What 94 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Subaru Xv Crosstrek Hybrid

Pressing the horn button on the steering wheel does not sound the horn. However, pushing the “lock” or “panic” button on the key fob still makes the horn beep. So the horn itself works, but pressing on the steering wheel does absolutely nothing. Other buttons on the steering column still work (cruise control, radio controls, etc). Only pressing the horn button doesn’t work thus making me unable to alert other drivers of my presence if they are drifting toward me. This has not been evaluated by a mechanic or dealer yet as I do not have the money to do so. However, a simple search on Reddit will show you that many others are experiencing this with their Subaru Crosstreks. There were no symptoms or issues that led to this. It simply stopped working one day. And I am not someone who hits their horn very often so this is not an overuse issue. Once the horn button stopped working on the steering wheel, it has not worked since. I have not had the ability to alert drivers with my horn for over a month.

NHTSA ODI 11653762

Oil leaking into coolant system. Car has been through several repairs but the problem continues even after multiple repairs of possible source of leakage. Potential hazard or car catching on fire with leaking oil fluid.

NHTSA ODI 11589391

While driving on the freeway (no overpasses) my sunroof suddenly exploded. when I was able to stop and look at the damage, the remaining part of the sunroof was arched upward. There was no evidence of an object having hit the glass.

NHTSA ODI 11587329

During a near collision, attempted to warn other driver of the situation, but the Crosstrek horn did not work. This appears to be a common problem with these vehicles, that the horn does not work reliably in all normal steering wheel positions. Given the horn is an essential piece of safety equipment, this is a significant problem.

NHTSA ODI 11565651

Sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving 65mph on highway.

NHTSA ODI 11561993

On Sunday, 11 June I was driving from Brigatine, NJ back to Alexandria, VA. Just east of Baltimore around 11:45am, after about 2.5 hours of driving, I tried to accelerate on I-95. The car did not respond and after several seconds I realized I was slowing. I pulled off to the shoulder and once stopped the engine shut down before putting into park. I only received a check engine light, battery light, and fluid light after the car shut down. I tried to restart, but it would not catch or just sputtered. I waited a minute, tried again and it started but then went out about 20 seconds later. At that point I called AAA for a tow. After the tow was arranged, I started the car for a short time and pulled farther off the highway, then shut it down again. About 45 minutes or so later, I started the car and ran it for several minutes at idle while waiting for the tow truck. The AAA truck showed up, and I took the tow because I did not want to break down in one of the Baltimore tunnels. On 12 June, the Subaru dealership could not confirm any faults and could not replicate. I have no idea what the issue was. I did stop twice during that 2.5 hours for about 5 minutes each time (bathroom breaks). At the time I had about an 1/8th of a tank of gas in the car with 110 miles in range showing on the computer (figured I would make it home and refill then). Temperatures were warm. The Subaru dealership did not charge me for anything and told me they often get cases they cannot replicate.

NHTSA ODI 11526870

Car involved in accident 10/2020( remember this was DURING the COVID “shut down”) Was rear ended … tried to get car fixed. Insurance only wanted to do “cosmetics” nothing underlying ( mechanical… the car started to show signs of the damage …running lights stopped working on rear end ONLY. Breaks started to cease up…. I was afraid to drive this way… The “eyesight” prevented my vehicle from hitting truck in front of me ( during the accident on 10/2020). I have since had breaks worked on, I have replace light bulbs, I have had turn signal arm replaced, according to Subaru can will not start now. They keep coming up with more for me to pay for and my vehicle is still not running?!? It had always started before going into the shop (even after sitting in a personal garage for over a year) Accident deemed American family insurance insured fault. I have been charged with “at fault”. I was not at fault and have proof from AM FAM insurance indicating they accept 100percent fault. Car currently at Ramsey Subaru.according to them will not start

NHTSA ODI 11514775

The Engine of the car stopped while on the road. The car is available for inspection upon request. Due to the engine while driving in the middle of the road. The safety of others was at risk The problem was not reproduced by the dealer or by a service center. Yes the manufacturer inspected and failed to reproduce the failure Yes, The error message was “Check Hybrid System, Stop in a safe place, turn engine off, Switch Off, and Restart. Check Owners Manual”

NHTSA ODI 11509919

The steering wheel goes to the left so if you take your hands off the wheel for one second it just totally goes to the left. I’m afraid I might get into an accident I’m having it looked at by a Subaru dealer in tomorrow which is February 14th. It’s been doing this for about a year. It didn’t start out as bad as it is now and there were no warning lights that came on. I read on the Internet many other people with the same make & model but the year varies of 2015 cross treks have had this problem and there has been no recalls. I did get a recall in the mail, but it’s a recall that is optional that the power steering box could crack.

NHTSA ODI 11507141

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 20-25 MPH and making a left in the roundabout of a residential road, she felt a rear impact and all the air bags deployed. The vehicle then accelerated unintendedly, veered to the right, jumped the curb, and crashed into a tree. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The contact stated that she sustained significant Hematomas on her left and right calves from the knee air bags deployment. The contact sought medical assistance, A police report was filed. Bystanders informed the contact that the vehicle was not rear-ended; however, the cause of the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was towed to an autobody shop where it was totaled. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent a field investigator who retrieved the EDR. The manufacturer then informed the contact that the vehicle had experienced a rear impact and responded as needed based on the EDR. However, the contact stated upon inspecting the vehicle after the accident, the rear of the vehicle did not display signs of a rear impact. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

NHTSA ODI 11505163

Several components' issues and scheduled to take back to Subaru dealer on 12/16/2022. Several times after parking car and getting back in, when shifting to 1st gear to take off, the car goes in reverse instead of forward. Rear backup camera sporadically works. Tire pressure light came on and won't turn off. Front end shakes when braking dealer said it was new brakes, but still happening. Front passenger seat belt locked and will not release, no one can sit in front seat. After purchasing the car, and having so many issues, checked the fluid and there was not a drop of oil on the dipstick. Nothing but problems with car from the date of purchase.

NHTSA ODI 11497332

The car has the temp light come on intermittently and then it never came on again. I opened the hood and a hose from the radiator to the overflow tank was not connected. I brought the car to a Subaru dealer. The technician found oil in the radiator of the car. I was told this could be a head gasket and the engine may need to be replaced. The car has around 75,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11465361

Intermittently, when I go to shut off the engine, I can not remove my key from the ignition. If I put the car back into park a few times, it seems to release the key. This does not happen often, but it has occurred a few times in the past few months.

NHTSA ODI 11450538

Right rear wheel bearing failure at around 71,000 miles. Loud, humm occurs around at around 35 mph and above.

NHTSA ODI 11448135

Driving at night on interstate approximately 70 mph using adaptive cruise control. Suddenly engine revs higher and car slows down. Cruise control deactivates. Applying gas cause the engine to rev but car continues to slows down. Pulled to side of interstate. Infotainment system screen flashes to black then back on. Turned car off and back on again and behaved normally. Was able to continue driving with no issues. This same sequence of events also happened approximately one year ago. So this is the second occurrence. The first time I knew I had a bad O2 sensor so thought it may be related to that but the sensor has now been replaced and the same issue has reoccurred.

NHTSA ODI 11444668

I have owned this vehicle since 2018 and at random times on the highway the engine will lose power and the car will drift to a halt. No warning signs beforehand and this has happened at various stages of highway drives. Pressing the accelerator will only cause the car to slow more. After each time I have had it towed to the nearest Subaru dealership and they cannot find any issues. I have read several other complaints on here describing the issue perfectly. It seems either Subaru cannot figure out whats wrong or simply doesn't care. I have been very lucky to have gotten to safety each time this has happened but I feel serious harm can be caused by this problem. My vehicle has been inspected by several different Subaru dealerships and I get the same runaround every time. The service reps cannot find anything wrong with the engine and no codes come up when they plug it in. Subaru needs to figure this out as there is clear documentation here that this is a large problem. This has forced me to sell what otherwise would be a good car and find something else.

NHTSA ODI 11441045

caliper seized and caught on fire, front passenger side. Was told by mechanic second Crosstreck this week with same problem.

NHTSA ODI 11436785

My vehicle had the recall for Brake Lamp Light Switch in Feb 2019. I went to the Carr Subaru dealership in Portland Oregon to get my recall fixed. They assured me that the work was done and the Brake Lamp Light Switch was replaced. Fast forward to last week when my car suddenly stopped working. The engine would not start and even while driving the brake lights were not showing. I almost had a collision because the car behind me did not see my brake lights when I was braking!! I now live in Memphis TN and we took the car to the Subaru dealership in town on Hacks Cross Road. They told us that even though my car records show that my Brake Lamp Light Switch was fixed in 2019 it was never actually changed. I was appalled to hear this, shocked that I could have been seriously hurt due to this negligence.

NHTSA ODI 11433369

I bought in 2019 4 brand new car tires (Continental TureContact 225/55 R17) at Discount Tires still have receipt. Tires are maintained on a regular bases (rotation and alignment check). I noticed a vibration in my steering wheel and ask my garage to check alignment. He stated alignment is good but he saw on the 2 front tires that there is belt separation. In all my life I never had this happen before. I was told by my garage that looks like a manufacturing problem. This is dangerous and needs to be addressed and Continental needs to be held accountable for this. I went back where I bought the tires with my receipt and told them they need to check all 4 tires for this defect. For right now I cannot drive the car until Discount Tires takes a look at it. These tires have an 80,000 Miles warranty. If I wouldn't been so attentive to my car and tires I and its mechanical, I never would have known, that I am driving my car with unsafe manufactured tires. One question: How difficult is it to manufacture good and SAFE products? DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!

NHTSA ODI 11429896

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 15 mph, they pulled up to a red light and stopped, when the light turned green the contact was making a right turn when a 26-foot truck ran thru the light and crashed into the front driver side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There were no warning lights illuminated on the vehicle. The contact sustained an injured neck, bruises, and a muscle tear in the left side of their chest. There was medical treatment at the scene where the ambulance took the contact to the hospital by ambulance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where the contact insurance company inspected the vehicle and deemed the vehicle as a total loss. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure The failure mileage was approximate 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 11428527

After parking car, it takes several attempts of putting the transmission in park to get the key out of the ignition. Going back and forth between reverse and park. This happens at least 70% of the time. Not a safety problem, but can’t secure the vehicle if I can’t get the key out. Haven’t had the dealer look at it because the car is no longer under warranty, and this seems to be a common problem with Subarus. No warning or symptoms that it’s going to happen.

NHTSA ODI 11426355

At approximately 67,300 miles, while performing routine maintenance, my mechanic discovered that my front wheel bearing set needed replacing. Soon after that, I heard a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. At first, my mechanic couldn't diagnose the problem. When the noise got louder, I returned to my mechanic, and he discovered that the wheel bearings in both of my rear wheels needed replacing. The vehicle had 81,565 miles at the time he replaced them. With some internet research, I found that many Subaru owners with the same vehicle had experienced the same problem. I also found a bulletin from Subaru describing a faulty rear wheel backing plate (Bulletin # 05-70-19). If Subaru had notified me of the defect, I could have had it promptly replaced. Instead, they risked my safety, as a wheel could have stopped while I was driving. I chose not to take it to the dealer, because it is a 1.5 hour drive from my home, on a remote highway. Diagnosis and repair would have been separate appointments, 2 weeks apart, and the dealer told me the chance of reimbursement was 50%. This vehicle is available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11425066

I NOTICED THAT WHEN GOT TO ACCELERATE FROM STOPING THAT CAR WON'T GO. WHEN I HIT THE GAS THE VEHICLE MOVES ONLY A LITTLE AND IF I PUSH MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATION PEDDLE HARDER AND ALL THE WAY DOWN THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY SLOWS DOWN. IT HAPPENED THIS MORNING ON CITY STREET ROADS NOT GOING ANY FASTER THAN 45MPH. THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT TO GO AGAIN IS TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDDLE AND RE PLACING IT AND IT THEN WILL GO BACK TO ACCELERATE AS IT SHOULD WHEN I PRESS THE GAS PEDDLE. I HAVE GOTTEN IT LOOKED AT SUBURU DEALERSHIP AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. IT HAPPENED TO ME TWICE THIS MORNING. ONCE WHEN TURNING OFF MY STREET TAKING A RIGHT TRYING TO ACCELERATE TO 25MPH AND THEN ANOTHER WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AFTER A STOP LIGHT ON A 45 MPH ROAD. I WILL BE REPORTING IT FROM NOW ON EVERY TIME IT HAPPENS. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE, IT COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THANK GOODNESS NO ONE WAS RIGHT BEHIND AT THOSE MOMENTS WHEN I WENT TO ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ODI 11415374

HEAD GASKET FAILURE, RESULTING IN WATER AND OIL CONTAMINATION. TAKEN TO DEALER FOR SERVICING ON FEBRUARY 12, 2021, AND STILL NOT FIXED AS OF APRIL 21, 2021.

NHTSA ODI 11413261

SINCE I BOUGHT THIS 2015 CROSSTREK IN 2015 THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE TIMES WHERE I HAVE PULLED OUT AND THE VEHICLE PAUSES. LIKE THERE IS NO POWER OR IT IS TAKING A BREATH. NO MATTER THE PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR IT DOES NOT GO. THEN LIKE A GASP IT STARTS TO PICK UP SPEED. DOES NOT SHUT OFF BUT ZERO POWER. IT HAPPENS REGARDLESS THE WEATHER, LENGTH OF TIME CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING. IT HAS CAUSED ME A NARROW MISS BEFORE BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET INTO MY LANE. I WAS PULLING INTO TRAFFIC FROM A SLOW SPEED MOST TIMES. ONCE IT HAPPENED WHILE IN TRAFFIC DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI 11413092