Home · 2013 Subaru Xv Crosstrek · Complaints

What 96 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Subaru Xv Crosstrek

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (96)Crash / fire / injury (8)Engine (35)Transmission & drivetrain (21)Electrical system (14)Steering (9)Brakes (6)Visibility & wipers (6)Wheels (6)Fuel system (5)Speed control (5)Airbags (4)

2 of 96 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 18, 2025AirbagsCrash1 injury

I was t-boned on 11/7 on the driver side door of the car. My car is totaled and the airbags, knee and curtain did not deploy and I was hit almost dead on on the B pillar. Unknown if the problem has been reproduced by the dealer.My knee is still hurting from the accident and my head smacked the frame.The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, but has by police, insurance, and others. All said the airbags should have deployed. There were no warning lights or otherwise to notify me that the airbags would not work.

NHTSA ODI 11705923

Mar 21, 2015AirbagsCrash

INTERSECTION OF AIRPORT BLVD AND SCOTT ST. IN HOUSTON. BETWEEN 545 TO 6 PM WAS THE INCIDENT. WEATHER WAS PERFECT. BETWEEN 70 TO 75 DEGREES. BRIGHT AND CLEAR CONDITIONS. I WAS COMING FROM THE EAST SIDE OF AIRPORT BLVD TOWARDS THE SOUTH SIDE OF SCOTT. THIS ROAD WAS A 35 MPH ROAD. AS I TURNED LEFT SEEING THAT THE OTHER SIDE WAS CLEAR, I STARTED MOVING AND I GOT HIT BY A DODGE DURANNGO WHO WAS SPEEDING UP AT MAYBE 60-70 MPH. I SURVIVED THE ACCIDENT BUT BASED ON PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT, MY CAR WAS DECLARED TOTALED. THE IMPACT WAS SO STRONG. THE OTHER DRIVER WERE GIVEN VARIOUS CITATIONS BY THE POLICE AND WAS DETERMINED TO BE AT FAULT. HE WAS ALSO DRIVING WITHOUT AN INSURANCE AND A LICENSE. I HOWEVER FELT AGGRIEVED KNOWING THAT MY CAR WAS TOTALED AND I SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. I HOWEVER WAS SHOCKED THAT DESPITE THE STRONG IMPACT OF THE COLLISION, NONE OF THE AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED. I CAN PROVIDE PHOTOS IF NEEDED. THE IMPACTED SIDE WAS ON THE FRONT SIDE AND AS I WAS NAVIGATING SUBARU'S WEBSITE, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY HAD RECALL OF THEIR 2004 TO 2005 VEHICLES FOR ISSUES OF AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOYING ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THIS IS WHERE I ABSORBED A STRONG IMPACT ON MY CAR AND I HAVE A SUSPICION THAT I HAVE A SIMILAR CASE. SUBARU CROSSTREK 2013 WAS I THINK THEIR FIRST RELEASE OF THIS MODEL SO THERE ARE NOT MANY STUDIES OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS VEHICLE. I DEMAND FOR AN INVESTIGATION. MY ACCIDENT COULD HAVE TURNED OUT FATAL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10700854

Working with the data? Download all 96 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Subaru Xv Crosstrek verdict →