Problems · NHTSA complaints

2023 Subaru Crosstrek problems

Owners filed 36 complaints about the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek with NHTSA between Nov 2022 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is forward collision avoidance (6).

Complaints
36
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Forward collision avoidance6
  2. Electrical system6
  3. Visibility/wiper6
  4. Engine5
  5. Lane departure4
  6. Service brakes4
  7. Air bags2
  8. Power train1
  9. Back over prevention1
  10. Suspension1
  11. Visibility1
  12. Seat belts1
  13. Vehicle speed control1
  14. Tires1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20221
20236
202411
20259
20269

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Forward collision avoidance

6 reports1 crash
“I filled up my 2023 Subaru Crosstrek with gasoline and a short time later the Check Engine light came on as did the warning lights that the safety features associated with the EyeSight system indicating it was no longer functioning. It encouraged me to get the car checked immediately. It turned out that I had not completely tightened the gas cap. I tightened the gas’s cap hoping the safety featured would reset - it didn’t. I contacted Subaru and they said it should reset after a few stops when the engine is shut off. I was on a road trip from Pennsylvania to Maine on a weekend so there was no place to get it checked or reset. We stopped multiple times along the way and it never reset. There were no Subaru dealers at our destination in Maine. Finally after some research I found out I needed disconnect the battery for at least 30 minutes and the car’s computer will reset. It worked. My point is that a simple loose gas cap will TOTALLY DISABLE all of the car’s SAFTY features associated with the EyeSight system create a safety problem totally unassociated with a loose cap or vapor leak. I can understand the warning lights coming on telling the driver to have the…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 29, 2026Lane departure, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11774391

Electrical system

6 reports2 crashes
“The battery and electrical system died while I was at a red light in traffic on my way to work. I was stuck on a major road with trucks and traffic behind me while I was stuck in the middle lane. I had to wait for help to be pushed out of traffic to the sidewalk and wait for a jump. The Subaru dealership confirmed this was an issue with their battery and auto stop/start system and charged me $600 to replace the battery. When it died, every light on my dashboard lit up but there was no prior warning. I no longer have this vehicle as I did not feel safe driving it anymore and I traded it in for something completely different.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 23, 2026Electrical systemODI 11758851

Visibility/wiper

6 reports
“The component that is compromised on my '23 Subaru Crosstrek Sport is the windshield. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Monday, Jan 13, 2025, a crack formed on my windshield. The crack happened on the inside of the vehicle. It was positioned above the defroster vent on the driver's side, and I saw it happen right before my eyes. I immediately inspected the windshield from the exterior of the car. The crack cannot be felt by touch on the exterior of the windshield. There was no evidence of any damage that the vehicle could have sustained that would have caused the crack. I continued to use the defroster without further incident during my morning commute drive throughout the work week of Jan 13. Monday, Jan 20, the crack expanded to the full length of the defroster vent. It now stretches across both the driver's side and passenger side of the car. Because of the crack, I no longer use the defroster vent in fear of further damage to the windshield. Without use of the defroster, my vision is compromised due to condensation build up between the temperature difference in the interior cabin of the vehicle in contrast to the outside weather…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 23, 2025Visibility/wiperODI 11638103

Engine

5 reports1 crash
“Oct 7 2025 when me and my 6 year old daughter. Was leaving after picking her up at mom i drove off then came to stop sign so i slowly hit breaks and car accelerated very dangerous im very concerned”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 8, 2025EngineODI 11692207

Lane departure

4 reports
“THE BRAKE PEDAL SOME TIME GOES DOWN TO THE FLOOR. I BROUGHT VEHICLE IN SUBARU DEALER FOR CHECK UP. THEY STATED THAT THE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER IS DEFECTIVE, NEED TO BE REPLACE. THIS IS 2023 VEHICLE AND THE MILEAGE IS ONLY 46,000 MILES. For safety to me and other drivers please investigate this safety concern.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 18, 2025Service brakes, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11681261

Service brakes

4 reports1 crash
“the rear brakes keep engaging while the car is driving. we purchased the car in November 2022. this happened in December 2024 & at the time a dealership in [XXX] area (where my son attended college), said it was an issue and replaced parts in the brake system. yesterday while we were driving back from [XXX] to Houston - the brakes started to make loud squeaking noise as if they were engaged and the brake light keep going on and off. fortunately, this happened very near to Houston and we drove slowly on by roads back home. it feels likes driving with hand brake engaged. fortunately nothing happened to us. but this is a systemic problem with subaru crosstek!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 4, 2026Service brakesODI 11735448
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.