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Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

81

Complaints

8

Crashes

1

Fires

6

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek have filed 81 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2014 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 20 of them (25%). The typical failure was reported at 50,000 miles, the median across the 51 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 81.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20 25%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 14 17%
POWER TRAIN 13 16%
ENGINE 11 14%
SERVICE BRAKES 11 14%
AIR BAGS 9 11%
STEERING 7 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 6%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 2%
SEAT BELTS 2 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 13.

2014 2021 2026
2014 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STEERING

2 injured · crash · 1,200 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL AND CRASH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT AND THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED LACERATIONS AND BRUISES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,200.

NHTSA complaint 10653031. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · 15,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A MEDIAN AND TWO PARKED VEHICLES. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

NHTSA complaint 10667115. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · 3,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 SUBARU HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, THE CONTACT WAS DISTRACTED AND HIT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT THE THEM. THE CONTACT STATED THE SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD THE CONTACT IN PLACE CAUSING THE CONTACT TO HIT THEIR STERNUM INTO THE STEERING WHEEL CAUSING THE CONTACT INJURY TO A BROKEN STERNUM AND A FEW BROKEN RIBS AS WELL AS BRUISED KNEES. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT WAS THE ONLY PERSON INJURED AT THE TIME OF ACCIDENT. THE CONTACT WENT TO THE HOSPITAL A COUPLE DAYS LATER TO BE TREATED FOR THEIR INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE VEHICLE TO THEIR RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO

NHTSA complaint 11400175, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

1 injured · 3,842 miles

THE DRIVER HEADREST. I AM A 72 YEAR OLD DRIVER WHO IS 5'. I JUST PURCHASED THIS USED CAR ON 9/4/15, HAVE GONE MAYBE 20 MILES SO FAR, AND MY NECK IS KILLING ME. THE HEADREST JUST DOSEN'T HIT THE BACK OF MY HEAD OR TOP OF MY HEAD AT ANY POINT THAT IS COMFORTABLE AND NOW, SO SOON, MY NECK HURTS! I FEEL LESS IN CONTROL OF THIS CAR BECAUSE I AM ALREADY ADAPTING BY LEANING FORWARD SLIGHTLY SO THAT THIS THING IS NOT BUMPING MY NECK/HEAD. AS FAR AS I CAN TELL AT THIS POINT, I CAN'T TILT HEADREST BACK, ONLY UP AND DOWN....AND NO HEIGHT ACCOMMODATES ME.

NHTSA complaint 10761862. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS
Metal Frame of side torso area of seat wore through foam. very sharp and painful could possibly cut skin and impact in crash could be medically dangerous.

NHTSA complaint 11756388. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Brake light switch failure. Triggering traction control warning light, hill assist warning light, and abs warning light, and disables cruise control. There was previously a recall (NUMBER: WUE-90 NHTSA ID: 19V-149) for the brake light switch for Subaru models with my production date included, but because Hybrid Crosstrek models were not included, it will not be replaced under recall. I am still experiencing the same issues and cause, but it is not covered.

NHTSA complaint 11747006. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

77,441 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek on May 22, 2026. The sale was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was recorded at 77,441. The contact later purchased a CARFAX report which was reported at 214,767 in February 2026. The contact reported the information to the local authorities.

NHTSA complaint 11740610. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured

The car had a front collision and the air bags did not deploy.

NHTSA complaint 11727739. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Some times the passenger airbag light comes on and off. This is a reoccurring problem and I don’t see any recalls on this

NHTSA complaint 11690095. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
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

NHTSA complaint 11672037, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru XV Crosstrek

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2015 77 1 —
2013 96 2 —

Other 2014 Subaru models

Forester 403 Outback 208 Impreza 108 Legacy 53 Crosstrek 16

Every Subaru on this site — 97 vehicles, 147 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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Independent developer and analyst