Home · 2026 Subaru Crosstrek · Complaints

What 6 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek

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 (6)Crash / fire / injury (1)Brakes (1)Driver assistance (1)Lane Departure (1)Seat belts (1)Speed control (1)Steering (1)

Newest first · 6 complaints

Jul 13, 2026

The sunroof shattered for no apparent reason. The car was parked in my garage. Something caused it to explode outwardly from within Tempered glass fell going all over the front seats. Some of the glass stood in place, but would come crashing down if I was to drive it from the wind force.

NHTSA ODI 11750085

Jul 12, 2026SteeringSpeed controlBrakesCrash1 injury

The AED, Braking, Cameras and lane centering systems failed and caused a crash into the highway barrier suddenly due to defects in the driver assist systems defect in the electronic safety systems causing the steering wheel to turn forcefully to the barrier striking it. This happened without any warning despite driver input to stop the sudden steering inputs and braking.

NHTSA ODI 11749816

Jul 12, 2026

My vehicle requires multiple restarts after the engine is turned off to go forward or reverse. This has been happening since April 2026. I purchased the vehicle on 02/28/2026. My dealer claims they have not found any issues. However, the problem persists.

NHTSA ODI 11749869

May 13, 2026Driver assistance

On May 13, 2026 at approximately 2:50 PM, I experienced an unexpected activation of the EyeSight pre-collision braking system in my 2026 Subaru Crosstrek while pulling into the Chick-fil-A entrance area in [XXX] . The vehicle suddenly applied hard braking even though there was no imminent collision in front of me. The sudden braking created a hazardous situation and nearly caused me to swerve toward a pedestrian standing on the median area nearby. I was also fortunate there was no vehicle directly behind me, as the abrupt stop could have resulted in a rear-end collision. At the time of the incident, there were no warning lights or prior indications of a malfunction. The vehicle currently has approximately 900 miles on it. I have since contacted the Subaru dealership and scheduled a warranty inspection of the EyeSight/pre-collision braking system for further evaluation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11737632

Feb 26, 2026Seat belts

Not an 'incident' but seat belt does not adjust low enough for an average short woman (5'1") without draping across lower neck. I have adjusted the slide on side panel to lowest point but seat belt still cuts across neck (not collar bone area). This is standard for all similar cars and I feel a seatbelt across one's neck is a safety concern that needs to be addressed. Adjustments of seat and/or steering wheel make little to no difference on seatbelt across lower neck area. Raising seat makes it difficult to get into vehicle, as it also moves the seat forward when it is raised (and seat position is manual adjustment, not electric anyway - and doesn't make seatbelt much lower - still neck area)....

NHTSA ODI 11720730

Dec 18, 2025Lane Departure

Right side blind spot detection does not work 98% of the time. Worse than the 2025 Crosstrek which only works 96% of the time.

NHTSA ODI 11705808

Working with the data? Download all 6 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 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 2026 Subaru Crosstrek verdict →