2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek

Typical pattern

3.5% of complaints about the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2014 vehicle — around the middle of the 195 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.4 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (20 complaints), typically at 5.8 yr or about 59,600 miles.

Complaints: 114
Median age at failure: 6.4 yr
Median mileage: 52,000 n=72
Crash / fire / tow: 15.8% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Electrical system 32,000 mi 4.3 yr in service

THE CAR CANNOT MOVE DUE TO IT IS UNABLE TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK. THE BRAKE LIGHT DOESNT COME ON --BELIEVE IT IS THE BRAKE SWITCH SOMETIME DOESN'T WORK DEALER WONT ADMIT PROBLEM

Electrical system 80,001 mi 4.3 yr in service crash / fire / tow

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE HEATING SYSTEM BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL WIRES IN THE AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING SYSTEM CONTROL UNIT WERE MELTED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. A LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,001.

Electrical system 69,000 mi 4.8 yr in service

POWER STEERING ISSUES. LIGHT ILLUMINATES ON DASHBOARD AND POWER STEERING PROBLEMS OCCUR. IT'S ONLY 4 YEARS OLD (NEVER DRIVEN OFF ROAD) TAKEN WELL CARE OF, AND THERE ARE SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRONICAL PART OF THE POWER STEERING SAYING THERE IS A PROBLEM AND WHEN DRIVING IT LOCKS UP MAKING TURNS REALLY HARD WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL. THEN OUR CAR SHUT OFF LIKE THE BATTERY WAS DEAD FOR HALF A DAY AND WE TRIED ONE LAST TIME TO START IT BEFORE JUMPING AND IT STARTED UP AND WORKED. SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING IS WIRED WRONG.

Other XV 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.

2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other XV Crosstrek model years

How to read this