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NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and consumer complaints for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek.
| Overall Rating | |
| Frontal Crash | |
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| Rollover |
No recalls found for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek.
Beginning one year after buying this used 2020 Subaru Crosstrek base trim the starter failed and battery fully died after failing to start from a stop. The engine was OFF due to the auto-stop system and failed upon lifting my foot from the brake on a slight incline, causing a constant warning beep and a starter system failure message on the dash display. Immediately after failing to start the brake pressure significantly dropped causing my car to roll into the front of the car behind it. The car was stranded in the road and required a jump start. Since this event the issue has occurred twice more on two brand new batteries on no incline, and I now fully disable the auto-stop feature before driving to avoid an accident. The car starts properly with no battery damage if started from the full ignition off position, even if auto-stop originally stopped the engine, pointing to a failure of the auto-stop system specifically. Importantly, I have also personally seen this exact failure occur to a separate 2020 Subaru Crosstrek, with the sport trim.
The rear differential on my PHEV Crosstrek failed around 31,500 miles. My spouse was driving under 30mph and turning, and heard a clunking/popping/metal-on-metal sound that persisted intermittently for the remainder of the drive home. Since then on 1/8/26, the sound has been aggravated and persistent, every 45 seconds or so while driving, mostly while turning, so we brought it in and were alerted to significant and large metal shavings in the rear differential oil. The current service bulletin (03-95-24) the dealership is relying on to inform the replacement describes sounds much subtler than the sounds my car is making and I remain concerned about other components in my vehicle that may be impacted by this failure. This kind of failure is a safety risk and did occur in traffic in my spouse’s case. The metal-on-metal sounds and drivetrain resistance are alarming. Thankfully my spouse was able to safely get home and alert me to the situation so we could take it in. I have not engaged in any of the vehicle uses that typically relate to rear differential failures; I don’t engage in heavy off-road use or tow heavy trailers with my vehicle, I have only had my tires replaced at Subaru, and the only gear/differential oil was from Subaru. I also did not have any deleterious or obvious gaps in differential/gear oil replacement that could reasonably cause this issue, as confirmed by a dealership mechanic. I have researched extensively about this unusual (and expensive) part failure and have alerted SOA to my concerns. My research is showing it appears to be a trend warranting further investigation.
The 2020 Subaru Crosstrek has 0 NHTSA recalls and 64 consumer complaints on file. It received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA crash testing. The high number of complaints suggests potential reliability concerns — review the complaint details above before purchasing. For the most detailed information about a specific vehicle, decode its VIN using our free decoder above.
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At Miami Airport, with ample space behind the vehicle in front, a pickup truck with a very long sloping ramp trailer to carry several cars pulled into the stated space. The lefthand side rear of the trailer being well below my line of vision hit my bumper on the passenger side. My insurance provided GPS confirmed I was driving at 16 mph at the time. We both stopped. We looked at no damage to the trailer and seemingly minor damage to the car. We both drove off. I was about 500 yards from where I parked at the airport. After my return from the UK 5 days later I drove home and used the car for several days. At the time of the collision, my diagonal part of the seatbelt failed to restrain me. My chest hit the steering wheel and I have since experienced continuous pain. (No broken bones). The incident was a sort of sideswipe. Despite its roadworthiness, the car became a write-off as a support for the engine was found to be unexpectedly bent as well. Driving conditions were ideal. I was also looking for airport signage at the time. The incident was late April 2025. There is not much more I can add. There was no time to call the police nor was there any need,
The bolt attaching the front left corner of the seat to the rails came loose and allows the seat to wobble and bounce.
The rear differential on my Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid has failed twice. The first failure occurred around 12,000 miles and the second around 50,000 miles, both while maneuvering slowly in a parking lot. There were no warning lights or messages beforehand. The failure caused grinding and drivetrain resistance while turning. During the second incident, a certified Subaru dealer confirmed the rear differential had failed again. They also discovered that Subaru had issued a revised version of the differential that is no longer compatible with the original axles, requiring additional parts to complete the repair. I was informed the original design has been discontinued, suggesting Subaru was aware of an issue. This kind of drivetrain failure is a significant safety risk, especially if it were to occur at higher speeds or in traffic. The issue has now occurred twice on my vehicle under normal driving conditions, and was verified both times by a 2 Subaru dealerships in Southern California. When I returned to pick up my vehicle, I was told by the service technician that another hybrid Crosstrek had just come in for the exact same failure. Additionally, a local independent Subaru performance shop mentioned they have performed three similar rear differential replacements this year. This clearly appears to be a recurring problem, potentially linked to a design flaw, and I believe it warrants further investigation.
The 2019-2021 Crosstrek Hybrid has an issue with the fuel tank design. Subaru has finally released a TSB (Reference: 09-82-23R) that explains the issue in more detail and how the defective parts need to be replaced. In short, the fuel tank has a design flaw such that regular fuel corrodes the fuel tank and causes clogging in the vapor vent tubes. Subaru says it's related to fuel with high ethanol content, however I have been filling up with regular fuel and have still experienced the issue. I have personally owned two of these vehicles and experienced the occasional P0452 check engine light which when diagnosed by a licensed shop pointed to this fuel evap system issue. Subaru has finally acknowledged that this is a known issue and issued the TSB, however they have not yet issued a recall. The repairs for this issue are expensive and the symptoms are an occasional check engine light. I am concerned because this issue is not easily detectable and is expensive to repair. Since this involves the fuel tank and fuel vapors tubes I am concerned there might be a fire risk or health risk, but since there is no recall issued I don't know if it can be ignored or needs immediate attention. Subaru does cover this repair under 3 yr / 30k mile warranty but with the irregular symptoms it is hard to detect and diagnose it and Subaru only issued the TSB in Jan 2024 when the 2021 model became 3 years old and out of warranty. It seems like Subaru knew about the issue but didn't want to address it under warranty so they issued the TSB only after all the cars were out of warranty and only now when the consumers have to pay out of pocket are they diagnosing it correctly. Also, this issue triggers the check-engine light only occasionally and at random, and when the light goes on all the vehicle safety aids like pre-collision braking and rear cross traffic warnings are disabled. I think this is dangerous because drivers tend to get used to having those features.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while pulling into a parking spot and depressing the brake pedal to come to a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal a second time, the vehicle jerked, unintendedly accelerated, drove up the curb, and crashed into the metal plastic pole of Wawa. The pole was fractured. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no warning light illuminated. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the police report information available. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could only diagnose the vehicle after it had been repaired by an auto body repair shop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that she would be contacted later and would be informed of the location she would need to take the vehicle for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
What component of system failed: transmission At low speeds, my car makes a low moaning sound. I took it to the subaru dealership and after 2.5 hours, they said it's an issue with the transmission and needs a full replacement. Safety: According to a local subaru dealer's website, "While it might be tempting to keep driving despite a known transmission fault, especially if the car seems to be running ‘fine’, there are inherent risks. Firstly, there’s the potential for the fault to escalate, causing more significant damage to the transmission system. This could, in turn, result in costlier repairs down the line. Secondly, and more crucially, a transmission fault could lead to unpredictable vehicle behavior, especially when changing gears. This unpredictability can be hazardous, not just for the driver but for others on the road as well." Problem reproduced: YES on 1/20/25 at Dewey Griffin Subaru in Bellingham, WA Inspected: YES on 1/20/25 at Dewey Griffin Subaru in Bellingham, WA. Warning lamps: NO
6-8in windshield crack on passenger side, near the bottom just above defrost vents. No apparent trauma to the windshield in that area. No indication that there was a crack forming otherwise; appeared seemingly overnight. Have not yet reported to insurance, dealer, or mfg. I have seen that there was a class action settled recently regarding some Subaru windshields cracking without warning so this may be a known issue. Car is available for inspection upon request.
The contact's significant other owns a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while his significant other was driving from a complete stop, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The dealer replaced the battery, the fuel cap, and cleared the warning lights; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.
The auto engine shut off was disengaged by the dealer while doing some repair. When we picked up the car, noticed engine trouble icons signifying this. We called the dealer and advised of this situation. We had asked if it could be disconnected and was told no, it is forbidden and a safety issue. So when I advised it was turned off, the dealer then refused to work on the car any further or to turn it back on. THEY ARE THE ONLY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER IN KNOXVILLE. That certified mechanic is the one who DID NOT reconnect this safety feature and then refused to fix it. What ever measures need to be taken to this dealer (Grayson Subaru - Knoxville) I need to do so. This has created a huge safety issue with the car and driving and a authorized / approved Subaru dealer refuses to follow the law.
This vehicle is a plug-in-hybrid. It should not be able to move while plugged in. Problem is attempting to move the vehicle when the charge cable is still attached and the vehicle is on an incline. Subaru does not display a warning message - instead it displays "check engine" and an ambiguous symbol (a red steering wheel). Subaru disables the power to wheels that would have enabled the driver to close the gap to the charging station. Instead the vehicle rolls away from the charging station, breaking power plug at the vehicle port. Even placing the car in Park does not prevent damage, the car will roll down hill until the Parking gear latches. I have now broken my power plug 3 times. I am a professional electrical engineer. This should not be able to happen Subaru should prevent the car from being able to move if the cable is still attached, and instead display a message that the cable is still attached. With the "check engine" message, I engaged my OBD diagnostics and it could not find a "check engine" flag. At this point, I put the car in gear, and even through Subaru disables power, the car then passively rolls down the driveway, breaking the cable at the power port. Instead of the ambiguous "red steering wheel" icon - Subaru needs to lock the car in Park and display a real message. When you finally turn the ignition off - Subaru displays a huge "Goodbye" message on the auxiliary display. I say finally because if you do restart the ignition with the cable attatched - you will not be able to turn off the ignition - only after exiting the vehicle, disconnecting the plug will you be able to turn off the vehicle. Not being able to turn off the ignition should not be permitted. Numerous errors in the control logic.
Car was thought to be placed in park, key was easily removed, and then the car became mobile and rolled downhill and could not be shifted back into park.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while she was sitting in the parked vehicle on the side of the road, another vehicle driving at approximately 60-65 MPH rear-ended her vehicle. The contact's vehicle was pushed into the highway's first lane. The front driver's side seat belt failed to restrain the contact in her seat, causing her forehead to hit the steering wheel and the back of her head to roll between the A-Pillar of the front windshield and the front driver's side door. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal when the front of her ankles hit the bottom of the dashboard. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact was transported by ambulance to the hospital and received medical attention for a brain injury, lower back pain, and broken blood vessels on her ankles. The contact was later diagnosed with craniocervical instability (CCI). The vehicle was towed to a body shop, where it was repaired. The vehicle was not deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Transmission began making a whining noise at low speeds accelerating/ and backing up. Slight hesitation when accelerating. Transmission failed at 6k miles- confirmed by dealer and replaced. Now again at 34k miles same issue- transmission confirmed to be issue again by dealer. Subaru is in the process of sending a technician to dealer to inspect. No warning or messages displayed. Unacceptable quality/safety for a vehicle purchased new and all of the maintenance schedule followed.
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