Subaru · Crosstrek · 2021
1
Recall
100
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek has 1 recall and 100 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: visibility/wiper (26 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test
Side Crash Test
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
15.6% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
While driving 65mph on the freeway the front passenger window imploded into the car. This threatened the safety of both the driver and passenger as the glass flew at such high velocity it ended up in both occupants clothes, hair, and skin, the glass also was found as far as the trunk. This endangered the safety of others driving on the highway as the driver was shocked and caught off guard at the sudden implosion. The problem has been found in similar model subaru's including examples of moonroof and rear windshield implosions. The vehicle has been inspected by the local dealer yet they are claiming to have found no abnormalities in the window systems, but are unable to ensure that the glass was tempered properly. There were no symptoms of the problem prior to failure.
On Friday evening, [XXX], while closing the rear driver-side window, I heard a loud mechanical snap, after which the window failed to operate. The window regulator has binding issues (as documented in Subaru TSB 07-189-21R). This mechanical binding disables the anti-entrapment (anti-pinch) safety feature. The sensor is bypassed by the binding/mechanical failure, the window will not reverse when it hits an obstruction. This creates a direct entrapment and crush risk for passengers, specifically young children. A Subaru Customer Advocacy Manager (Jennifer) admitted on a recorded line that “the part should not break” (Case #[XXX]). Despite this admission and the documented safety risk, Subaru of America refused to authorize a safety repair. The failure was inspected and confirmed by an authorized Subaru Service Center (Walser St Paul). No warning lights appeared prior to the failure as it is a pure mechanical defect. I have the recordings, but I’m not able to upload them at the moment. Please let me know if needed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The backup camera on my Subaru Crosstrek started to a stop working a few weeks ago. It first started to intermittently transmit a video feed that was fuzzy and the colors were completely incorrect. That started to follow with the camera not working about half the time at all on my head unit. Now it's completely not showing up at all on my head unit when I go into reverse. I live near a school and when I back out, I'm concerned that I won't be able to see a child behind my car. Same for parking garages and parallel parking. The Subaru dealership is saying they have checked all the wiring and modules and have isolated it to the backup camera. There were no other messages besides the camera starting to malfunction.
Traveling at speed of 30MPH. A tocoma truck in front of me suddenly stopped in road lane. Driver said that his vehicle made an auto assist stop were the brakes lock. My 2021 Crosstrek eyesight/braking system failed. I saw the truck stop but the system failed and I went into the back of a large truck. There is a witness who is happy to talk with you. He saw the truck's sudden stop and my crosstrek failure to stop. My car is totaled. I have the police report and have reported this to my insurance company.
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.
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power in the middle of the roadway. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the battery. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with head gasket failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.
P26A5 code came on after driving a little over 200 miles. It went off at one point but came back on and has not gone off.
We were rear ended on the interstate. Cars in front of us stopped and we also came to a complete stop and a few moments later we were hit. During the collision, none of the airbags were deployed. Both our front seats fully reclined backwards. None of our seatbelts locked. Only the two seats that no one was in locked. Also, my headrest completely broke off. Our car was later determined by the insurance to be totaled.
Rear rotors delaminating at 33000 miles
Both front lower control arms have damaged bushing discovered at 48,840 miles by my mechanic. Took to local dealership on 8/16/25 and they claimed per TSB from Subaru for cracks that although it had cracks, it was not necessary to be replaced due to it not being cracked enough. Brought back to my mechanic on 9/26/25 and cracking is worse, odometer is at 56,763 miles now. This part is supposed to last around 100,000 miles. Premature cracking puts me at risk of losing control of my car should the parts fail.
I just recently had my car come out of park while running at the top of a steep hill. I had stepped out of my car to deliver paperwork to my client. I walked to and from my car approximately 75-80 ft. As I was approaching my car I heard a clicking or a release sound then it began to roll. I wasn’t close enough to stop it and it rolled down a neighbor of my clients driveway and eventually rolled over landing against a tree. When I arrived at my car it was still running. I have awd and I noticed the tires in the air were not turning as they should have if it was in drive. My car was obviously totaled. How do I have someone check my car to see if there was defect that caused it to come out of park? I must say I forgot to set my handbrake. But I feel the car should not have come out of park regardless. Could it have been the front axle shaft or anything else?
Driver seat began rocking. The dealer indicated it’s a problem they saw with other cars as well. The attachment to the rail you move your seat forward and backwards with, brakes. The dealer wants to sell you new brackets to make your car safe again.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The USB A outlets under the head unit that allow connection to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay Yes it is available for inspection upon request How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The connection when hooked up to a phone is intermittent. This results in driver distraction whenever it disconnects due to trying to get it to reconnect. Especially when using gps apps this means the driver may be "lost" until it can be reconnected, which means they will try to get it reconnected while driving which is dangerous. Sometimes it goes in and out every 60-90 seconds. Sometimes it won't connect at all until the vehicle is power cycled or the head unit is reset but neither of these guarantees a stable connection. The issue is not fixed by replacing the USB cable or the phone with a brand new phone. The cables and phone do not have this issue with any other USB port that they have been used on (in other vehicles). Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not on my vehicle but there are hundreds of reports online for years with multiple Subaru models where it has been. I could get it reproduced easily, just haven't had the time. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No This happens every day, at any speed, and has been happening since I got the vehicle at 20000 miles and there are 35000 miles on it now (approximately).
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shut off unintendedly and failed to restart. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 27,000.
I was experiencing a weird binding or lurching in my drive train which made my Subaru feel unstable. I am a mechanic so I investigated these symptoms online and found that a large number of Subaru owners with manual transmissions were experiencing the same issue......a failing viscous coupler was the issue. There were no warning lights or indications prior to failure A failing viscous coupler will not properly engage the front wheels when needed, causing reduced traction in slippery situations, increasing the risk of sliding or spinning out. Uneven power distribution: When a viscous coupler fails, it can lead to uneven power distribution between the front and rear wheels, potentially causing the vehicle to pull or jerk, especially during turns. Sudden engagement: In some cases, a failing viscous coupler might engage too aggressively, causing a sudden jolt or shudder, potentially leading to loss of control. I purchased and replaced this component at my own expense not knowing the magnitude of the issue. This is a definite safety issue that could lead to serious injury or even death. I have the old part in my possession, it failed around 85,000 miles. One of the mechanics in the Subaru forum said he had submitted a report to NHTSA but I didn't see anything on your sight. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Check engine light came on while idling. "Eyesight" tech turned off along with certain associated safety features. Next day, vehicle struggled to ignite. Came to a complete stop at an intersection, released brake, stepped on gas, and the car rolled forward as if in neutral and bucked up and down like a rodeo bull.
While driving in the left lane on a three lane highway (about 70mph) the car's automatic braking system engaged. The car would not accelerate creating a very dangerous situation on a congested highway at night. Luckily, we are able to navigate to a brake down lane without a collision. The check engine light, Eyesight light and RAB light turned on. The car would not function normally and was towed to a Subaru dealer (Patrick Subaru, Shrewsbury MA). Diagnosis was a failure of the Engine Coolant Bypass Valve P26A6. Other failure codes were: P0087, P2004, P2005, B2806, B2C22. I was told this is a known problem in Subarus of certain years, but, instead of recalling, the company has extended the warranty on the malfunctioning part. This incident happened without any previous warning and caused a life threatening situation for us and those around us.
On two incidents randomly and without warning the car failed to accelerate while driving in traffic on an open road and I had to coast to safety and put in park, then drive, then travel less than five miles home. Both times I immediately scheduled service with suburu with appointments about a week out. The car drove without incident while awaiting service. Service failed to replicate the problem, diagnose or remedy it after having the car a week and I was told“vehicle is operating properly at that time”. The second occurrence at the end of June was far more dangerous as I was traveling at a higher speed in heavy traffic on a multi lane road when it occurred Car is unsafe for me, passengers and other drivers. I risk being stranded. I have no sense of reliability or safety and the car is just now at 30k
While driving down the freeway, all the warning lights came on and the engine sputtered and cut out. As we were in the left lane on a busy freeway, it put us at considerable risk. We were able to get to the left shoulder and get towed off the highway. This was caused, I later learned, by a faulty electronic thermostat which caused the system to fail.
Suddenly warning light "Check Engine" came on along with Eye Sight malfunction warning. "i RAB off" "Check Engine" Automatic Emergency Braking not working. Yes, available for inspection. Not confirmed yet by dealer. It is the weekend. There were no unusual symptoms prior to ADAS malfunction.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek has 1 recall recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 100 owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek.
The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek are visibility/wiper (26 reports), unknown or other (12 reports), engine (8 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 1 recall on record for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.