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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2013 Subaru Crosstrek — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 26 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

26
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
1
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
2
Involved Fire
owner-reported
0
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Subaru Crosstrek — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

0 complaints

0 complaints

2 complaints

26 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

132 complaints

97 complaints

195 complaints

285 complaints

69 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 11 reports
Electrical System 5 reports
Power Train 4 reports
Exterior Lighting 3 reports
Service Brakes 2 reports
Unknown Or Other 2 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 1 report
Air Bags 1 report
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Exterior Lighting ODI 10935572 12/15/2016

4TH SEAT OF REPLACEMENT HEADLIGHT BULBS SO FAR (LOW BEAMS) SINCE NEW. ORIGINAL OWNERS, NO ACCIDENTS, NO AFTERMARKET ITEMS. THEY BOTH BURN AT THE SAME TIME. YOU ONLY NOTICE IT ONCE ITS DARK OUTSIDE AT YOU TRY TO DRIVE HOME FROM WORK AND NO LOW BEAMS.

Engine ODI 11154680 11/29/2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU CROSSTREK. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE CONTACT HEARD A KNOCKING SOUND IN THE ENGINE. THE RPMS WERE REGISTERING HIGH, THE TRACTION CONTROL INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, AND THE CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING WITH THE INDICATOR FLASHING ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DEALER…

Engine ODI 11149527 11/05/2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU CROSSTREK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT OIL NEEDED TO BE ADDED TO THE VEHICLE EVERY 1,200 MILES AND THE LOW OIL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LITHIA SUBARU OF FRESNO (5499 N BLACKSTONE AVE, FRESNO, CA 93710, (559) 540-7189) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT A CONSUMPTION TEST NEEDED TO BE CONDUCTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT …

Electrical System ODI 11436584 10/13/2021

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that after refueling with the fuel tank at 3/4 tank full, the fuel gauge failed to provide the correct fuel level. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the fuel sending tank, but the failure continued to occur. The contact indicated that the failure had caused fuel leakage and spillage while adding …

Service Brakes ODI 10910864 09/30/2016

AFTER 73,000 MILES OF MOSTLY NON-PEAK HIGHWAY MILES THE BREAK LIGHT SWITCH FAILED. THIS CAUSED MY BRAKE LIGHTS TO FAIL. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE LIGHTS DIDN'T WORK UNTIL AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ONLINE. THE DASH HILL ASSIST, ABS, AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY DURING DRIVING FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS AND THEN WERE CONSTANT WHEN IT FINALLY FAILED COMPLETELY.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2013 Subaru Crosstrek, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2013 Subaru Crosstrek reliable?
Owners have filed 26 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2013 Subaru Crosstrek, most often about engine. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Subaru Crosstrek years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.