. An appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,400.

Cv axles click when turning. Cv axles could break at any given point. If not fixed you could lose control of your car causing death to yourself or others while driving or render your car driveless. I've looked online and many other 2017 cross track owners have the same problem. So why is this not a recall.

The lane keeping feature will randomly cause the vehicle to veer towards the center line at a variety of speeds and under a variety of conditions, requiring immediate driver correction to avoid crossing the center line. No accident has occurred but the system is now deactivated. In addition, the collision avoidance system does not reliably acquire a vehicle ahead if that vehicle is stopped and the speed differential is >30-40 mph. Without driver manual braking, a crash would occur. ## #vpic# 1 - check digit (9th position) does not calculate properly #vpic#.

I bought my car in mexico and have moved to north las vegas nevada. The dealer will not make the necessary safety repairs under the recalls. What do I do? do I have an unsafe car?.

My Subaru Crosstrek is a 2019 - less than 2 years old and still covered by warranty. It has been meticulously cared for and only dealer serviced. 3 days ago the car's engine shut off while we were driving it. There was a complete loss of power to the brakes and steering. We could have been killed. I brought the car in immediately to the dealer service I have always been going to, and they cannot find anything wrong with the car. In his own words, the service manager said "I would not feel comfortable letting my family or loved ones using your car" - but he offered no help. He said that they can't find a problem, they can't find an error code, and there is nothing they can do. I don't feel safe driving this vehicle given that a serious, dangerous, hazards, and potentially life-threatening engine failure occured with no apparent cause in a brand new car. The fact that the service manager himself said that it's not safe to drive but couldn't offer any explanation of why the information occured is very frustrating. The dealership is giving me a dangerous car back with no knowledge of how to fix it or when it will happen again. If the engine dies on the highway or on a crowded street, it could cause an accident in which myself and others are seriously injured or killed.