What 111 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness

- Rod #4 failure of unknown cause, although there is speculation that current failure may be related to a major repair in oil system a year ago. - My safety along with my unborn child’s, husband’s and brother in law’s were all at risk. Another driver had to take evasive action to avoid hitting us in an active fast lane on I-70 going between 65-70 mph. There was no shoulder available to pull off on until a half mile up the road. - Yes the problem has been confirmed from the dealership partially. They did not identify a cause for the sudden failure. However stated it could not be determined if this failure is or is not related to a previous major engine repair made a year ago. - The engine has been inspected by the dealership and warranty company. - There were no warning signals prior to either engine failures. The first one being a year ago for head gasket failure that allowed oil to mix with coolant. With the most recent failure the engine ticked briefly after braking to merge for construction, the oil pressure light followed by engine light turned on 5 seconds before engine completely lost power.

NHTSA ODI 11750897

Thermo Control Valve (TCV) causes a check engine light to come on and disables eyesight issue started May 29, 2026. The check engine would go on and off. Now it just stays

NHTSA ODI 11748542

On [XXX] ~[XXX] PM, at highway speed on [XXX] eastbound near Frisco, CO (a mountain interstate), returning to Denver from Salt Lake City, my 2021 Subaru Crosstrek suddenly and without warning dropped into reduced-power limp mode and began lurching and shaking while the engine kept running. I lost the ability to accelerate or maintain speed. At the same moment the check engine light came on and multiple active safety systems automatically disabled: EyeSight, pre-collision braking, vehicle dynamics (traction/stability) control, and hill start assist. It took about two minutes to manage the lurching, power-limited vehicle across multiple lanes of traffic to reach the shoulder. My partner was in the vehicle. Had this happened on a bridge, a grade without a shoulder, a tunnel approach, or in heavier traffic, I believe a collision was a realistic outcome. The vehicle was towed to a Subaru dealer and diagnosed with a failed Thermo Control Valve. Sixteen trouble codes were stored, including P26A6, P0606, P060B, P2138, P2135, P2122, P2119, P2004, P2005, and P0191. Mileage was 49,983. There was no prior symptom. The vehicle had a full multi-point inspection at the same dealer only 11 days and ~1,400 miles earlier ([XXX]); nothing was flagged. This failure mode is already known to Subaru, addressed by Technical Service Bulletin 09-119-24 and a warranty extension to 15 years/150,000 miles; the dealer repair order confirms the TSB. I am concerned Subaru handles a safety-relevant failure, one that disables collision-avoidance systems at highway speed, through a quiet warranty extension rather than a recall or owner notification. Owners get no warning and discover it only when it fails dangerously. I request NHTSA open a formal safety defect investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11739117

The vehicle shuddered violently when turning the ignition, and then failed to start entirely. The mechanic found that the engine coil was severely damaged, no external influence, just that it had become worn out remarkably fast. The vehicle has less than 60,000 miles and just 5 years in service. The repair will end up costing about 1500 with tows included and the vehicle has not gone without maintenance or care.

NHTSA ODI 11734169

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power in the middle of the roadway. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the battery. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with head gasket failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11675030

While driving down the freeway, all the warning lights came on and the engine sputtered and cut out. As we were in the left lane on a busy freeway, it put us at considerable risk. We were able to get to the left shoulder and get towed off the highway. This was caused, I later learned, by a faulty electronic thermostat which caused the system to fail.

NHTSA ODI 11588934

The contact owned a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while parking and the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly and collided with a wall. The collision was at the front of the vehicle. The air bags deployed. The driver sustained arm, leg, thumb, back, and nose injuries. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,300.

NHTSA ODI 11545362

Was driving on highway at approximately 65 mph. Check engine light came on. Engine started to stop responding to gas being given to car. Pulled off to exit highway approximately 1 minute after check engine light came on. At bottom of exit, car completely lost power. Attempted to put vehicle into park and wouldn't shift. Started to see smoke coming from engine and then shortly after started to see flames coming from engine. Immediately exited vehicle and called 911. No one was injured. Subaru indicated fire started as result of external influences. Insurance company's 3rd party auditors were not able to determine cause of fire.

NHTSA ODI 11542376

The issue is the Engine Coolant Bypass Valve. This causes the Engine to not take in as much coolant resulting in the engine getting much hotter than it should, thus putting those in the car’s safety at risk. This could ultimately lead to a fire and/or cause the car to suddenly lose power. My car already refuses to go above 3000 rpm’s and is very laggy when driving. The car itself shows a code that the bypass valve needs replaced & the check engine has come on. However, Subaru has failed to acknowledge that this is an issue amongst most of their vehicles since 2020. This issue also disables the Subaru Eyesight which is in control of adaptive cruise control, pre collision breaking, and sway warning. With those features now disabled, the car has lost the Safety Package that Subaru boasts. I have read on many online forums that this has been an ongoing issue now for many customers, a bulk of which experienced total engine failure. This lack of responsibly is putting many lives at risk on the road every day. I hope this helps shed light to this issue to Subaru & that this part is recalled so that Subaru must pay for the repairs instead of the car owners. Also, the repair part is around $500 & maintenance must be done by Subaru which is another $400-500 for labor. My opinion is they are using this defect as a way to make easy money on many customers since 2021. Here’s a link to the Service Bulletin that has been created about this issue: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10208664-0001.pdf?fbclid=IwAR355WNLzftp3Qhmj7GnfmPFL9VODbDEbiT9X5Admr7n90YI4rTa4J5HSIk_aem_Aex4JIYKdhZ3n6Xh90f9w4zKu4TxFSO6LxpMIwO79FtzP1E3Y5TygVIAq_Ih4KxM6nc

NHTSA ODI 11541053

The engine part that seems to be the issue is the starter. The car has an auto cut off when stopped at lights and other times you stop the car. The car's engine is supposed to restart as soon as you take your foot off the brake. As the car's engine heats up, the car's engine does not start immediately after removing your foot from the brake. The issue becomes greater the longer the engine has been running. On longer drive times, the engine hesitates enough that it seems like it might not start. The dealer has replaced the original starter due to the same issue. The new starter is less than 3 months old and the problem is again happening. No warning lights or indications that the engine will not start immediately upon removing your foot from the brake. The greater amount of time for the engine to restart has made pulling out into traffic when there is a clearing to pull out has become a safety concern as the pause is enough at times to now make the gap no longer large enough to pull out safely.

NHTSA ODI 11513299

Engine shut off at a stop sign and the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree with alarms sounding. Couldn’t get car restarted. Towed to Subaru dealer and they said there was a connector cable to the starter that was defective. Replaced at no cost.

NHTSA ODI 11513308

My brand new Subaru ignited in the engine compartment, burst into flames and exploded while I was driving it.

NHTSA ODI 11492551

Had intermittent total loss of power for about 1/2 of a mile.

NHTSA ODI 11483961

I was crossing two lanes of a very busy ocean front street when the engine “bogged down” . I let off on the gas pedal and then depressed it again, which then caused the engine to go off. I the quickly restarted the engine and was able to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. This was the only time the engine failed, but on about three or four previous times, the engine “bogged down” when I depressed the gas pedal, but recovered after I quickly depressed the pedal again.

NHTSA ODI 11431202

SHUDDERING - CVT belt or pulley not working properly? JERKING, HESITATION - Crosstrek will not go when the gas pedal is pressed or hesitates or pauses for a moment after the gas pedal is engaged

NHTSA ODI 11424974

THE ENGINE STOP START FUNCTION CAUSES THE ENTIRE CAR TO SHAKE WHEN GOING FROM ENGINE OFF TO ENGINE ON. IT IS WORSE WHEN YOU ARE STOPPED AND THE STOP START RE-ENGAGES WHILE YOUR FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE.

NHTSA ODI 11383551