NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
While driving home from the grocery store I heard a shattering sound. I was about 2 miles from home. When i got home I opened the rear hatch to see the rear quarter glass window shattered. I was driving 35 mph with no cars around me. I was shocked to see the window like that. I have read that subaru has had problems in past crosstreks with this same issue. Since it was yesterday and also Saturday I have not been able to talk to the subaru dealership about it.
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle while having the right of way. The contact stated that the other vehicle was making a left turn when the crash occurred. The contact's vehicle T-Boned the other vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy, and the front driver's side seat belt did not tighten as intended. In addition, the contact stated that none of the vehicle safety features were activated such as calling 911. The vehicle sustained damage to the front driver's side and the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. A Police report was filed. The contact was transported to the local medical center. The contact sustained bruising and pain to the chest and stomach area from the seat belt, and neck pain. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,656.
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek equipped with Yokohama Tires, Tire Line: Geolandar G91, Tire Size: 225/60/R17, and DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance, the dealer informed the contact that the remaining three original tires were dry-rotted in the middle of the tire. The dealer informed the contact that the tires needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the tires needed to be replaced and that the dealer would send the defective tires to the tire manufacturer for examination and reimbursement consideration. The tires were not yet replaced due to the cost. The tires were original tires. The vehicle and tire failure mileage was 19,200.
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that after driving and parking the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle, and the vehicle suddenly caught on fire under the hood. The vehicle had received an oil change three days prior to the failure. Additionally, the contact noticed smoke after the oil change. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the fire. The contact called 911, and the Police and Fire Department responded to the scene. The Fire Department extinguished the fire, and a Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. There were no injuries sustained during the fire. The local dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and the dealer had not offered any assistance. The manufacturer was contacted, and a claim was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000.
On 2/5/2026, my "brake booster" failed while trying to leave the parking lot of a restaurant. When I put car in reverse I had my foot on the brake, I heard an usual sound and quickly realized the brake was not holding as I was moving backward. I had to reapply brake pressure HARD in order to stop, once while backing up and once again to pull forward so I wasn't blocking anyone from maneuvering around me. I was towed to Hanania Subaru where they identified the "brake booster" failed. My vehicle is ready today, 2/18/2026 to pick up and I'll return the Subaru loaner vehicle. Apparently the problem was an electronic failure code and replacing the brake booster was all that was needed. Fortunately, I was not driving in traffic when it failed and I'm told this type of failure is extremely rare. I do appreciate the ability to document this potential hazard to NHTSA.
After driving the vehicle for 30 minutes to an hour in temperatures approximately above 45°F the steering wheel will get "stuck" on center and go loose then tighten again when trying to make minor corrections in steering. Easiest to duplicate on roads with speed limits at or above 55 mph. If temperatures are below 40°F when the vehicle is started, the issue cannot be duplicated unless the temperature reaches approximately 50°F while driving. If starting a drive in temperatures that cause the issue, then driving into temperatures below 32°F, the issue will go away while driving. This issue has caused me to have to overcorrect on a 55 mph mountain road with spots of melting snow and was noticeable enough for my passenger to be quite concerned. After driving with this issue for 1-2 hours, the added fatigue of constantly fighting the steering wheel can and will lead to a crash. This has been looked at by a Subaru dealership when temperatures were warmer, but they were not able to duplicate the concern. There are no warnings, lights, or alerts while this issue is happening. I have been waiting for this to get worse to bring it in to Subaru, but I fear without assistance from the NHTSA I will be turned away by the dealership again. Added information: ALL Lane Departure and Driver Assistance features were and are currently turned off. The issue still happens in cruise control with or without the lane centering turned on.
In-car pop-up advertisements, specifically from SiriusXM. The advertisement pops up while driving, attempting to use the safety features of the car, including navigation. It happens every few months, at random. There is no way to opt-out from the vehicle; the only option is using a desktop computer, creating an account, and finding the communication preferences. This is a dangerous feature, as it causes multiple issues when it happens, including driver safety. They violated FCC rules by making this easy to opt out of; I've never opted in, as I had to create an account just to cancel.
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek equipped with Falken Tires, Tire Line: Ziex ZE001A A/S, Tire Size: 225/55/R18, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the front driver's side of the vehicle suddenly lowered. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road, where the contact became aware that the side wall of the front driver's side tire had blown out in 5 different places. The contact replaced the tire with the spare tire. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact completed some research and learned that the tire failure was a known failure. The tires were OEM tires, but the contact intended to replace all four tires. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.
Advertisements from serious xm taking over the screen. Distracting me from the road because I had to close the ad and open CarPlay back up. This is unacceptable!
While driving, the infotainment screen was overtaken with an advertisement for SiriusXM radio which had to be manually cleared by hitting an X button on the screen. The vehicle was in motion when the advertisement appeared and completely covered the screen. At the time of the incident, the vehicle had been on and driving for over an hour.
This is the second time this has occurred. While driving (vehicle in motion for multiple minutes beforehand), an ad for SiriusXM radio popped up on my infotainment, which disables CarPlay, A/C controls, car settings, driver assistance settings, etc. until you dismiss the ad. There is no way to dismiss the ad except clicking a small “X” button in the corner, which is difficult and dangerous to do while driving because you have to really focus on the screen and tapping the right spot. Absolutely unacceptable and inappropriate to show an ad like that. If I were driving at night or in the rain, there is a high likelihood I would crash, and that chance is not zero even in good daytime weather. It also forces me to do something illegal (interact w screen while driving).
Advertisements routinely pop up on infotainment screen and block safety features like X Mode (for snow). They are a driving distraction, as they block all features on the screen and will not disappear until they are interacted with. This means that in inclement weather, I have to INTERACT WITH AN AD before using this safety feature. SiriusXM has refused to remove them. Subaru has said there is nothing they can do. This was also NOT disclosed to me upon purchase of the vehicle, so this is also a dishonest business practice on top of being a safety hazard by: not allowing usage of safety features and being a driving distraction. First and second incident was in November 2024, third was December 4, 2024. Most recent incidents occurred November 22, 2025 and December 2nd, 2025. I have photos as proof.
Infotainment displayed an advertisement for serius XM radio while I was using navigation and operating the vehicle on the roadway.
I am not a customer of Sirius XM, so approximately once per month, an ad appears on my screen for a Sirius XM free trial. This is incredibly distracting and dangerous as it takes up the entire screen and requires me to take my eyes off the road to click the close button.
While driving, the infotainment system, which I was using for navigation, popped up an ad for SiriusXM radio. This distracted me, as the driver, while I was trying to use the navigation system to find my way. Thankfully, I was on a road with a speed limit of 30 mph, and an area that I am familiar with. However, there should be ZERO tolerance for advertisements on automotive infotainment systems.
Advertisements for SiriusXM radio are being pushed to the infotainment system. These ads temporarily render all radio and climate controls as unavailable until driver taps on screen to disable the notification… causing driver to take eyes off of the road.
Distracting SiriusXm adds keep blocking navigation requiring physical input from driver to clear.
Advertisement for XM radio service popped up on console screen of the car, and would not go away unless manually dismissed (touch) - while driving, covering the entire screen. This is entirely unnecessary and distracting, all to serve an advertisement for a service I don't want or use.
While I was driving the other day my entire infotainment screen (which shows my map, as well as climate controls) was completely overtaken by a giant ad for Sirius XM radio service. It was the ENTIRE screen and it required me to take my focus off of the road long enough to determine what was happening on the screen, find a button to make it go away, then accurately tap the button while driving. This was EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and I don't know how it is legal! WHY are they allowed to project an ad into my field of vision, distracting my focus and potentially causing a deadly accident? This needs to be stopped! I love Subaru, but they need to stop endangering our lives with ads for satellite radio service I already don't want WHILE I'M DRIVING.
While driving in Alaska during icy conditions my entire display for my infotainment screen changed abruptly. I glanced over at this to see if this was important information as it doesn't usually do thing. Upon looking I realized this was an advertisement for Sirius XM radio free until December 1st. In order to get back to my normal navigation I had to click a small red X on the screen. This entire situation cause me to swerve and slide on the ice and almost go off into a ditch. This is extremely negligent behavior to display an advertisement while a car is in full motion and I, as the driver, am expected. To keep my eyes on the road.
Ad for Sirius XM popped up on infotainment center AS I WAS DRIVING. This caused an unexpected interruption in my ability to drive safely. Subaru gives you zero option to opt out and I have repeatedly had this pop up on my screen. I bought and paid for this vehicle and they should not be allowed to place ANY ADS on the infotainment center.
On infotainment touchscreen, repeated Sirius XM ads are shown while the vehicle is in operation. This is distracting and dangerous as the ads obscure actual critical functions like climate control, navigation, and vehicle settings until I tap the X on the ad to close it. Running ads while the vehicle is driving is not safe - this puts myself and other drivers at risk by introducing an unnecessary distraction. I cannot stress enough that these ads only appear WHILE the vehicle is driving.
1. Component/System Failure The rearview mirror became completely detached from its mounting on the windshield. The detached mirror is still available for inspection upon request. Subaru has declined my reasonable request to either repair it or reimburse me for the time and effort required to arrange and perform the repair. 2. Risk to Safety This sudden detachment posed a serious safety hazard. While driving, the mirror unexpectedly fell into my line of sight, causing me to brake immediately. Fortunately, this occurred while I was driving at low speed on a local road; had it happened on a highway, the risk of collision or a multi-vehicle accident would have been significant. 3. Problem Reproduction / Confirmation The issue has not yet been confirmed or replicated by any dealer or independent service center. Subaru refused to facilitate an inspection or to cover the costs associated with taking the vehicle to a facility able to assess the defect. Their position effectively obstructs verification of the issue by a qualified technician. 4. Inspections by Others No inspections have been conducted by Subaru, law enforcement, insurance representatives, or other third parties. Given Subaru’s refusal to authorize and cover the costs of inspection, I’ve been prevented from obtaining an objective technical evaluation. 5. Warnings or Symptoms There were no prior warning signs—no noise, movement, or looseness. The detachment was entirely random. This unanticipated failure further demonstrates a latent defect in the mirror’s attachment system.
About 5 minutes after I started driving, an ad for Sirius-XM radio subscription appeared on my infotainment system. It took up the entire screen, covering my AC controls and Apple CarPlay navigation - this meant that I was required to interact with/dismiss the ad. Because it was shown when I was driving (in motion), I was forced to unsafely and illegally interact with the touch screen to re-enable the functionality of my car. Showing an ad in the car is unacceptable in general, but especially in a situation when the car is in motion, where it poses a significant safety risk.
Automatic braking: One incident of the automatic braking system engaging on a side street when the road was clear of obstacles. The road surface had been prepared for some kind of minor work in the center of the road - there were regularly intermittent disturbances to the otherwise smooth surface. These appeared to be small prox 6-8” square cuts in the surface. On two occasions the car braked suddenly and sharply in front of these disturbed areas. Potential risk from a following car.. Steep, windy road with cars parked on either side. Weather clear. I have not yet reported this to the dealer so it has not yet been inspected. I did not notice any other signs or warning systems prior to this event and during the event I was distracted by the event itself and too busy looking for vehicles that might hit me from behind,etc. to notice.
The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek brakes engaged TWICE without the driver pushing on the brakes, slowing the car down significantly. The initial vehicle speed was around 65 mph on the highway, and slowed to around 45 mph after the second automatic braking incident occurred. Adaptive cruise control was NOT on. The car in front of the Crosstrek was 8-10 car lengths away. Then while the Crosstrek was still moving, a truck hit the back right bumper of the Crosstrek and pushed it into the next lane to the left. (I), the driver of the Crosstrek, was able to steer back into the original lane of travel to the right. After the Crosstrek was steered back to the original lane of travel, it came to a stop due to right rear axle damage. The Crosstrek driver was able to creep to the shoulder to wait for emergency personnel to arrive. The safety of myself and others, due to the Crosstrek (Eyesight?) malfunction, is extremely important to investigate. This safety feature when engaged unexpectedly is dangerous. When drivers do not have control over the braking system of the car, sudden and unexpected slow-downs can lead to rear-end accidents, and even the loss of life. When I was pushed to another lane of travel, a secondary accident could have occurred, or a chain-reaction with many cars. I did not see or hear any warnings, messages, or experience any unusual symptoms before the car braked on its own and I was rear-ended. After I crept to the right shoulder of the interstate, the Crosstrek was still running and there were no warnings or messages. Since the Nov 11 accident, Dean Team Dealership in Ballwin MO has reported the issue. State Farm Insurance has totaled the 24 Subaru Crosstrek, recovered data from the Event Date Recorder (EDR), and is discussing the vehicle losses with Subaru Corporation. [XXX] is receiving chiropractic care also. Additionally, there similar reported incidents on websites—Reddit and [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
POWER STEERING ISSUE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CONDITIONS: LANE CENTERING TURNED OFF. LANE DEPARTURE TURNED OFF. STRAIGHT LINE HWY DRIVING. OCCURS AFTER CONSTANT DRIVING OVER 60 MINUTES. MOST NOTICEABLE ABOVE 50 MPH ISSUE BEGAN AFTER ABOUT 15,000 MILES SYMPTOMS: WHEN VEHICLE DRIFTS SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER LINE RIGHT OR LEFT WITH ABOUT PLUS OR MINUS 5 DEGREES STEERING INPUT FROM STEERING CENTER POSITION. THE POWER STEERING BECOMES STICKY WITH RESISTANCE. IT FEELS LIKE POWER STEERING IS GRABBING HOLD THEN RELEASING. OCCASIONALLY SIMULATES A TOE-OUT ALIGNMENT CONDITION. EXAMPLE: VEHICLE DRIFTS SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT-OF-CENTER OR LEFT-OF-CENTER THEN DRIVER ATTEMPTS A VERY SLIGHT OPPOSITE CORRECTION INPUT, THE STEERING FEELS RESISTANT AS THOUGH IT IS STUCK IN POSITION THEN STEERING QUICKLY RELEASES HOLD CAUSING A SLIGHT STEERING JERK. THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE UNEXPECTEDLY AND DANGEROUSLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO POTENTIALLY CROSS INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC OR INTO ADJACENT LANE TRAFFIC. STEERING GOES FROM NORMAL RESISTANCE THEN STIFF THEN SUDDENLY TOO LOOSE. THEN REPEAT OVER AND OVER… CAUSING CONSTANT DANGEROUS SWERVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NOTE: THIS OCCURS EVEN WHEN ALL EYESIGHT AND LANE CENTERING/DEPARTURE IS OFF OR DISABLED.
Sirius XM ad shows up randomly on infotainment screen. It completely takes over the screen, distracting, and no way to disable it.
When driving long distances, the steering wheel encounters a sticky area where the steering wheel gets stiff to turn and then all of a sudden loosens up causing excessive corrections. This issue is apparently the same that was experienced by Honda owners. my car only has less than 10k miles. This can be dangerous for drivers who are not that experienced.
225 /60 R 17 99H Was driving on a freeway when heard a pop, pulled over immediately on left shoulder and tire had holes in sidewall putting me in a very dangerous situation. Yokohama consumer affairs could care less about the situation, I hope people dont hurt driving with these tires.
I was driving with my wife when we were making a left turn. The adaptive cruse control came on. It took control of my acceleration, and steering. I got the car under control, but it was too late. I went across the empty parking lot, and almost crashed into the abandoned building.
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of star shaped crack located on the front windshield. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer referred the contact to a glass specialist to repair the vehicle. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the windshield had shattered while attempting to replace the windshield. The contact was informed that a replacement windshield needed to be ordered. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000.
My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek was parked in front of my house for 3 weeks in extreme heat. We drove it today to get it driven & we kept hearing wind. I slid open the sunroof inside piece & the sunroof glass was shattered due the vehicle doors being closed for 3 weeks in Las Vegas summer heat. On average the outside heat has been 105. I did not drive for 3 weeks due to having foot surgery. I called the local dealership where I bought the vehicle 6 months ago & they said they would not fix it under warranty. Im taking it to an insurance repair show on Tuesday (8/5/25).
Test only, please ignore.
Problem with side mirrors. When driving past 55 mph, the mirrors begin to shake so much so that vision becomes blurry. Makes it difficult to merge safely. Both mirrors are impacted, but the driver side is significantly worse. I have had both mirrors and mirror assemblies replaced. However, the problem has not been resolved. Subaru tech said that this has been an issue for other models, but no fix has been made. Subaru tech drove car and confirmed the issue. Says there is nothing they can do to fix the issue.
The infotainment unit on this 24 Crosstrek will display XM ads several times per year that cover most of the unit. These pop up sometimes when reversing or driving covering important information on the screen like maps or backup cameras.
Phone charger does not work. Power was out and I could not charge phone. Best I've ever got was 1% on a 1 hour drive. The phone however gets extremely hot. Anecdotally, my usb port also didn't work leaving me with no way to have a charged phone during a prolonged power outage. The wireless charger is a widespread common problem. Below, I have included links to multiple threads and videos where even more multiple comments are posted of people having the same issue. For background, I use wireless charging on my nightstand, my motorcycle, my work desk, all for this phone, all different chargers in this case. It's the charger not working. It is a 100% real issue and here are all the other countless people having the same problem: [XXX] Same problem from this dealer employee. [XXX] Same problem posted on subaru forum. [XXX] Multiple people complaining about similar issue in this forum. [XXX] Mutiple people reporting a similar issue in this forum as well. [XXX] Guy removing the charger, comment section full of people having the same problem as me. This should be a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
There are 2 issues that I have noticed since I bought my car from a subaru dealership 10 DAYS ago. the first is that upon driving at highway speeds (over 50 mph) It feels like the car is jerky and pulls in a shaky rocking manner. this happened continuously, when I was using the cruise control and when I was not using the cruise control. It basically felt like I was driving in 40mph winds that were moving my car independently of what I was doing. The second is also something that happens at highway speeds, my driver side mirror shakes and vibrates so much so that I can't make out the surrounding space, cars and road at all. I scheduled a service appointment at the same dealership immediately. I told them these issues and upon inspection they reported that they do not see or report any such issues that I am concerned about. Stating that these are quote "characteristics" of the car. These are both potentially very dangerous problems that Subaru has stated is not an issue as far as they are concerned. There is a lawsuit about the driver side mirror that was filed in september of 2024. I just bought this car used with 10,500 miles on it and NOBODY mentioned anything in person or on the pre certified inspection checklist, CARFAX report or anything of that nature about these issues which Subaru must actually know about. If I was told about theses issues I would have not bought the car. And they are continuing to deny anything is wrong, saying its just a characteristic of the car. There are no warning lights or messages alerting of this issue within the car.
The affected component of this vehicle is the braking system. When rocks or gravel get stuck to, in, on, or around the brake pads/brakes the braking system is compromised. Yes, The vehicle is available for inspection. When gravel gets stuck in, on, and around the brake pads, the safe operation of the braking system malfunctions. If the vehicle braking system does not work as designed/intended, lives are at risk. When you need to brake, the braking system needs to be reliable. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, upon taking the vehicle back to the dealer, the service manager confirmed this is a known defect by both sales and service teams. The service manager said this happens often and we should expect it to happen again. The service manager told me this vehicle is not to be driven on gravel. This was not disclosed at the time of purchase. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The dealer service department inspected the vehicle when it was towed back to them for service related to this problem. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, there was no warning. The brakes failed to operate properly, they did not completely fail.
The steering sticks when moving it from the null position. It feels as though there is a lock of some sort and one has to exert more force that normal to move the steering wheel in either direction. This is very noticeable when driving on a straight road or highway where normal steering adjustments are just slightly to either side of null. I find myself over adjusting for things like the crown/pitch of the road. Also, cold weather seems to mask the issue. Now that the weather is warming up though, the issue is consistent and seems to have become worse with more miles logged on the vehicle. Please note that this is not related to the lane assist or road departure safety features as the steering issue occurs with neither in use.
This is not a safety issue. But the paint on the car seems to be of poor quality that is easily chipped or stained by bird droppings. The hood of the car has a multiple chips in the paint. The car has been well taken care of and normal driving conditions. For only 18000 miles on the car, the paint seems very thin and poor durability to hold up to normal driving conditions.
The drivers side mirror vibrates to the point of being unusable at freeway speeds causing a major safety hazard. The car has been in for 3 different mirror housings with no change in visibility and has been inspected 6 times at the dealership. I have been told by the dealership that there is nothing they can do anymore and that it is normal and expected of 2024 crosstreks.
I had a frontal accident on March 6, 2025. When I turned to pull into the driveway of my rental apartment, I lost control of the vehicle. It surged forward, climbed a low retaining wall of about 14" and then hit a support post. I sat there stunned thinking "what just happened and how?" At first, I thought it was me, but thinking about it more, I'm wondering if this could be a potential safety problem. I have read several other similar instances on the internet, and someone I know had a similar accident which was attributed to her age. Collision repair for the Crosstrek was $10,358 done by a local facility, not Subaru. Repair of damage to the support post was $1,340. I reported this to Subaru, but after several follow-ups (last one on July 29, 2025), I still have not received a reply from Subaru. I can forward the email string to you if you want. I don't know how to attach it in one of the acceptable formats.
Headlights are pointed low. It is hard to see down the road. The top half of windshield is darker than the bottom half. Car may be safe for city driving, but not for country roads. Going up and down hills and around curves the suv is unsafe. Dealer said they recieving complaints but can not adjust the lights. Sorry I bought such an unsafe suv.
Random cracking of windshield while parked. Beginning from the very top of the windshield downward 6-7 inches. No chips, or cracks in the area. Was not hit by anything.
On [XXX] I was driving my ned 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness (420 miles), from inside the "Flamingo Pines Shopping Center” on the intersection of [XXX] and [XXX] , City of Pembroke Pines in Florida by the [XXX] , to merge into [XXX] . The traffic coming already on [XXX] southbound stopped 3 or four vehicles ahead of me. Slowly the vehicles in front where merging into the traffic until there was only one vehicle in front of me, a black Jeep. After 2 or 3 more vehicle passed by [XXX] , the road was clear and the Jeep started to move. I started to move slowly behind the Jeep, but turn my head one last time to the left to confirm no other vehicle was coming. When I turn my head back to the right the Jeep stopped completely and I was not able to press the brake on time, ending in a collision with the Jeep. The Eyesight on my Crosstrek didn't work at all, don't even warning me about the Jeep was stopped completely. My vehicle is still in the shop for repairs, due to my car ended with more damages than the Jeep. I had 6 Subaru Outbacks and 1 Forrester before and this situation never happened before. LOCATION IN GOOGLE MAPS [XXX] POLICE REPORT [XXX] PEMBROKE PINES POLICE DEPARTMENT INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Oem Headlight shadowing on brand new car moves all over the place. It mimics child or wildlife. The reduced area is unsafe.
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the garage, the contact became aware that the passenger’s side front windshield had cracked at the bottom without impact. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 6,200.
There is something inside the headlights that produces two shadows that are posing a safety risk. When driving and turning the steering wheel the shadows move which look like a small animal is darting out from the sides. The shadows are a distraction and have resulted in rapid braking thinking I was going to hit an animal. I attached photos showing the shadows up close but they are larger when I am driving. They are about the size of a boot or shoe box.
Headlight performance on this vehicle is extremely dangerous when driving at nighttime. Unless you keep your high beams on constantly, these headlights offer only extremely limited visibility during night driving. From the top of the windshield down about16 inches it's totally black. You can only see out of the bottom half of the windshield. The road in front of you is only lit up for about 60 feet then it's dark beyond that point. Visiblity problem gets even worse when going downhill. Incident #1. . . . I almost ran into a bicycle rider the other night as he was traveling just beyond the area that was lit up by my lights. I was only traveling at about 35-40 mph, but by the time he was visible i was almost not able to avoid hitting him. He was riding his bike just on the edge of the lane of car traffic so he was easily in the line of my car. I was so shaken up, my heart was pounding, that I had to pull over to the side of the road to reflect on what had just happened and to get my bearings again. Now I find myself afraid to drive this Subaru, my new car of only 2 months, at nighttime. Incident #2. . . .Same complaint regarding headlights. The above described problem with headlights gets even more, much more, dangerous when you're driving down an incline such as a hill. Because you're car is going downhill, the available space that is lit up in front of you becomes even more diminished so that you also can't see any curves in the road that are coming up as well as stop signs, pedestrians or other cars!. It's a miracle if you don't end up crashing your car off the side of the road while trying to navigate down that hill. I have complained numerous times at the dealership, but no help. To verify, a rep. would have to drive the car at night time. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE Subaru needs to make this right and correct this HEADLIGHT problem ASAP or there is bound to be drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists injured and/or killed.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026