2021 Subaru Crosstrek

No clear pattern

21% of complaints about the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2021 vehicle, but with only 162 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is visibility / wipers (29 complaints), typically at 1.7 yr or about 2,460 miles.

Complaints: 162
Median age at failure: 2.7 yr
Median mileage: 5,700 n=23
Crash / fire / tow: 14.8% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

23V755000 2023-11-09

Power train:automatic transmission:park/neutral start interlock switch

Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.

An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Engine 75 mi 2 mo in service

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.

Engine mileage not reported 8 mo in service

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

Engine mileage not reported 11 mo in service

I was crossing two lanes of a very busy ocean front street when the engine âbogged downâ . 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 âbogged downâ when I depressed the gas pedal, but recovered after I quickly depressed the pedal again.

Visibility / wipers 1,000 mi 6 mo in service

WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITH LESS THAN 1000 MILES ON THE CAR. NEVER HEARD OR SAW ANY ROCK OR OTHER DEBRIS HIT THE WINDSHIELD

Other Crosstrek model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2021 Subaru Crosstrek

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Crosstrek model years

How to read this