STRUCTURE:BODY
Door seals allow significant dust infiltration.
NHTSA complaint 11771384. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
Subaru · NHTSA safety record
2026 Subaru Trailseeker
Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 30 safety complaints about the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 28 complaints, 93% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers June 2026 to October 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
30 complaints on file30
Complaints
0
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
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.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 28 · 93%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 3%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 3%
STRUCTURE 1 · 3%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 · 3%
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 30.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment ProgramNHTSA has not crash tested the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint fileQuoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Since owning the vehicle at the end of April 2026, there has been a phantom drain on the accessory system that causes the 12-volt battery to drop below the minimum operating voltage, requiring a jump start in order to get the vehicle to operate. The first event happened within weeks of owning the vehicle and after leaving the car turned off, including all lights, and doors locked for around 72 hours. Even after a jump start and getting the 12-volt battery charged up a bit, the drain caused the battery to require a jump-start soon after. There was enough voltage in the 12-volt battery to unlock the vehicle via the key fob and attempt to get the vehicle into READY mode, before cutting out.
NHTSA complaint 11759488, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When not driven in multiple days in a row the 12V battery will be dead, requiring a jump. If driven regularly the battery remains charged. If 12V is extremely low driver assist sensors are offline until battery voltage is restored. The connected app will push error codes to mobile device, of invalid conditions when battery is near death. Some messages included stating doors open, windows are open, doors unlocked; all of which were not true. Dealership inspection after second dead battery in a month, resulted in no electrical drain found and 12V was healthy. No lights or other devices were left on to drain the battery. Two times in three months of ownership is too high. Being an EV if 12V
NHTSA complaint 11759259, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I bought a new trailseeker mid July 2026 and after owning the car for less than 4 weeks with about 400miles on the odometer I came out to a dead car after not driving the car for 2.5 days. The car had been parked with the windows up, doors locked, unplugged from charger, and charger port door closed. The traction battery SoC was over 60%. I had to use the mechanical key to get into my car and had to jump the 12v battery. After jumping the 12v battery, the car began to function normally. I have since deregister the car from all connected services to avoid any parasitic drain from connected services, as all connected services, except for AT&T hotspot, were active at the time of the battery
NHTSA complaint 11758401, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I have had the Trailseeker for about 7 weeks and have noticed low battery messages and on one occasion when I hadn't driven it for 3 days the car was completely unresponsive until I put the 12 V batter on a charger. I have a Level 2 charger at home for the traction battery. I do use the Subaru Connect add to check on the Level2 charging progress.
NHTSA complaint 11757872. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I purchased a new 2026 Subaru Trailseeker on 06/22/2026. On 07/30/2026, the vehicle became completely inoperable because of a discharged 12V battery. The vehicle would not enter READY mode. Pressing the brake pedal and the START button had no effect. The interior lights would not turn on, and the vehicle was completely without power. Before the vehicle was jump-started, I measured the 12V battery voltage at 7.4 volts. Roadside assistance was required to jump-start the vehicle. After the jump start, the vehicle immediately entered READY mode and became operational again. I then monitored the battery voltage and recorded the following readings after overnight parking: * 12.25 V * 12.03 V *
NHTSA complaint 11757653, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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Other 2026 Subaru models
Every Subaru on this site — 102 vehicles.
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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Where these numbers come from
- Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published November 9, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
- Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
- Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published November 9, 2026.
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 guarledes
Independent developer and analyst