2016 Subaru Crosstrek problems
NHTSA has received 165 complaints about the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, and 22% of them involve electrical system. Next are drivetrain & axles (11%) and engine (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 165 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 38,000 miles 91 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 21 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 28 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 20 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 91 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 38,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 39,000 miles (20 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Subaru Crosstrek with enough data (120 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I made several complaints about the car not starting, too much oil consumption etc...then on november 11, 2018, at 3.42pm I was driving on highway 87 when car stopped suddenly, smoke came out and flames. It burned down in 15 minutes. Police and fire department came to turn the fire down. The car is total loss. I could have died
Tl* the contact owned a 2016 subaru crosstrek. The contact stated that vehicle would not start. The contact called the manufacturer who sent a letter to schedule a service appointment with the dealer. The dealer changed the oil and a 1,000 mile test was to be performed to check the status. After the vehicle had been parked for an extended period of time, it failed to start while it was raining. The vehicle was towed to another unknown dealer for a second opinion and the batter was replaced.
On 3/30 my steering column started to make a grinding sound when I turned my steering wheel over 90 degrees to make a turn. On 3/31 the airbag light went on and I made an appointment to bring it in to get looked at by my nearest Subaru dealership (Tacoma Subaru). I was told the light meant the airbags would not deploy if I got into a car accident so I didn’t drive my car until I needed to pick up grocery order on 4/2.
Key is sticking in ignition. Was informed that there is a known fix for a known problem that happens but it will cost over $400 to fix. This is a known design flaw with a known service bulletin that makes a change to a piece of plastic in the shifter.
Vehicle was placed in reverse to back out of driveway. After backing into street the vehicle cane to a complete stop then the manual transmission was shifted into drive. I pressed on the gas pedal and the vehicle stalled for a few seconds then quickly accelerated at a very fast speed. This was on a busy road and the vehicle approaching my rear had to slam on its brakes to avoid a collision. Later in the same evening in a parking lot the same gear change problem happed again.