What 97 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek

Premature shift fork failure in 2017 Subaru Crosstrek manual transmission at 62,521 miles requiring complete transmission replacement ($10,000 repair, vehicle worth $11,000). EVIDENCE OF DESIGN DEFECT: - Subaru issued TSB 03-83-20R acknowledging shift fork design flaws in 2018-2020 Crosstreks with identical transmission - TSB states original forks required "thicker nylon inserts" proving inadequate design - My VIN (HG269902) is before production change (LG225906), confirming defective pre-improvement design - Shift fork failure can cause sudden inability to shift gears while driving - significant safety hazard MAINTENANCE: Single owner, meticulously maintained with documented service at 20k, 39k, 52k, 58k miles. Never in accident. No abuse. MANUFACTURER RESPONSE: Subaru offered only $1,800 (18% coverage) and blamed my "driving habits" despite TSB proving design defect. REQUEST: NHTSA investigate shift fork failures in 2015-2017 Crosstreks and evaluate if TSB 03-83-20R should extend to these model years. See attached: Complete complaint documentation and TSB 03-83-20R.

NHTSA ODI 11694927

In August of 2024, I got into my car in a parking lot and turned the key in the ignition. The car started revving really high. I waited for it to slow down, and then I put it into reverse. The car shot back and would have hit the building if I hadn't slammed on the brakes. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone behind the car at the time, but the woman who had just walked in back of my car to enter the building stood there looking at me. I slowly put my foot on the gas pedal and drove home. The following day, I had a tow truck come and take the car to the dealer. They did a scheduled maintenance service and replace the throttle body. Everything was fine until 9/28/25. I was driving out of a parking lot and entering the street going very slowly, suddenly the car lurched forward very fast, and I had to slam on my brakes to stop it. I drove it home. I notified a friend who knew a mechanic that he said was familiar with this type of issue. He got in touch with the dealership where the car had been serviced, and I got a call from the Service Department manager. He asked me to bring the car in so they could try to find out what the problem was. He said that if they couldn't find out what it was, an engineer might be called in to inspect the car. I am planning on having the car towed to the dealership this week. On neither occasion did any warning lights come on in the car. It was very fortunate that no one was hurt during either incident, but it could have been tragic. I was only about 15 feet away from a crosswalk when the second incident occurred. I read online that the manufacturer is involved in a lawsuit where several other people have had the same experience, although not the same model as my car. I have driven the same brand of car for about fifteen years and have never had a problem before.

NHTSA ODI 11690682

The harness on my child's Nuna RAVA loosened during a 30 minute drive home (highway and downtown driving) in May of 2025. I learned later that month that there is a recall on Nuna Ravas for that exact reason. It is available for inspection. My child was not properly secured, and I did not know it until we got home; he could have been killed or seriously injured had we gotten into a collision on that drive. The car seat has not been inspected by anyone. Nuna offered me a “remedy kit” with a screwdriver, a brush, and a mismatched fabric cover, but I am not a safety technician and do not have the time or expertise to take the seat apart myself and still trust it to secure my child. The problem with the harness straps we have is intermittent, and does not replicate when the car is parked and I simply “tug” on the straps. I do not feel that this is an adequate safety test anyway, as it doesn’t replicate the forces or conditions in an accident. I requested a replacement seat, but Nuna denied my request on 7/21 and again on 7/28. Nuna has not supplied crash test results on layperson “repaired” car seats. This defect is the subject of NHTSA actions DP24003 and PE24026. Other RAVA owners have complained that their repaired RAVA still malfunctioned even after using Nuna's "remedy kit." I would like a replacement car seat to ensure my child's safety.

NHTSA ODI 11678003

On January 19, 2024 I was slowly pulling in to a parking spot at my doctors office. I did not pull up far enough, as there was a concrete retaining wall at the head of the spot and no tire block for safety. I was maybe 5 feet from the wall when I lightly tapped the gas pedal to inch up (as the back end of the car was sticking out into the passing lane). When I did so, the car slipped into rapid acceleration causing a full head on crash with the retaining wall. I had pressed the break pedal but the brakes did not have enough time to engage before the wall stopped my car. As a result, I had bumper damage, a crooked hood (due to bent hinge on the right side) and a cracked bracket above the light assembly. Thankfully I was not injured, but the repair was costly. I leased this car new in 2017, and am paying off end of lease buyout. I have been the only driver, and I bring my car for regular servicing. At this point I am afraid to drive it because I don't know when or where the next rapid acceleration will occur.

NHTSA ODI 11575912

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

NHTSA ODI 11570817

Wheel bearing go out after 40K plus miles. After doing research on my own wheels bearings it appears that this is a very common issue for this vehicle. This is not a lot of miles to have on a car before wheel bearings (rear) go bad. Causing extensive damage if not caught and a safety hazard for those opporating the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11569085

The car has 26,000 miles and the heat shield over the muffler has shifted and causing a grinding sound against the back wheel. Told the shield had rusted and needed replacement. There were no warning lights, just the grinding sound from the rear of the car.

NHTSA ODI 11540242

Greetings: As outlined in Service Bulletin 05-70-19, Rear Wheel Backing Plate Design change, I am having an almost overwhelming “whining or humming” sound coming from the rear portion of my vehicle. Given the significance of this WHEEL BEARING & BACKING PLATE issue, I respectfully request an RECALL & subsequent repair be initiated. Coupled with a VERY large number of related customer issues - globally - this issue should have already met-the-bar for a RECALL vs. Safety Bulletin. It’s obvious there are safety-related design flaws - again, given the overall number of required repairs - and this should be addressed accordingly. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11539275

Both of the front inner brake pads separated from the backing plate presenting a safety concern since the brake performance was compromised. The front outer brake pads did not separate from the backing plates. All four brake pads were installed by myself along with new rotors in November 2021 and have experienced about 30,000 miles of use. There is plenty of brake pad material remaining. I have experience installing brakes on multiple vehicles and the pads were functional until the pad/backing plate separation. I discovered the issue after hearing a grinding noise from the wheel well while driving. No warning lights were present and other symptoms were not immediately noticeable. The part is available for inspection upon request; however, I was planning on sending both of the defective brake pads to the manufacturer for a warranty claim. I can save one of the two pads for NHTSA inspection, if desired. Please let me know as soon as possible.

NHTSA ODI 11522250

- 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

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while pulling out of her driveway, the steering wheel became stiff, and the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to diagnose by a dealer. The failure mileage was 48,300.

NHTSA ODI 11508323

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

I drove my car to work one morning (7 min drive through a city; no highways) and there was no crack in the windshield. I came out of work 8 hours later to go home, and there was a crack over 6 inches long in the windshield. There are no markings suggesting anything hit the windshield, only long smooth cracks.

NHTSA ODI 11476595

My husband has trouble getting the key out when in park and turn off. Have to use the E-break every time we park because even in park the vehicle seems to get a mind of its own and start to roll. IT ROLLED ON ME WHILE I WAS GETTING MY CHILD OUT OF THE CAR!! NOW my driver side window seems to roll all the way up but right back down with out me touching it. I have to fight the thing for 5mins to get it up! Windshield is cracked. We got it parked it no crack, went out in it and Crack, now I have to pay to get a new Windshield put in because every day just sitting there the Crack gets bigger. Why is there only 1 recall on this thing!?

NHTSA ODI 11467562

Dome light goes has gone on automatically several times. Twice drained my battery. Never use dome light because I do not drive at night and have never turned it on myself.

NHTSA ODI 11455981

Out of no where the window chipped and then cracked later that day

NHTSA ODI 11453326

The key gets stuck in the ignition. We have to turn the ignition to ACC or start the car then switch it back to OFF multiple times for it to release. We have not had the issue looked at yet. It's easily reproduceable. No other symptoms are present. Subaru issued a recall for this issue for vehicles with a CVT transmission but there are countless complaints of this happening to non-CVT transmission Subaru vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11452593

Windshield cracked out of nowhere resulting in an ~8" damage

NHTSA ODI 11449085

Ignition/starting I have issues w starting car on more than one occasion and I have also had problems with removing the key. It almost is in a key lock mode. I will then turn off and on until it will allow me to remove but sometimes it hasn’t started. Stabilizer light came on a few times then shut off on own.

NHTSA ODI 11438977

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

When I put the car in park the key would turn off the car but not come out of the ignition. The only way to get the key out was to turn the car back on and try again, sometimes 5+ times. When I took the car in for repair at a Subaru dealership they said this was a constant Subaru problem and that my shifter plate guide would need to be replaced. They charged me $600 but after searching Subaru forums I found that Subaru will sometimes pay for this repair because it is a known issue with a repair bulletin number (16-112-18). I believe this is a widespread defect and Subaru should pay for all repairs, not simply the repairs of consumers who have the resources to know to call the company.

NHTSA ODI 11430290

Key get stuck in ignition and cannot be pulled out after turned off. I've seen this not just happened to crosstrek but all other Subaru models after certain mileage. People tried to restart the car in place, shift gear to d and back to p. More than a dozen people reporting similar problems on subaruxvforum or cargurus.com and a service bulletin (TSB #16-112-18R) issued to this problem, however people can only get repaired with the warranty. Very surprised to see this has not been recalled.

NHTSA ODI 11429330

Outer left rear brake pad broke away from the backing plate causing damage to the brake rotor. The pads were original equipment and not worn out.

NHTSA ODI 11427683

CV axles click when turning. CV axles could break at any given point. If not fixed you could lose control of your car causing death to yourself or others while driving or render your car driveless. I've looked online and many other 2017 cross track owners have the same problem. So why is this not a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11420577

The car key get stuck in ignition and cannot be pulled out after turned off. It is very dangerous in that as workaround, people tried to restart the car in place, shift gear to d and back to p. If they don’t pay atttention and press on brake they could potentially hit cars or people. I’ve seen more than a dozen people reporting similar problems on cargurus.com and a service bulletin but surprised to see this has not been recalled.

NHTSA ODI 11418901