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What 194 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 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 (194)Crash / fire / injury (11)Visibility & wipers (72)Electrical system (32)Engine (32)Transmission & drivetrain (14)Speed control (13)Body & structure (10)Steering (6)Lights (5)Seats (4)Wheels (4)

1 of 194 complaints match · Wheels · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 2, 2019Transmission & drivetrainWheelsCrash

VEHICLE WAS CLIMBING A RESIDENTIAL STREET WITH A GRADUAL INCLINE IN SNOW APPROXIMATELY 3 INCHES OF FRESH POWDER WITH NO ICE UNDERNEATH. VEHICLE HAD ONLY 3,150 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND THE TIRES WERE STOCK ALL SEASON YOKOHAMA WITH A GOOD MUD/TREAD RATING. THE VEHICLE WAS CLIMBING THE HILL VERY WELL UNTIL AT THE CREST A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND AWD LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE TIRES FAILED TO CLEAN THE SNOW PROPERLY AND I SLID BACK INTO A GUARDRAIL FOR APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET AND THERE WAS COSMETIC DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS THE RIGHT WHEEL WAS BENT. DEALERSHIP WHERE I TRADED THE VEHICLE INTO HAD 2 OTHER CUSTOMERS TRADE THEIR 2018 CROSSTREKS DUE TO POOR AWD SYSTEM AND VERY DANGEROUS ALL SEASON TIRES.

NHTSA ODI 11183635

Working with the data? Download all 194 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 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness verdict →