2026 Subaru Crosstrek problems, complaints & recalls
NHTSA has received 9 owner complaints about the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek, or 9.0 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.22, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 73 model-year 2026 vehicles we track, it ranks #28 of 73 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Subaru models its rate is 75% lower; against other Subcompact SUVs it is 60% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Limited data: fewer than 30 complaints, so shares and indexes are unstable.
Complaints filed between 2025-12-18 and 2026-10-12. Median delay from incident to filing: 0 days.
Analysis
The previous model year (2025) drew 24.6 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Driver-assist systems (22.2% of complaints), followed by Unspecified or other (22.2%) and Engine (11.1%). Driver-assist systems complaints are 3.9 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 1 report (11.1%) describes a crash or fire; owners mention 1 injury and 0 deaths.
In the last 12 months 9 complaints were filed, versus none in the 12 months before.
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for this model year.
Complaint index
- vs. all tracked vehicles0.22
- vs. other Subaru models0.25
- vs. other 2026 models0.36
- vs. other Subcompact SUVs0.4
- #28 of 73 · 2026Rankings ›
1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.
What owners complain about
vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average
Problem areas: Body & structure · Unspecified or other · Electrical · Engine · Transmission / powertrain
When complaints were filed
- Crashes reported: 1
- Fires reported: 0
- Injuries: 1
- Deaths: 0
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 6 months
What owners report
The AED, Braking, Cameras and lane centering systems failed and caused a crash into the highway barrier suddenly due to defects in the driver assist systems defect in the electronic safety systems causing the steering wheel to turn forcefully to the barrier…
The front door check strap / door detent mechanism (both front doors). The vehicle is in my possession and available for inspection upon request. VIN and service records available. The front doors do not hold reliably in their intermediate detent positions.
On XXX while driving my brand-new 2026 Subaru Crosstrek with approximately 63 miles on the odometer, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration.
The 2026 Subaru crosstrek was sitting in the garage since 07/17/2026. I went out on 07/19/2026 to go to church. I tried to start it and it clicked rapidly like the battery didn't have enough juice to actually start it.
The sunroof shattered for no apparent reason. The car was parked in my garage. Something caused it to explode outwardly from within Tempered glass fell going all over the front seats.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · 2026 · Subcompact SUVs
| Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Kia Seltos | 4 | 4.0 | 0.1 |
| 2026 Mazda CX-30 | 4 | 4.0 | 0.1 |
| 2026 Subaru Crosstrek | 9 | 9.0 | 0.22 |
| 2026 Hyundai Kona | 10 | 10.0 | 0.25 |
| 2026 Honda HR-V | 18 | 18.0 | 0.45 |
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year.
Investigations
No NHTSA investigation covers the tracked model years.