CSR

Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2019 Subaru Crosstrek

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

284

Complaints

6

Crashes

3

Fires

5

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek have filed 284 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2019 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers, named in 113 of them (40%). The typical failure was reported at 10,542 miles, the median across the 179 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints rose 30% year on year: 13 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 10 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 7 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (7)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

21V264000 · April 15, 2021

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Subaru Impreza and 2018-2019 Crosstrek vehicles. The Engine Control Module (ECM) may continue to power the ignition coil after the engine is shut off, causing a short circuit.
The risk
A short circuit in the ignition coils may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will update the ECM software, replace the ignition coils and, if necessary, the front exhaust pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning June 1, 2021. Owners can contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE-21. Note: This recall includes all vehicles previously repaired under Recall 19V743.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 466,205 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:REAR

21V263000 · April 15, 2021

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Subaru Crosstrek, 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid, and 2019 Forester vehicles. The rear stabilizer bracket bolts may loosen and detach.
The risk
Missing bolts may allow the rear stabilizer bracket to shift, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will retorque and replace any missing bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-21.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 408,271 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER

20V189000 · March 31, 2020

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek vehicles with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual-mode locking mechanism. The seat belt webbing sensor locking mechanism may not lock as intended.
The risk
In the event of a crash involving multiple impacts, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. The began April 15, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-20.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 4,862 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)

19V856000 · December 2, 2019

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent vehicles. The aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve can separate, allowing the separated components to enter the engine, resulting in a loss of power while driving.
The risk
An unexpected loss of power while driving can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the PCV valve, free of charge. If the PCV valve has separated and the components cannot be found, the short block engine will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUW-08.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 51,613 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

19V743000 · October 18, 2019

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Impreza and 2018-2019 Crosstrek vehicles. The Engine Control Module (ECM) may continue to power the ignition coil after the engine is shut off, which could result in a short circuit and blown fuse.
The risk
If a short circuit occurs while driving, the vehicle may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will update the ECM software and inspect and replace the ignition coil, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, on vehicles with confirmed ignition coil damage and a certain stored diagnostic trouble code (DTC), Subaru will replace the front exhaust pipe, free of charge. The recall began December 4, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUQ-02.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 466,205 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

19V404000 · May 30, 2019

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek vehicles. The driver's side rear-door window glass may be improperly tempered. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 205, "Glazing Materials."
The risk
Improperly tempered glass can shatter into large pieces, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side rear-door window glass, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUG-92.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 256 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

19V065000 · February 6, 2019

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Forester and Crosstrek vehicles. A connector inside the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) unit may short circuit resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
The risk
Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
None of the affected vehicles have been sold yet. Subaru has notified dealers and they will inspect the steering gearbox, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUC-88.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 10,417 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 284.

VISIBILITY/WIPER 113 40%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 53 19%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 49 17%
ENGINE 34 12%
POWER TRAIN 24 8%
STEERING 15 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 13 5%
VISIBILITY 11 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 3%
STRUCTURE 7 2%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 2%
SUSPENSION 4 1%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 91.

2019 2020 2026
2019 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.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

2 injured · crash · towed

unexplained acceleration. I was in a parking lot and driving slowly and the car just took off. I had to crash it into the building at the mall to avoid cars and people. The car was totaled and my husband had a broken rib. We were taken to the hospital. Car was inspected and serviced. by the dealership, no problems before this accident, no warnings.

NHTSA complaint 11505736. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

1 injured · crash · towed

My daughter was in process of pulling her car into the garage when it experienced sudden acceleration and crashed into the garage. My daughter was unable to stop the car as the brake system failed during the incident. She is now too terrified to drive the car. Subaru claims that the car is and has been operating as intended. The Subaru Eyesight, Anti-Lock Braking, Vehicle Dynamic Control systems all failed during the sudden acceleration event. It's fortunate that this incident did not happen at a stoplight (intersection).

NHTSA complaint 11430534. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

1 injured · crash · towed · 31,200 miles

The contact owned a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while her husband was driving at 25-30 MPH downhill, the tractor trailer before him slowed down at a curve. The contact's husband depressed the brake pedal but it failed to respond and the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, causing the vehicle to fall into a ditch where it bounced and hit the rear of a trailer, then bounced back into the embankment. The passenger's side and driver's side roof rail air bags deployed. The frontal air bags failed to deploy. The emergency units transported the contact and her husband to the hospital where it was diagnosed that the contact had sustained a compression fracture in her back. Her husband

NHTSA complaint 11496704, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

1 injured · 200 miles

WHILE DRIVING ON A WOODED TREE LINED STREET AT APPROX. 40MPH, THE RIGHT REAR PASSENGER WINDOW IMPLODED. THE GLASS SHATTERED AND FELL ONTO MY DAUGHTER WHO WAS IN HER CAR SEAT. GLASS PIECES DID CAUSE MINOR SCRATCH ON HER FOREARM. THERE WAS NO IMPACT TO THE WIDOW. MY DAUGHTER WAS JUST ROLLING IT UP AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. WE TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND WILL BE UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR THE NEXT 4-6 WEEKS. THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT, HAD APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES ON THE ODOMETER.

NHTSA complaint 11251950. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS
Recently, Aug 13 we took the 2019 Crosstrek to the to the Subaru center for oil change and a general inspection. Two big problems revealed. 1. Recommend replacing both rear wheel bearings due to noise while driving $2,249. 2. Recommend replacing all 4 TPMS sensors due to low voltage codes present and no data $813.50. The car mileage is 46,191. At this mileage there two problems should not show up. Clearly, we have got a lemon . The Subaru representative claims the above two problems are caused by reckless driving, which is absolutely false.

NHTSA complaint 11757124. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My engine overheated at 125,000 miles roughly and 2025 and this year the engine oil is leaking into the coolant tank at 135,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint 11754778. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
While driving, my dashboard warning lights on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek—AT OIL TEMP, EyeSight, and Lane Assist—illuminated simultaneously with a sudden onset of transmission slippage and erratic shifting, with no prior warning symptoms. The vehicle experienced a sudden mechanical failure of the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) torque converter clutch solenoid valve, which was diagnosed and confirmed by an independent service center under diagnostic trouble codes P0971 and C1431. This sudden loss of reliable vehicle propulsion and disabling of active driver-assist safety systems created an immediate collision hazard, severely compromising driver control and vehicle safety in live

NHTSA complaint 11753371, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

100 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the battery failed to remain charged. During the failure, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. No further information was available. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 100.

NHTSA complaint 11751836. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I own a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid with recurring fuel-system and EVAP failures that I believe present a serious safety risk. On 12/9/2025, the vehicle experienced a total loss of motive power while I was driving in dense traffic on a busy expressway. The vehicle suddenly lost propulsion in the middle lane and slowed down to a near crawl, creating an immediate risk of being struck. The event was captured on dashcam. The dealer inspected the vehicle but found no cause. On 1/5/2026, the vehicle again lost motive power. It remained at the dealership for approximately two months. Some roughness was noted, but no cause was identified, and I was told to return if the problem became more

NHTSA complaint 11750700, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Since purchasing my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek brand new in 2019, the vehicle has suffered from a chronic and dangerous lack of acceleration. It consistently fails to gain speed as expected. ​This issue becomes life-threatening when attempting to merge onto highways. The vehicle is incapable of accelerating quickly enough to match the speed of oncoming traffic. This severe hesitation and lack of power has nearly caused multiple accidents, creating an extreme safety hazard for my wife and me. ​I have repeatedly reported this issue to the Subaru dealership service department, but they have failed to diagnose or resolve the problem. Because of this unresolved defect, we no longer feel safe driving

NHTSA complaint 11748327, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru Crosstrek

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 43 0
2024 110 2
2023 32 0
2021 112 1
2020 68 0
2018 194 5
2017 94 1
2016 131 1
2015 17 1
2014 16 1
2013 25 1

Other 2019 Subaru models

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst