Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness 2024 — Reported problems

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow down during a turn, the brakes failed to function properly and caused a delay while braking. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the technicians were unable to duplicate the failure or determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that on another occasion while slowing down, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle, causing the contact to crash into the rear of another car. The vehicle was taken to a collision center to be repaired. The failure mileage was 21,353.

I was backing out of my driveway at 630 am this morning, September 21, 2026 when I heard what sounded like a loud crash. However, if anything had been in my car’s line of vision a beep would go off to alert me and that didn’t happen. I pulled back into my driveway to check if anything had somehow been behind me and then discovered I had no brakes! My driveway goes down a steep incline and I kept trying to apply my brakes to no avail and I crashed into some trees at the bottom of the driveway. I was not hurt and ran back up the driveway to make sure my car had not hit anyone or anything and there was nothing at all at the top of the driveway. I went back down and saw all the damage on my car: Front bumper and hood were smashed in as well as the driver’s side front and the passenger’s side front areas. I called the local police, my dealership where I leased this car, Patrick Motors in Shrewsbury, Ma, Subaru of American and my insurance agency, Liberty Mutual. At this time, I have nothing available to upload. I wanted to alert you to this situation because after I researched what happened to me and my 2024 Subaru Crosstek Wilderness Model this morning, I discovered that something called Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB) has frequently occurred with the Crossteks. I am fortunate that this happened to me in my own driveway and not going down any other street where I could have hit a person or vehicle or gone into a lake because the brakes stop working when RAB occurs!

Driver side mirror vibrates/shakes (not the housing just the mirror) I am still under warranty and Subaru service techs said they could see the issue but looked for a cause and said nothing was found and therefore couldn’t be a faulty part. There are plenty of like situation posts online. They really need to issue a recall to replace affected mirrors. It is hard to see at highway speeds(50+) with the vibrations occurring

While driving on the [XXX] my car lost power while in drive. I coasted onto the should. I could not get the car out of gear or put the car in park. I chocked the rear tire. I opened the hood. The positive cable had popped off the battery post. I got a piece of paper and created a temporary shim. The car drove home to where i found out on line i needed a battery shim. I purchased the shim at autozone for $6.00 and addressed the problem. I'm glad I did not end up like [XXX] on the LIE. FYI, I replaced my factory battery with a new AGM battery yesterday. When I tightened the negative terminal tight the clamp was still loose. It is weird designed clamp that when tightened slides on a tapered "V" to clamp. I thought maybe it was the new battery post but it measured the same diameter and height. I put the OEM battery back in and it was also loose when pushed all the way down, so it must have been that way from the start. Went to Autozone and bought a post shim. It was to big for the clamp to work so I cut it in half and that picked up the slack enough so the clamp tightened properly. Somebody in design missed the calculation! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Falken 225/55R18 tires had to be replaced for $243.80 per tire due to poor tread design that has caused hydroplaining. 09.03.2026

AT 45,261 MILES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE WOULD BARELY START AND RUN. IT WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND WAS AGAIN DIAGNOSED WITH CARBON BUILD-UP ON THE INTAKE VALVES. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE IN JUST OVER A YEAR. IT WAS REPAIRED, AND AGAIN, OTHER THAN THE REPAIR, NOTHING WAS DONE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING A THIRD TIME!

AT 26,453 MILES, THE CHECK ENGINS LIGHTS ALL CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T RUN. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE INTAKE VALVES HAD EXCESSIVE CARBON BUILD-UP ON THEM. THE ISSUE WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALER. I CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA TO ADVISE THEM OF THIS SITUATION, STATING THAT THE ISSUE WILL HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE NOTHING WAS DONE TO PREVENT THIS FROM RECURRING. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHILE MY WIFE WAS ON THE FREEWAY, OR WITH HER GRANDCHILDREN, ANY NUMBER OF DISASTERS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, NO QUESTION. THIS VEHICLE IS NOW UNSAFE FOR MY WIFE TO DRIVE. (THIS DID HAPPEN AGAIN. I WILL SUBMIT ANOTHER REPORT)

Drivers side mirror shakes when in motion mainly on uneven roads, slurry sealed roads and freeway. 4 service visits with parts replaced at each visit - vibration still an issue. 5th appointment with engineer more parts exchanged with a claim of working as designed. Extreme distraction while driving and a safety concern when you can not see clearly out of the driver’s side mirror while driving.. currently there is a continuous vibration on the freeway and they state everything is working as designed and there is no abnormal vibration. This is a common known issue with these cars and there is no fix and the company will not admit a serious issue that effects many 2024 and 2025 models. If they replace the mirror the fix does not last long at all and the vibration comes back. I have had 5 service appointments since April to address this issue with no resolve and a continued dismissal from the dealership and the customer advocate department at Subaru. There is a current class action regarding this and still no open recall or fix from Subaru

After about an hour of driving, the vehicle’s steering wheel required slightly more force to turn when changing direction of travel., almost like it was getting stuck. Once unstuck, the steering wheel would get easier to turn, causing overcorrections in direction of travel. The dealership was unable to recreate the issue, however I experienced the same problem today 8/14/26 after taking a longer road trip. The issue today was less pronounced. No one else has inspected the vehicle. No warning lights for this issue. Lane keep assist was disabled for both instances.

Windshield suddenly and spontaneously cracked, violently and with an explosive sound, due to higher-than-average outside air temperature (100°F, Arizona in July). Vehicle was being driven on a freeway during cross--country trip. Crack occurred in driver's line-of-sight and presented a dangerous driving condition. In service for 2 years and 10K miles and never driven off-road or incurred a windshield chip from flying objects. Subaru refused to repair under warranty. Discovered Subaru had a recent history of similar windshield problems including some covered by Technical Service Bulletin(s).

Adaptive cruise control did not disengage when brake pedal was pressed. The cars ahead of me on the highway were coming to a stop, so I tried to veer to the right since the brakes didn't work. The lane assist kept fighting me and wouldn't let me veer off to the right. Almost hit the car in front of me. Now the car is undrivable and needs to be towed

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek equipped with Yokohama Tires, Tire Line: Geolandar Go, Tire Size: 225/60/R17, DOT Number: [XXX]. The contact stated that while adding fluid to a reservoir under the hood, the contact discovered that the four tires were dry-rotted on the inside of the tread. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the tires were purchased, and it was diagnosed that the tires needed to be replaced. The tires were not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Shults Subaru (311 Fluvanna Ave, Jamestown, NY 14701); and the dealer informed the contact that the tires needed to be replaced. The tires were not replaced. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 10,100, and the tire failure mileage was approximately 9,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek equipped with Yokohama Tires, Tire Line: Geolandar G91, Tire Size: 225/60/R17, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for maintenance, the contact was informed that all four tires were cracked and were dry-rotted. The contact stated that the vehicle had been serviced by the same dealer six months prior to the failure, and that the tires had light to moderate wear. However, after driving for 5,000 miles, the contact was informed that the tires needed to be replaced. The tires had not yet been replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,243.

While driving at highway speeds in the passing lane, the vehicle’s adaptive cruise control with EyeSight malfunctioned. The system suddenly emitted a forward‑collision warning beep even though the lane ahead was completely clear. Immediately after the warning, the brakes engaged forcefully on their own, causing abrupt and unexpected deceleration while overtaking another vehicle. This created a significant safety risk to us and surrounding drivers, as the vehicle slowed rapidly in active traffic without any legitimate hazard. In addition to the sudden braking events, there have been multiple instances where, while adaptive cruise control was active, attempts to decelerate using the steering‑wheel control button either did not respond or behaved unpredictably. On one occasion, pressing the deceleration button caused the vehicle to accelerate instead. These inconsistent control responses further increased the risk of losing safe control of the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, and the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. The only symptom prior to each event was the forward‑collision warning beep immediately before the brakes activated.The underlying cause remains UNKNOWN.

THE DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR VIBRATES AT HIGH SPEEDS & ON UNEVEN ROADS. THE CARS & LP'S ARE VERY DISTORTED CAUSING A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE & A CLASS ACTION SUIT HAS BEEN FILED IN TEXAS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TWICE & THEY STILL CAN'T RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.

Radio/Infotainment system popped up a over-the-air In-Vehicle Messaging (IVM) alert for SiriusXM advertisement. This in-motion ad force them to take their eyes off the road just to hit "Dismiss" resulting in missing a critical navigation turn in an unfamiliar location. This seems to happen every few months. The vendor does not offer a way to make these driver interruptions stop. I later called the number on the screen and they do not have a way to Opt Out of the IVM advertisements since I am not a California resident protected by CCPA.

My issue is with Sirius XM advertisements popping up on the screen while I'm driving, it is very distracting and seems unsafe especially when I'm using navigation apps on my screen trying to navigate the city. The message on the screen does have a phone number that says "Limited-time SiriusXM offer available through 6/30. Call 866-635-2495 for info/vehicle msg opt-out" but when I called the number they said it was physically impossible for them to opt me out and recommended I purchase a new in car stereo to address the issue. Which is completely outrageous because the car is a 2024 and basically new still. I asked to speak to a manager and they were unable to do anything to address it despite the message sating call to opt-out.

While driving home from the grocery store I heard a shattering sound. I was about 2 miles from home. When i got home I opened the rear hatch to see the rear quarter glass window shattered. I was driving 35 mph with no cars around me. I was shocked to see the window like that. I have read that subaru has had problems in past crosstreks with this same issue. Since it was yesterday and also Saturday I have not been able to talk to the subaru dealership about it.

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle while having the right of way. The contact stated that the other vehicle was making a left turn when the crash occurred. The contact's vehicle T-Boned the other vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy, and the front driver's side seat belt did not tighten as intended. In addition, the contact stated that none of the vehicle safety features were activated such as calling 911. The vehicle sustained damage to the front driver's side and the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. A Police report was filed. The contact was transported to the local medical center. The contact sustained bruising and pain to the chest and stomach area from the seat belt, and neck pain. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,656.

The vehicle is a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek with ongoing and unresolved safety-related defects. The vehicle has been taken in for multiple repair attempts, including a total of five diagnostic inspections, but the issue remains unresolved. The vehicle experiences sudden hesitation, loss of acceleration, and failure to respond properly while driving. Warning lights appear on the dashboard, and in some instances the vehicle fails to restart properly after coming to a stop. These issues create a serious safety risk, especially when driving in traffic or attempting to merge, as the vehicle does not respond as expected. The condition is unpredictable and has occurred multiple times. Despite repeated repair attempts, the manufacturer has been unable to diagnose or repair the defect. The problem continues to occur and significantly affects the safety and reliability of the vehicle. This issue poses a serious safety hazard to the driver, passengers, and others on the road.

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek equipped with Yokohama Tires, Tire Line: Geolandar G91, Tire Size: 225/60/R17, and DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance, the dealer informed the contact that the remaining three original tires were dry-rotted in the middle of the tire. The dealer informed the contact that the tires needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the tires needed to be replaced and that the dealer would send the defective tires to the tire manufacturer for examination and reimbursement consideration. The tires were not yet replaced due to the cost. The tires were original tires. The vehicle and tire failure mileage was 19,200.

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that after driving and parking the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle, and the vehicle suddenly caught on fire under the hood. The vehicle had received an oil change three days prior to the failure. Additionally, the contact noticed smoke after the oil change. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the fire. The contact called 911, and the Police and Fire Department responded to the scene. The Fire Department extinguished the fire, and a Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. There were no injuries sustained during the fire. The local dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and the dealer had not offered any assistance. The manufacturer was contacted, and a claim was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000.

On 2/5/2026, my "brake booster" failed while trying to leave the parking lot of a restaurant. When I put car in reverse I had my foot on the brake, I heard an usual sound and quickly realized the brake was not holding as I was moving backward. I had to reapply brake pressure HARD in order to stop, once while backing up and once again to pull forward so I wasn't blocking anyone from maneuvering around me. I was towed to Hanania Subaru where they identified the "brake booster" failed. My vehicle is ready today, 2/18/2026 to pick up and I'll return the Subaru loaner vehicle. Apparently the problem was an electronic failure code and replacing the brake booster was all that was needed. Fortunately, I was not driving in traffic when it failed and I'm told this type of failure is extremely rare. I do appreciate the ability to document this potential hazard to NHTSA.

After driving the vehicle for 30 minutes to an hour in temperatures approximately above 45°F the steering wheel will get "stuck" on center and go loose then tighten again when trying to make minor corrections in steering. Easiest to duplicate on roads with speed limits at or above 55 mph. If temperatures are below 40°F when the vehicle is started, the issue cannot be duplicated unless the temperature reaches approximately 50°F while driving. If starting a drive in temperatures that cause the issue, then driving into temperatures below 32°F, the issue will go away while driving. This issue has caused me to have to overcorrect on a 55 mph mountain road with spots of melting snow and was noticeable enough for my passenger to be quite concerned. After driving with this issue for 1-2 hours, the added fatigue of constantly fighting the steering wheel can and will lead to a crash. This has been looked at by a Subaru dealership when temperatures were warmer, but they were not able to duplicate the concern. There are no warnings, lights, or alerts while this issue is happening. I have been waiting for this to get worse to bring it in to Subaru, but I fear without assistance from the NHTSA I will be turned away by the dealership again. Added information: ALL Lane Departure and Driver Assistance features were and are currently turned off. The issue still happens in cruise control with or without the lane centering turned on.

In-car pop-up advertisements, specifically from SiriusXM. The advertisement pops up while driving, attempting to use the safety features of the car, including navigation. It happens every few months, at random. There is no way to opt-out from the vehicle; the only option is using a desktop computer, creating an account, and finding the communication preferences. This is a dangerous feature, as it causes multiple issues when it happens, including driver safety. They violated FCC rules by making this easy to opt out of; I've never opted in, as I had to create an account just to cancel.

1. Component/System Failure The rearview mirror became completely detached from its mounting on the windshield. The detached mirror is still available for inspection upon request. Subaru has declined my reasonable request to either repair it or reimburse me for the time and effort required to arrange and perform the repair. 2. Risk to Safety This sudden detachment posed a serious safety hazard. While driving, the mirror unexpectedly fell into my line of sight, causing me to brake immediately. Fortunately, this occurred while I was driving at low speed on a local road; had it happened on a highway, the risk of collision or a multi-vehicle accident would have been significant. 3. Problem Reproduction / Confirmation The issue has not yet been confirmed or replicated by any dealer or independent service center. Subaru refused to facilitate an inspection or to cover the costs associated with taking the vehicle to a facility able to assess the defect. Their position effectively obstructs verification of the issue by a qualified technician. 4. Inspections by Others No inspections have been conducted by Subaru, law enforcement, insurance representatives, or other third parties. Given Subaru’s refusal to authorize and cover the costs of inspection, I’ve been prevented from obtaining an objective technical evaluation. 5. Warnings or Symptoms There were no prior warning signs—no noise, movement, or looseness. The detachment was entirely random. This unanticipated failure further demonstrates a latent defect in the mirror’s attachment system.

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek brakes engaged TWICE without the driver pushing on the brakes, slowing the car down significantly. The initial vehicle speed was around 65 mph on the highway, and slowed to around 45 mph after the second automatic braking incident occurred. Adaptive cruise control was NOT on. The car in front of the Crosstrek was 8-10 car lengths away. Then while the Crosstrek was still moving, a truck hit the back right bumper of the Crosstrek and pushed it into the next lane to the left. (I), the driver of the Crosstrek, was able to steer back into the original lane of travel to the right. After the Crosstrek was steered back to the original lane of travel, it came to a stop due to right rear axle damage. The Crosstrek driver was able to creep to the shoulder to wait for emergency personnel to arrive. The safety of myself and others, due to the Crosstrek (Eyesight?) malfunction, is extremely important to investigate. This safety feature when engaged unexpectedly is dangerous. When drivers do not have control over the braking system of the car, sudden and unexpected slow-downs can lead to rear-end accidents, and even the loss of life. When I was pushed to another lane of travel, a secondary accident could have occurred, or a chain-reaction with many cars. I did not see or hear any warnings, messages, or experience any unusual symptoms before the car braked on its own and I was rear-ended. After I crept to the right shoulder of the interstate, the Crosstrek was still running and there were no warnings or messages. Since the Nov 11 accident, Dean Team Dealership in Ballwin MO has reported the issue. State Farm Insurance has totaled the 24 Subaru Crosstrek, recovered data from the Event Date Recorder (EDR), and is discussing the vehicle losses with Subaru Corporation. [XXX] is receiving chiropractic care also. Additionally, there similar reported incidents on websites—Reddit and [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek equipped with Falken Tires, Tire Line: Ziex ZE001A A/S, Tire Size: 225/55/R18, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the front driver's side of the vehicle suddenly lowered. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road, where the contact became aware that the side wall of the front driver's side tire had blown out in 5 different places. The contact replaced the tire with the spare tire. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact completed some research and learned that the tire failure was a known failure. The tires were OEM tires, but the contact intended to replace all four tires. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.

Advertisements routinely pop up on infotainment screen and block safety features like X Mode (for snow). They are a driving distraction, as they block all features on the screen and will not disappear until they are interacted with. This means that in inclement weather, I have to INTERACT WITH AN AD before using this safety feature. SiriusXM has refused to remove them. Subaru has said there is nothing they can do. This was also NOT disclosed to me upon purchase of the vehicle, so this is also a dishonest business practice on top of being a safety hazard by: not allowing usage of safety features and being a driving distraction. First and second incident was in November 2024, third was December 4, 2024. Most recent incidents occurred November 22, 2025 and December 2nd, 2025. I have photos as proof.

Infotainment displayed an advertisement for serius XM radio while I was using navigation and operating the vehicle on the roadway.

This is the second time this has occurred. While driving (vehicle in motion for multiple minutes beforehand), an ad for SiriusXM radio popped up on my infotainment, which disables CarPlay, A/C controls, car settings, driver assistance settings, etc. until you dismiss the ad. There is no way to dismiss the ad except clicking a small “X” button in the corner, which is difficult and dangerous to do while driving because you have to really focus on the screen and tapping the right spot. Absolutely unacceptable and inappropriate to show an ad like that. If I were driving at night or in the rain, there is a high likelihood I would crash, and that chance is not zero even in good daytime weather. It also forces me to do something illegal (interact w screen while driving).

Advertisements from serious xm taking over the screen. Distracting me from the road because I had to close the ad and open CarPlay back up. This is unacceptable!

While driving, the infotainment screen was overtaken with an advertisement for SiriusXM radio which had to be manually cleared by hitting an X button on the screen. The vehicle was in motion when the advertisement appeared and completely covered the screen. At the time of the incident, the vehicle had been on and driving for over an hour.

About 5 minutes after I started driving, an ad for Sirius-XM radio subscription appeared on my infotainment system. It took up the entire screen, covering my AC controls and Apple CarPlay navigation - this meant that I was required to interact with/dismiss the ad. Because it was shown when I was driving (in motion), I was forced to unsafely and illegally interact with the touch screen to re-enable the functionality of my car. Showing an ad in the car is unacceptable in general, but especially in a situation when the car is in motion, where it poses a significant safety risk.

Distracting SiriusXm adds keep blocking navigation requiring physical input from driver to clear.

Advertisements for SiriusXM radio are being pushed to the infotainment system. These ads temporarily render all radio and climate controls as unavailable until driver taps on screen to disable the notification… causing driver to take eyes off of the road.

Advertisement for XM radio service popped up on console screen of the car, and would not go away unless manually dismissed (touch) - while driving, covering the entire screen. This is entirely unnecessary and distracting, all to serve an advertisement for a service I don't want or use.

I am not a customer of Sirius XM, so approximately once per month, an ad appears on my screen for a Sirius XM free trial. This is incredibly distracting and dangerous as it takes up the entire screen and requires me to take my eyes off the road to click the close button.

While I was driving the other day my entire infotainment screen (which shows my map, as well as climate controls) was completely overtaken by a giant ad for Sirius XM radio service. It was the ENTIRE screen and it required me to take my focus off of the road long enough to determine what was happening on the screen, find a button to make it go away, then accurately tap the button while driving. This was EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and I don't know how it is legal! WHY are they allowed to project an ad into my field of vision, distracting my focus and potentially causing a deadly accident? This needs to be stopped! I love Subaru, but they need to stop endangering our lives with ads for satellite radio service I already don't want WHILE I'M DRIVING.

On infotainment touchscreen, repeated Sirius XM ads are shown while the vehicle is in operation. This is distracting and dangerous as the ads obscure actual critical functions like climate control, navigation, and vehicle settings until I tap the X on the ad to close it. Running ads while the vehicle is driving is not safe - this puts myself and other drivers at risk by introducing an unnecessary distraction. I cannot stress enough that these ads only appear WHILE the vehicle is driving.