Home · 2017 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness · Complaints

What 97 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness

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 (97)Crash / fire / injury (8)Visibility & wipers (26)Electrical system (18)Transmission & drivetrain (13)Engine (12)Brakes (7)Steering (5)Speed control (4)Wheels (4)Airbags (3)Fuel system (3)

12 of 97 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Feb 8, 2024Engine

There is a battery draining problem. I have had to replace the battery 3 times in a two-year period.

NHTSA ODI 11570817

Mar 14, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngine

- cam carrier leak, resulting in oil leaking from engine. oil is leaking onto catalytic converter sensor causing it to malfunction. - oil leaking from cars poses a safety and environmental hazard. - michael's subaru of bellevue (washington state) has confirmed it occurring, and it is a problem across subaru models according to a number of forum posts from subaru owners, which has been shared with subaru of america. - i have not had it inspected by anyone officially besides michael's subaru of bellevue (washington state). - there was a warning lamp for the catalytic converter, but upon physical inspection of the vehicle the technician discovered it was oil leaking from the cam carrier onto the sensor that caused the warning lights to turn on in the vehicle. - i have included emails i exchanged with subaru of america regarding the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11511870

Dec 4, 2022Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

12042022 - not sure of cause, could be multiple as all systems just shut down for seconds, the car goes dead while driving down I235 at 70mph, first the radio turns off, then the car seemed to go to lower gear rpm to zero and just shut off at a high speed, NO POWER on anything, then about 2.5 seconds later it restated and continued, sputtered off again then powered back off and on again as i got off the highway, many warning lights came on including the lane warning, brake light, it was very scary at such a high speed. this car now seems to have little continued incidents of the same behavior for what has seemed to be spuratic but regular fits now and I have to have dependable transportation. very easily could have caused an accident if the traffic was heavier when the incident occured.

NHTSA ODI 11495958

Sep 13, 2021EngineFuel system

Upon accelerating, the engine seems to bog down and I lose speed. It has happened under many conditions—after turning a corner, going down a straightaway, and when accelerating to merge on a highway. This puts people in the car at risk and others traveling behind me. I took it to the dealer and they said that since they could not replicate it, there was nothing they could do. No warning lights seem to be involved. On the internet, posters refer to this as a "known problem" but no one has come up with a solution, nor have their dealers. It's troublesome. I know the 2018s have had a related problem. It's happened on many dates.

NHTSA ODI 11432735

Jul 15, 2020Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

VEHICLE LOSES POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THROTTLE IS COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE/NON-FUNCTIONAL. ENGINE REMAINS ON BUT WILL NOT DELIVER POWER OR ACCELERATE. NO DASH INDICATION LIGHTS ARE DISPLAYED. CAR SLOWS DOWN RAPIDLY UNTIL THROTTLE RE-ENGAGES AT IRREGULAR INTERVALS WHICH CAN BE A FEW SECONDS UP TO THIRTY SECONDS. HAPPENS MOST FREQUENTLY AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY 20-30 MINUTES. HAPPENS REPEATEDLY AFTER IT INITIATES. HAVE HAD TO PULL OVER SEVERAL TIMES TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF OTHER MOTORISTS. THIS HAS BEEN VERY DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ODI 11339585

Jun 17, 2020Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel systemCrash2 injuries

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY GOING 45MPH IN A STRAIGHT LINE WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER AND TURNED OFF. AS A RESULT MY WIFE WAS REAR ENDED BUT SUFFERED NO MAJOR PHYSICAL INJURY. WE BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY INSPECTED IT. HOWEVER, THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE MAKE AND MODEL FOR SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11329289

Dec 30, 2019EngineCrash

WHEN DRIVING INTO MY GARAGE, MY CAR MADE A STRANGE NOISE AND ACCELERATED INTO THE BACK OF MY GARAGE. I DID PUT ON MY BRAKES BUT THE CAR WAS GOING TOO FAST AND DID NOT STOP. I HAD DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF MY GARAGE, A SHELF AND INSIDE MY LAUNDRY ROOM AND BATHROOM. I DRIVE SLOW INTO MY STREET AND MY GARAGE. I HAVE LIVED HERE SINCE 1987 AND THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. MY CAR IS BEING FIXED BY GALE AUTO, BLAINE, MN.

NHTSA ODI 11291976

Nov 9, 2019Engine

CAR STALLS RANDOMLY UPON ACCELERATION FROM A STOPLIGHT OR STOP SIGN. TAKES 3 TO 4 SECONDS TIL THE CAR ACCELERATES. DURING ALL THIS TIME THE ENGINE IS STILL RUNNING. HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES WITHIN THE PAST YEAR. AFRAID THIS MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, AS YESTERDAY I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GET T-BONED. WILL NOT DRIVE MY GRANDSONS IN THIS CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11279186

Apr 15, 2019Electrical systemEngine

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A ROAD AT 45 MPH WHEN MY CAR TURNED OFF SUDDENLY. ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD LIT ON. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SLOWLY. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND IT TURNED BACK ON WITH NO PROBLEMS. I DROVE HOME, AND DROVE IT TO MATT SLAP SUBARU IN NEWARK, DELAWARE THE NEXT MORNING (TODAY). I SPOKE TO THE PRODUCT SPECIALIST, DENISE. SHE SAID TO KEEP DRIVING IT AND SEE IF THE PROBLEM HAPPENS AGAIN, AND AT THAT POINT THEY WILL DO A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. I INSISTED THAT THEY ADDRESS THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY INFORMED ME THAT IS NOT THEIR PROTOCOL. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN--ONE THAT SUBARU IS NOT TAKING SERIOUSLY. AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT FILED A REPORT TO SUBARU OF THIS ISSUE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ONLY GOING 45 MPH AND WAS ON A ROAD WITH A SHOULDER WITHOUT HEAVY TRAFFIC. HAD THE CIRCUMSTANCES BEEN DIFFERENT, THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE TO OCCUR TWICE BEFORE SUBARU CONSIDERS A FIX. ONE SHUT DOWN IS ENOUGH.

NHTSA ODI 11196489

Aug 23, 2018EngineFire

MY 13 MONTH OLD CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE FOR "NO APPARENT REASON".

NHTSA ODI 11121955

Jun 26, 2018Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU CROSSTREK. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE AND APPROACHING A STOP, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTONATION SUBARU SCOTTSDALE (15678 N NORTHSIGHT BLVD, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11.

NHTSA ODI 11104004

Apr 6, 2018Speed controlBrakesEngineCrash

I WAS SLOWLY PULLING INTO THE GARAGE AND WHEN I WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES, THE CAR UNCONTROLLABLY LUNGED FORWARD AND HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT AN ISSUE AND WAS SECURE. ALTHOUGH THE BRAKES WERE BEING APPLIED, THE CAR SUDDENLY LUNGED FORWARD.

NHTSA ODI 11083712

Working with the data? Download all 97 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 20, 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 2017 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness verdict →