2019 SUBARU CROSSTREK Recalls, Complaints & Safety

The rear differential had a contained catastrophic failure. The vehicle had been serviced according to the manufacturer schedule and by their own dealers. The car had never been off road. The failure occurred at 106,500 miles and 6.3 years.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the vehicle decelerated and lost drive power. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road, where the vehicle completely shut off and lost power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with battery failure. The battery was replaced; however, the following morning, while attempting to start the vehicle, there was no electrical power to the vehicle. The Hybrid System Check error message was displayed. The contact researched and found information related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V080000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that there was corrosion on the battery. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Own a 2019 Suburu Crosstrek vehicle that has unexpectedly accelerated/lurched on its own when pulling forward into a parking spot. This has happened twice...last month & today.

The car started shaking and shuddering at 40 mph on a straight road and I had several losses of motive power, with sluggish acceleration of a busy road. All dashboard lights began to turn on. The Oil Temp light was flashing, indicating an powertrain issue. After slowly driving it to a Subaru dealership, I was told that the CVT needed to be replaced. This model year also had a loss of motive power when cylinder 4 short circuited (after full replacement due to a recall). These are two examples of loss of motive power at high speeds on a single vehicle which in my opinion constitute a severe safety issue

Dashboard warning lights required an inspection by a qualified mechanic and made the assessment of a faulty ECM relatively easily by noting the excessive heat emitting from the ECU.

Subaru owners have reported experiencing premature parasitic battery drain in vehicles equipped with Starlink in-vehicle technology. The defect presents itself when the equipped data communications module (DCM) attempts to communicate with 3G cellular networks. As 3G networks within the U.S. are no longer functioning, the call will continuously fail even after the vehicle has been turned off, draining the battery and resulting in a no-start safety risk for drivers. According to those familiar with the issue, the only solution to the battery drain defect is to remove the DCM fuse, thus disabling vital safety features such as hands-free calling. This issue is happening to me specifically, as I have had to jump my car multiple times within a week long period if in a bad cell range area. I have brought this into the dealership multiple times, under warranty, and presented this to them. They refuse to fix, even though multiple online threads and lawsuits point to this issue being known.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal ringing sound coming from underneath the dashboard. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, but the ringing sound persisted. After the contact connected the Bluetooth, the ringing stopped. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,158.

Vehicle had a parasitic draw, was in the shop for an extended amount of time, I believe wiring issues were caused from this as well, I had to replace my driver side window switch, buy an optima battery, and drive 3.5hrs to a Subaru dealership in the middle of the winter hoping I’d make it safely and without stalling, the DCM was found to be at fault similarly to other vehicle owners included in another recall that somehow excluded 2019 Crosstrek drivers and included other MY variants such as the Outback and Forester of which also had a bulletin posted about this parasitic draw and how to go about warrantying the costs associated with the repair. I incurred many costs travelling, horrible gas mileage during this time, and a battery replacement. Additionally I lost My workstudy position the following semester due to the unstable vehicle issues and attendance concerns when shuttling the car to the dealer for these warranty repairs (if even covered at all)

. I expect a full recall on this model years and relative MY vehicles with this specific engine due to its obsolescence in the subsequent years. I feel as if I was sold a lemon and defective engine that will eventually become a death trap Dear Bloomington Subaru Service Manager, I want to reiterate that this is not an isolated incident limited to your facility. Over the course of this vehicle’s history, I have visited more than five different Subaru dealerships — including White Bear Luther Subaru, Miller Hill Subaru, Walser Subaru, Morrie’s Minnetonka Subaru, and your own Luther Bloomington Subaru — for recurring ECM and engine-related concerns. Despite multiple ignition coil replacements, repeated ECM flashes/reprogramming, and assurances that the most recent updates would permanently resolve the issue, my Crosstrek continues to suffer from clunking, rattling, difficulties accelerating, rough idling, and even complete stalling when idling or in hot temperatures. At my most recent visit to Bloomington Subaru, the ECM was not loaded with the current software, ECM C1424 and C1422 and Diag Trouble Code P0011 code. There are 5-7 Subaru bulletins about ECM and these codes. I had this b4 2yrs ago yet the dealership won’t assist with repairs or costs associated with this defective oil control valve part as well as the defective design in the ECM / ECU and this specific engine in the 2019 Crosstrek, of which is no longer produced or manufactured. The ECM or Oil control valve has since been “replaced” and swapped with other components in future generations of Subarus this is defective & mechanically related, not from wear and tear or personal useThere is a recall where the camshaft can break and the PCV too leading to complete catastrophic engine failure, which is a safety issue and expired, but despite 5 ECM flashes, 3/4 sets of ignition coils my vehicle still struggles with the same issues today, costing me $750 and months with my car in the shop, recall this engine

PCV problems and the dealership saying they fixed and completed this recall and have not done so and now CVT problems saying there’s no parts to fix it and have to re do the whole valve system Starter with thinking it was a wheel bar ring problem To trying to figure out if it was a pcv with the engine or cvt with the transmission These are major safety problem that should not be happening

My vehicle would struggle with starting intermittently over the past 2 years. Last week It became a consistent issue each time I would start it. Today my car would not crank and I tried several times over the span of 3 hours. What I experienced previously when starting my vehicle is it would initiate starting, I would hear a mechanical whirring, the car would stop then start again and the engine would turn over a couple of times and eventually start up. Today when trying to start the car, I hear a mechanical whirring and several notifications appear on my dashboard including the following: Check Engine, EyeSight Off Check Manual, Check Owner Manual, RAB Disabled. Thankfully I was not stranded when my car wouldn't start again, but that is a real risk because I travel to the mountains often where there is no cell reception. I looked online for similar issues and have discovered several instances of people with 2018 and 2019 subaru crosstreks (and other models) have had the same issue. Subaru has issued a Technical Service Bulletin (07-198-21), but this is a safety issue which they should address. My coworker has the same car and it has had work done for the same issue. My neighbor has a 2019 ascent which has an auto Start/Stop where it wasn't able to restart and was stuck in traffic creating a hazard.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. While the contact was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while the engine was still off, the gear shifter was shifted into reverse(R) and the vehicle accelerated backwards. The contact slammed on the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from crashing into another parked vehicle. The contact pressed the ignition button with her foot on the brake pedal to start the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled to service the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

The windshield cracked without impact or any other obvious means of damage. I have had 2 other windshields crack in the same manner, the first being December 2022, second March 2024, and now April 2025. All incidents have starts from the bottom on the windshield on the passenger side, and spreading towards the roof. The vehicle was not moving at the time of the crack, it was noticed getting in the vehicle of all incidents

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while taking the vehicle for a routine oil change. There were no warning lights illuminated. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the control arm was cracked. The contact stated had not experienced the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,500.

Using the seat belt with the safe lock feature for rear facing, the car seat becomes loose within 2-3 times using it with my daughter. We have to have her out, undo the safe lock and pull the seat belt tight again to refasten it.

Hello! I started financing my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek in 04/2023. A month after that date, I had a head gasket issue. Then in 2024, a radiator cap deformed after going to the dealer to get an oil change at SF Honda. (The time on that was suspicious being that I didn’t touch that cap at all.) so I had to pay for that repair. Now in 2025, after getting an oil change at Subaru, a day after that oil change, a lot of lights came onto my dashboard. I have two diagnosis reports from other places because I didn’t have the money to pay Subaru $300 to “diagnose” the issue, especially after my car just came from there a day before the problem existed. Since I got into this vehicle, I’ve been suspicious whether or not it’s safe for me, reason also being, I found out in 2024, that this car has been into 5 wrecks. Which I was NOT aware of prior. And now, they are making me feel, there is NOTHING they can do, unless I have a Co-signer, or the approved “credit” score. And now that my vehicle has “7” recalls! I am hoping I can get out of this vehicle. Thanks!

Spark plug coil leaked oil into the spark plug

Intermittent Power Steering Malfunction while driving causing car to violently "self-steer". Vehicle is NOT equipped with adaptive cruise control or lane assist features. Loss of control while driving become intermittently high risk having to clutch the steering wheel and counteract undesired vehicle self-steering forces to avoid hitting other cars on the road. No other vehicles or other property were damaged during discovery of EPS malfunction. Malfunction occurs at highway speeds and also local town speeds. There are no check engine lights present on vehicles OBD system. Vehicle is only ever serviced at the same dealership where originally purchased. Upon occurrences of malfunction, vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostic testing. The dealership's determination is that there is an electrical fault inside the Electronic Power Steering Gearbox. The dealer was able to duplicate the electrical malfunction while test driving. Vehicle currently remains at dealership indefinitely until operating hazard remedied. Original OEM malfunctioning EPS gear box still installed on vehicle as of 12/16/2024 and is available for requested inspection. Since current existing recalls for the EPS gearbox were not applied to this vehicle, Customer is forced to pay out of pocket ($1400 part plus $600 labor) to fix. Requesting NHTSA to confiscate malfunctioning part for examination and comparison to known OEM defects involved with other safety recalls. Replacement parts currently on order by dealer as of 12/16/2024. Reference existing Subaru recall # (WUC-88). Reference existing NHTSA # (19V065000). Replacement OEM part # (34110FL133 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Steering Gear). Existing OEM part number currently on vehicle is unknown. Subaru Dealer: Minooka Subaru 4141 Birney Ave, Moosic, PA 18507 (570) 346-4641

Per NHTSA Product Campaign Bulletin WRE-21, all ignition coils on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Premium were replace on August 9th, 2021. On November 26th 2024, the same vehicle experienced a total loss of motive power on a 50 mph, 2-lane road, resulting in emergency action to move the car off of the right-of-way. All occupants of the car were not injured. After the vehicle was towed to a Subaru Dealership, the service notes stated “DIAGNOSED NO START SCANNED AND FOUND P1604 STARTABILITY MALFUNCTION, AND P0304 CYLINDER 4 MISFIRE, CHECKED FUEL PRESSURE AND FOUND IT WAS WITHIN SPEC, FOUND THE IGNITION COIL FUSE WAS BLOWN AND UPON FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND THE CYL 4 COIL PACK SHORTED INTERNALLY AND THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CIRCUITS CONNECTED BLOWING THE FUSE, COIL PACK AND FUSE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED.” The wording of the technician’s notes mirror the wording of the WRE-21. The dealership offered a one-time free “goodwill replacement” of the part in question, but only for 1 cylinder. I believe further corrective action needs to be taken by the NHTSA to prevent total loss of motive power in affected Subaru crosstreks.

While driving on the freeway at approximately 60 MPH, the sunroof on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek suddenly exploded with a very loud pop. This occurred on a sunny, warm day at around 11:30 a.m., following a somewhat cold night. Both the sunroof and the interior sliding cover were fully closed at the time of the incident. After the explosion, shattered glass rained down onto the closed sliding cover. If the sliding cover had been open, glass could have fallen directly onto me, posing a risk of injury, such as glass entering my eyes, and potentially creating a dangerous situation while driving. The sunroof was inspected and replaced by my local Subaru dealership. I was responsible for covering the parts and labor costs. This was the first time this issue occurred with my vehicle, but I have read similar reports online from other Subaru Crosstrek owners. There were no prior warnings, such as unusual noises or visual signs of cracking, before the failure. While the sunroof has been repaired, I have photos and video available for review upon request.

I sent my Crosstrek to the dealer for the WRE21 recall. After retrieving the car from the dealership with the recall fix in place, the engine stalled while I was at a red light and I could see smoke coming out from the hood. This occurred after driving less than 4 miles from the dealership. I opened the hood and could see that one of the coil packs on the driver side cylinder bank was on fire. I called 911 and the Fire Department had to extinguish the fire. The fire has rendered the vehicle inoperable and smoke damaged.

Fire

I sent my Crosstrek to the dealer for the WRE21 recall. After retrieving the car from the dealership with the recall fix in place, the engine stalled while I was at a red light and I could see smoke coming out from the hood. This occurred after driving less than 4 miles from the dealership. I opened the hood and could see that one of the coil packs on the driver side cylinder bank was on fire. I called 911 and the Fire Department had to extinguish the fire. The fire has rendered the vehicle inoperable and smoke damaged.

Fire

I sent my Crosstrek to the dealer for the WRE21 recall. After retrieving the car from the dealership with the recall fix in place, the engine stalled while I was at a red light and I could see smoke coming out from the hood. This occurred after driving less than 4 miles from the dealership. I opened the hood and could see that one of the coil packs on the driver side cylinder bank was on fire. I called 911 and the Fire Department had to extinguish the fire. The fire has rendered the vehicle inoperable and smoke damaged.

Fire

The contact called on behalf of her husband who owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact's husband stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a cracking sound was coming from the center-right of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The contact referenced an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number relating to the transmission as possibly being related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 74,000.

Anti-lockout mechanism failed to prevent telematics-initiated lockout. 1) Driver placed live child , keys, phone into car 2) Driver closed door with keys inside. The car normally refuses to lock under these conditions, detecting key inside, and preventing a hazard to infant who is unable to unlock the car. 3) Remote telematics command issued from 3rd party inadvertently locks car remotely. Driver has now lost control of the car lock state, and is locked out with child inside. Since it's a sunny day, car internal temperature increases, causing threat to child. 4) Emergency efforts to reach 3rd party to unlock the car to free child are successful ~10 minutes later , avoiding harm to child. However, if driver had been unable to reach the third party, the only alternatives would have been 911/break-glass.

The windshield cracked for no reason while parked in our garage. The windshield was not stuck by any objects, the car was simply setting parked in our garage. There is no evidence of any object striking the windshield such as a rock chip or other items. The Crack is in line with the left side EyeSight driver assist technolgy sensor mounted inside the windshield. The Crack in the windshield may effect the operation of the EyeSight safety features.

Battery drains rapidly and completely, sometimes overnight. Five times in less than one year. After a full charge only lasts a few days. Battery replaced but still happens. Others tell me it is a parasitic drain caused by "DCM" and/or faulty Starlink software. Dealership cannot seem to fix this after repeated attempts.

The digital communication module (DCM) on this Crosstrek is faulty and is leading to parasitic drain on the car battery. This defect is consistent with other Subaru models such as the Outback. However, this specific model and year was not included in the class action suit and order but the issues are similar.

Not sure yet what component or system failed as the car is being towed to dealer. On 12/23/24, The engine made a grinding noise and then the car completelyshut down and froze on the Highway. No Power, All the Dashboard lights flashed on - and I could not put the car in Park. Since I was on the highway - my safety and safety of drivers behind me were at great risk until a help truck was able to block the road. Car will be inspected by Subaru on 12/26. Subaru was closed 12/23 PM, 12/24, 12/25 There were NO warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of a problem prior to the failure.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the power steering assist failed to operate as the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle swerved to the left before the contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the highway. The contact restarted the vehicle and the power steering assist returned before the failure recurred upon exiting the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering had failed and needed to be repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V065000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the dealer possession. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 4-5 MPH over a speed bump, the windshield made an abnormal popping sound and cracked from one side to the other. The local dealer and a second dealer, Bob Moore Subaru (13010 N Kelley Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73131), were notified of the failure and informed the contact the vehicle was not covered under recall. The contact was provided a cost for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,800.

Car was at a stop light, went to accelerate and car would not accelerate- all the lights came on. I had to put it in park and turn it off and back on, then it accelerated and there were no other issues.