10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
33,842 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2017 Subaru Crosstrek miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2017 Subaru Crosstrek Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #33

Aug 012023

Crosstrek

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car has 26,000 miles and the heat shield over the muffler has shifted and causing a grinding sound against the back wheel. Told the shield had rusted and needed replacement. There were no warning lights, just the grinding sound from the rear of the car.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #32

Jul 012023

Crosstrek

  • miles
Greetings: As outlined in Service Bulletin 05-70-19, Rear Wheel Backing Plate Design change, I am having an almost overwhelming -??whining or humming-?? sound coming from the rear portion of my vehicle. Given the significance of this WHEEL BEARING & BACKING PLATE issue, I respectfully request an RECALL & subsequent repair be initiated. Coupled with a VERY large number of related customer issues - globally - this issue should have already met-the-bar for a RECALL vs. Safety Bulletin. It-??s obvious there are safety-related design flaws - again, given the overall number of required repairs - and this should be addressed accordingly. Thank you.

- Berwick, LA, USA

problem #31

Jul 182022

Crosstrek

  • miles
I drove my car to work one morning (7 min drive through a city; no highways) and there was no crack in the windshield. I came out of work 8 hours later to go home, and there was a crack over 6 inches long in the windshield. There are no markings suggesting anything hit the windshield, only long smooth cracks.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #30

Apr 072021

Crosstrek

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Ignition/starting I have issues w starting car on more than one occasion and I have also had problems with removing the key. It almost is in a key lock mode. I will then turn off and on until it will allow me to remove but sometimes it hasn-??t started. Stabilizer light came on a few times then shut off on own.

- Lisbon , IA, USA

problem #29

Aug 012021

Crosstrek

  • miles
Key get stuck in ignition and cannot be pulled out after turned off. I've seen this not just happened to crosstrek but all other Subaru models after certain mileage. People tried to restart the car in place, shift gear to d and back to p. More than a dozen people reporting similar problems on subaruxvforum or cargurus.com and a service bulletin (TSB #16-112-18R) issued to this problem, however people can only get repaired with the warranty. Very surprised to see this has not been recalled.

- Falls Church, VA, USA

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problem #28

May 152021

Crosstrek

  • miles
The car key get stuck in ignition and cannot be pulled out after turned off. It is very dangerous in that as workaround, people tried to restart the car in place, shift gear to d and back to p. If they don-??t pay atttention and press on brake they could potentially hit cars or people. I-??ve seen more than a dozen people reporting similar problems on cargurus.com and a service bulletin but surprised to see this has not been recalled.

- Mountain View, CO, USA

problem #27

May 092021

Crosstrek

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On Sunday, 5/9, my wife and I were traveling back from NY to Philadelphia when out of nowhere, my car stopped accelerating and stalled, completely, in the left lane on the Staten Island Expressway. I called 911 and they were able to dispatch a tow, immediately. The battery worked. The dashboard said to check the engine. Luckily, the tow arrived in about 5-10 minutes. The driver escorted us out to his truck and protected us from oncoming traffic. We were brought to a safe location and were able to start the car (and it kept running), without any assistance. We were too afraid to continue the ride back to Philadelphia (lots more distance and highways to go). We called AAA to tow the vehicle to my Subaru dealership in PA. This has never happened before. One strange thing that has been happening over the last few months is that sometimes our key will get stuck in the ignition when we try to turn the car off. We are able to turn off the battery, but are unable to turn the key further. We have to try several times or even put the car in drive and then park before trying to turn it off again. I am not sure if this is connected. The service at my dealership has been very nice. They-??ve had my car for over a week. Unfortunately, they haven-??t found anything wrong. They-??ve checked for codes and nothing-??s come up to indicate any issues. I am really at a loss because I do not feel safe driving this vehicle. I did see that there is a new recall (https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/subaru-recalls-crosstrek-forester-impreza-for-safety-concerns/) but it does not include my particular year. I wonder if this problem actually involves 2017 Crosstreks. I do not feel safe driving my car.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #26

Feb 012019

Crosstrek

  • 20,000 miles
Windshield is cracking for no certain reason.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #25

Sep 292020

Crosstrek

  • miles
I found our 2017 Crosstrek Subaru with autostart capability in our closed garage, locked, running, with no key in the ignition at 8 am. The two autostart fobs were shut up in a drawer. The car had last been driven to work and back the day before, returning about 5 pm. Our co detector in the house did not go off and no one was hurt (luckily). We have since had the autostart disconnected and believe our vehicle should be recalled for safety. This is similar to reports about 2010-2013 Subaru with autostart where almost 50,000 vehicles were recalled. See https://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2013/03/07/Subaru-recall/1971825/

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #24

Apr 092019

Crosstrek

  • miles
Stereo system freezes. Touch screen inaccessible. Glitches constantly. Not able to access any apps, navigation, starlink, etc.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #23

Oct 012020

Crosstrek

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Can't remove ignition key. After parking, I place the car in park, and try to remove the key. It gets stuck and won't come out. There is a technical bulleting about "shift selecter mechanism" but car owners have to pay get this fixed. It should be a recall.

- Applegate, CA, USA

problem #22

Sep 102020

Crosstrek

  • 51,000 miles
Reoccurring problem of select lever (shifter) mechanism not being able to remove the key from the ignition switch when the vehicle is in park. Currently unable to confidently use vehicle because the key is repeatedly stuck and it requires several back and forth, ignition on and off, actions before car turns off and key can be removed.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #21

Aug 192020

Crosstrek

  • 16,000 miles
The ignition switch at times does not fully return to the remove position and the ignition key cannot be removed. Investigation on social media indicates a problem with many Subaru models where this "capture" of the ignition key occurs. A driver forced to leave the vehicle with the key inside represents a safety hazard as a child could use the captured key to start the vehicle and shift into a gear to move the vehicle. This problem seems to be caused by a defective "P"ark range switch.

- Clifton Park, NY, USA

problem #20

Aug 182020

Crosstrek

  • 49,700 miles
Re: battery not fully charging it was brought to our attention that our battery is not fully charging again (certified auto mechanic). We have a 3+ year old, newish Subaru Crosstrek with consistent battery draining problems. The first battery drained on us in Dec 2019, thus the 2nd battery was installed by Subaru on 12/12/2019. I believed this is an alternator problem that is creating problems on my battery and tucson Subaru stated that I have to pay (possibly) for alternator if this is the issue. Well, they should have checked the alternator before and I understand that this battery draining is a common problem for Subaru Crosstrek. I have owned new Mazda and Toyota before, I never had this kind of problem, particularly on new car and battery. Having this repeated problem is not just a battery issue, it is an engine or alternator issue and Subaru Crosstrek thus far has failed on me. I just need Subaru to fix this chronic problem and doing my research, other Subaru Crosstrek owners have or had the same issue with batteries draining too fast including alternator problem. And Subaru should fix this problem for free to their customers. I love Japanese cars and I believe in Subaru and I'm hoping that they still have that integrity, but they have to act on this action and show their loyalty to their customers and correct this problem without charging us created by their own technical or mechanical problems in the first place. Thank you.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #19

Aug 022020

Crosstrek

  • 49,000 miles
The key got stuck in the steering column. I could not remove it until I viewed a youtube video that explained how to start the car and move the shifter forward and then reverse again. Others have had very similar problems with their Subaru vehicles. The vehicle was stationary at the time.

- Portage, WI, USA

problem #18

Jan 012019

Crosstrek 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
Validating complaint of what is listed on NHTSA. 1) key stuck in ignition - when attempting to release key from ignition after setting gear in park and turning off engine, car key will get stuck 2) low gas fuel chime - chime is not functioning correctly. Chime is sharp / staccato alert and is barely audible.

- Dublin, CA, USA

problem #17

Jun 102020

Crosstrek 4-cyl

  • miles
I was driving to work going down I-35 and my sunroof exploded without being touched. It shattered into pieces and there was glass all over my car.

- Denton, TX, USA

problem #16

May 292020

Crosstrek 4-cyl

  • 26,000 miles
Windshield crack. Crack occurred when not in motion. Car was not near anywhere with rocks. Only drove car 30 miles from the time I bought it from the dealer.

- Brookline, MA, USA

problem #15

May 242020

Crosstrek 4-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
When putting my 2017 Subaru Crosstrek into park the key remains stuck in the ignition. The only way to remove the key is to shift into and out of park. Sometimes this takes multiple attempts. This appears to be a known issue.

- Longmont, CO, USA

problem #14

Nov 012019

Crosstrek

  • 50,000 miles
Key gets stuck in ignition and the car needs to be restarted in order to remove key. This occurs when stationary and trying to remove key from ignition. Had this issue for a about a month before I took it in as Subaru had a recall for wue90 stop light switch replacement and I thought it may be related as did my service provider at North park Subaru or maybe had to do with steering. The problem was not solved, the repair was out of my pocket. The service provider reported 'erratic operation of park switch on shifter' and the shifter was replaced and problem is resolved. This appears a manufacturing flaw that should be recalled as many others report the same issue. The service provider also reported the same issue and stated many people had come in recently to have the same issue serviced. It maybe unethical that the service provider has not or did not appear to be reporting the matter. Car is less than three years old (when occured) and has 50K miles on it.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

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