2024 Subaru Crosstrek Problems: 9 Known Issues

On the 2024-2025 Subaru Crosstrek, a smaller but far more serious steering complaint set on the 2024-2025 Crosstrek describes complete, unannounced loss of power steering assist while driving, with dashboard warning lamps illuminating at the same time. Steering remains mechanically connected but requires very high effort, which is manageable in a straight line and dangerous mid-corner or at speed. NHTSA complaint 11744713 on a 2025 car is unusually well documented: the dealer retrieved DTC C2532 (failure in the steering gearbox assembly), opened Subaru Techline case 260518-1300094, and replaced the rack under part number 34110FN03A. Complaint 11574674 on a 2024 car describes the same sudden deactivation of assist with concurrent warning lamps, also resolved by a steering rack replacement. This is distinct from the sticky-steering complaint above — it is a hard electrical failure of the rack-mounted assist unit rather than an intermittent feel problem, and it does not resolve itself.

On the 2024-2025 Subaru Crosstrek, owners of the redesigned (2024+) Crosstrek report that after roughly 30-60 minutes of continuous driving — typically above 50 mph and once the car is fully warmed up — the electric power steering develops a 'sticky' or notchy dead spot on center. The wheel resists small corrections, then suddenly releases, producing overcorrection and a wandering, back-and-forth path down the lane. NHTSA complaint 11697935 documents it occurring with lane centering and lane departure explicitly switched OFF, which rules out an EyeSight steering-assist intervention and points at the EPS torque sensor / column assist unit itself. Complaint 11711794 notes the fault appears above roughly 45F ambient and is absent on cold starts below 40F, a thermal signature consistent with the assist motor or torque sensor. Dealers routinely cannot reproduce it on a short test drive, so most owners are told the behavior is normal. At least seven separate 2024 complaints and two more on 2025 cars describe the identical pattern.

On the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, 2024+ third-generation Crosstrek owners report the redesigned stereo-camera EyeSight system slamming on the brakes with no obstacle present - on empty roads, mid-lane-change, around curves, or under overpasses. A 2024-filed class action (Germano v. Subaru) covers 2024-2026 Crosstrek along with select 2022-2026 Forester/WRX, 2023-2026 Legacy/Outback/Ascent, 2024-2026 Impreza, and 2025-2026 BRZ. The new wider-FOV stereo camera and wide-angle mono camera misread shadows, expansion joints, and oncoming traffic in adjacent lanes. A settlement was finalized Nov 5, 2025 with a 4yr/48,000mi warranty extension and 75% reimbursement for one qualifying repair.

On the 2024-2026 Subaru Crosstrek, twenty-six of the 111 NHTSA complaints filed against the 2024 Crosstrek — the single largest complaint category for the model year — concern full-screen SiriusXM promotional messages that appear on the Starlink center display while the vehicle is in motion. The ad is delivered as an over-the-air In-Vehicle Messaging alert, occupies the entire screen, and cannot be dismissed by any means other than physically reaching over and pressing a close button. Until it is dismissed it disables Apple CarPlay, turn-by-turn navigation, HVAC controls, driver-assistance settings, and X-Mode. Complainants describe missing highway exits, and one reports swerving at 55 mph in winter conditions when the screen changed. The ads appear regardless of whether the owner holds a SiriusXM subscription and there is no in-vehicle opt-out. Subaru told The Drive the messages run roughly twice a year around Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, but complaint dates cluster in December 2025 and June 2026 and owners report additional random occurrences.

On the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, 2024 Crosstrek front driveshafts (along with 2024 Impreza, 2023-24 Forester, 2023 WRX) have outer races prone to quench-cracking from a supplier heat-treat defect: a cooling-water pipe leak reduced flow during heat treatment. A cracked outer race can break the shaft, causing sudden loss of drive power or rollaway when parked without the parking brake. Recall began January 2024.

On the 2024-2025 Subaru Crosstrek, eleven NHTSA complaints on the 2024 Crosstrek and additional ones on 2025 cars describe two linked defects in the LED headlamp beam pattern. First, the low-beam cutoff is unusually sharp and unusually close to the car: owners report the upper 15-16 inches of the windshield is completely black at night, with useful illumination ending at roughly 50-75 feet, and near-total loss of forward vision when cresting a rise or descending a grade. Second, the beam contains distinct dark squares or bands just below the cutoff line. On cars with Steering Responsive Headlights these shadows sweep sideways with steering input, and multiple owners report braking hard because a moving shadow read as an animal darting into the road (ODI 11631763, 11614683). A separate complaint (11569060) notes the deeply recessed bowl-shaped lens packs full of snow within about five minutes of driving in snowfall, extinguishing usable output. Subaru's position to owners has been that the pattern is to specification.

On the 2024-2025 Subaru Crosstrek, the driver-side exterior mirror on the redesigned 2024 Crosstrek vibrates enough at highway speed that the reflected image blurs, in many cases badly enough that the owner cannot resolve a car in the adjacent lane. Ten NHTSA complaints were filed on the 2024 model year and seven more on 2025 cars under the VISIBILITY component, describing shaking that begins around 60 mph and worsens on uneven pavement. A proposed class action filed in 2024 covering the 2024 Crosstrek and Ascent alleges the mirror housing is not sufficiently strong or rigid for normal driving, letting the assembly and the glass within it oscillate. The lawsuit records that the named plaintiff's mirror assembly was replaced under warranty and the replacement exhibited the identical vibration, and that the dealer said nothing further could be done. Subaru has issued no recall and dealers commonly classify the behavior as a design characteristic, offering only the workaround of tilting the mirror downward.

On the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, six NHTSA complaints on the 2024 Crosstrek report original-equipment tire failure at very low mileage, concentrated on the 225/60R17 Yokohama Geolandar fitment used on 17-inch wheels. Owners describe dry rot and cracking on the inside of the tread found during routine service — in one case all four tires at 9,000 miles (ODI 11750332), in another all four condemned by the dealer during scheduled maintenance (ODI 11750003), and in a third, three of the four original tires (ODI 11724556). Two reports escalate to in-service failure: a sidewall blowout at 65 mph that dropped the front driver's corner (ODI 11704686, on the 225/55R18 Falken Ziex fitment) and a highway sidewall rupture with multiple holes (ODI 11688023). A 2024 report describes three of four OE tires failing with the first at 10,000 miles, two at the sidewall-tread shoulder. The pattern — cracking initiating on the inboard tread shoulder well before the tread is worn — points at the tire construction rather than at alignment or underinflation.

On the 2018-2025 Subaru Crosstrek, the 2nd generation Crosstrek (2018+) has a windshield that is extremely prone to cracking, even from minor stone chips. The windshield's steep rake angle and thin design make it vulnerable to temperature-induced stress cracks. EyeSight-equipped models require dealer recalibration after replacement, significantly increasing the total cost. Many owners report needing 2-3 windshield replacements within the warranty period.