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ProblemsByVin Index / 2018-SUBARU-CROSSTREK / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2018 Subaru Crosstrek owner complaints

193 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 1 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

visibility 7 complaints shown

65 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $350 · see visibility cluster analysis →
12/27/2020 20,000 mi ODI #11385126.0

A long (10-12 inch) crack in the windshield. I can only imagine that a small pepple his the windshield wihile driving on the freeway. No noticable damanage until a few days later when I noticed a long (10-12) inch crack in the windsheild near the dash (bottom of the windshield) and traveling up and to the right of the windshield.

12/27/2020 35,000 mi ODI #11385159.0

Windshield cracked on the driver's side while driving on the interstate. The crack occurred in early october. There was no reason the windshield should have cracked.

12/21/2018 11,923 mi ODI #11163019.0

Sunroof exploded and shattered without any contact

12/03/2020 9,500 mi ODI #11377750.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Subaru crosstrek. The contact stated that while approaching her parked vehicle at her residence, she noticed a vertical crack on the front windshield. The contact stated that the crack was not caused by an impact. The vehicle was taken to repair shop and the front windshield was replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,500.

11/30/2020 8,500 mi ODI #11377073.0

After only one year of ownership, the vehicle's windshield cracked. While preparing for our early morning commute, my wife and I approached the vehicle and quickly realized that there was a crack extending from the upper left-hand side to the lower right-hand side of the windshield (viewing the vehicle from the outside). No rocks or sharp objects ever struck the windshield. The windshield cracked while the vehicle was stationary.

11/27/2020 86,000 mi ODI #11376680.0

A crack appeared across the bottom center of the windshield 2 weeks ago while it was parked.

11/27/2020 40,000 mi ODI #11376735.0

While driving down the road I ran over a small pothole and I noticed a small chip that had appeared on the windshield. When I stopped to look it over I couldn't even feel it from the outside. Resolving to get it fixed when I came home I began driving and not even an hour into my trip it had turned into. A crack going down the length of the drivers side. By the end of the trip it stretched 4 feet from the uppermost corner drivers side going down, and then making a curved perpendicular to the ground and going to the passenger side. All in the matter of a few hours.

engine 4 complaints shown

16 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
12/31/2019 16,000 mi ODI #11292354.0

The car engine has stalled 4 times since july when wife was accelerating onto a main street or through an intersection, turning from a stop. On one occasion, she fluttered the pedal and regained engine power. The other times she had to take the car out of gear and restart the engine with the ignition key. Loosing power in an intersection with moderate to heavy traffic has scared her and she refuses to the the car. Two of these incidents were prior to the car being serviced for the coil inspection and ECM reprogram recall on nov. 20, the other two were on dec.3, 2019. The auto was taken to the wilmington, nc Subaru dealership for a thorough inspection on dec. 17, 2019, and they could not find the problem. The car was purchased used from a dealership in april. 2019. I, (the husband) d

12/19/2019 24,000 mi ODI #11290080.0

Three recalls for december 2019 on a 2018 Subaru crosstrek. Subaru service program numbers are; wur-03, Subaru safety recall wuq-02 NHTSA recall id 19v-743, and Subaru saftery recall wup-01 NHTSA id 19v-744

12/09/2019 22,850 mi ODI #11288000.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Subaru crosstrek. The contact stated that the pcv blew up and stranded the contact on the side of the highway. The vehicle was towed to faulkner Nissan of harrisburg (3925 paxton st, harrisburg, pa 17111) where it remained from november 16, 2019 to november 27, 2019. The dealer had to remove the engine to clean up the pcv debris and other engine components. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 19v744000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was called on december 2, 2019 and they provided a case number and promised to call back. The contact called the manufacturer back on december 9, 2019 and was informed that the vehicle did not qualify for the lemon law since it was only with the dealer for nine days. The contact felt that he was one of s

12/02/2019 17,000 mi ODI #11286332.0

2018 Subaru crosstrek, mileage 17,000 as of 12/02/2019. Vehicle being driven on a city street at 35 MPH started to feel heavy/rigid and losing motive power. Exhaust started to discharge non-stopping heavy black smoke like that of tires burning. Also, there was a very strong plastic-like smell in the smoke. Immediately called the nearest Subaru dealership and took the vehicle in. I waited over 4 long hours until the technician said I had to leave the car as they did not know what the problem was since all tests performed had come out ok. A loaner was provided the following day and a call from the dealership stated that they were not 100% sure about the issue and that they suspected it had to do with manufacturer recall number wup01 (NHTSA 19v744000) and that it would take at least 2 weeks t

other 3 complaints shown

12/16/2021 ODI #11444069.0

This is the second time my windshield has spontaneously cracked since buying my 2018 Crosstrek. Both the first and this time, the windshield appears to crack for no apparent reason and the crack grows every day until it crosses the entire windshield. These are costly to repair and should NOT crack without any visible damage.

12/11/2021 ODI #11443445.0

Cowl panel separates from windshield. Taken to dealer on 4/21/21, paid $410 for replacement, 8 months later, 12/11/21, noticed separation again. At dealer to have it replaced. Same issue reported with Impreza, NTSHA IDs: 11408233, 11193248. Cowl separation probably allows water intrusion into engine compartment, possible degradation of window seal and further fogging of windshield.

11/27/2020 60,000 mi ODI #11376640.0

With the crack covering the eyesight system, the warning signal was always flashing and causing my steering to pull to one side. Since it was doing this it was causing the car to pull to one side or bring my tires costing me an additional $800 to replace the tires balance and alignment for my crosstrek, plus the downtime that I had to takeoff from work to get my car worked on at the Subaru dealership.

powertrain 2 complaints shown

13 total in this category · severe · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain cluster analysis →
12/07/2021 ODI #11442991.0

under light throttle, car jerks at approximately 25 mph.

12/03/2019 6,500 mi ODI #11286628.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Subaru crosstrek. The contact stated that when the gear was shifted into reverse, the vehicle would move forward. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,500. The VIN was not available.

cruise control 1 complaint shown

9 total in this category · severe · avg repair $600 · see cruise control cluster analysis →
12/17/2019 20,000 mi Crash ODI #11289688.0

Tl* the contact owned a 2018 Subaru crosstrek. While the contact's son was driving at low speeds and making a left turn, the vehicle became difficult to accelerate. A pick up truck crashed into the rear passenger side quarter panel of the contact's vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The air bags did not deploy. The contact called Subaru of grapevine (2651 william d tate ave, grapevine, tx 76051, (817) 438-1700) and informed them of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to a local dealer. The insurance company deemed the vehicle destroyed. The failure mileage was 20,000.

electrical 1 complaint shown

28 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
12/09/2019 ODI #11287913.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Subaru crosstrek. The contact received two recall notifications for NHTSA campaign numbers: 19v744000 (engine & engine cooling) and 19v743000 (electrical system). The manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time to repair the vehicle. Northtown Subaru (3930 sheridan dr, hamherst, ny) confirmed that parts were not available to perform the recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

lighting 1 complaint shown

4 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $250 · see lighting cluster analysis →
11/26/2022 ODI #11494947.0

The passenger side headlight stopped working 2 months ago. I have the OEM LED system that tracks through turns. I finally got in for service and mentioned it. Also mentioned I had something similar in 2019 after a service at the dealer and they said it was “fixed”. Only had one or two moments where is didn’t work and just turned off car and back on and seemed to resolve. This recent service they looked into fixing it and found out it’s an entire sealed assembly and quoting the part us $1900(CAD) plus labour. Their mechanic drove it around anfter replacing fog lights and it worked for a moment then when I started and drove away it stopped. I have one working headlight but I live where winters are dark so I’m nervous.

Showing 300 of 193 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2018/Subaru/Crosstrek#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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