2020 Subaru Crosstrek — Known Issues & Recalls

While shifting your 2020 Subaru Crosstrek into reverse, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward without any warning. This happened at 12,000 miles and has not been inspected or repaired. You should have this checked immediately by a Subaru dealer, as unexpected acceleration can be a serious safety issue.

Your rear differential failed at 31,500 miles while your spouse was driving and turning at low speed, producing loud clunking and metal-on-metal sounds that got worse over time. When the dealership inspected it, they found significant metal shavings in the differential oil, indicating internal damage. You haven't used the vehicle for heavy off-roading or towing, and you've maintained the differential oil properly with Subaru parts, so this appears to be a premature failure. The repair will likely require replacing the rear differential assembly.

Your rear differential has failed twice — once around 12,000 miles and again around 50,000 miles — both times while parking or maneuvering slowly, causing grinding noises and resistance when turning. There were no warning lights before either failure. Your Subaru dealer confirmed the failures and discovered that Subaru redesigned the differential but made it incompatible with your original axles, requiring additional parts to fix. This is concerning because the original design was discontinued, suggesting Subaru may have known about the problem, and you've heard reports of the same failure happening to other hybrid Crosstreks. Fixing this will require replacing the rear differential assembly and possibly the axles.

Your car makes a low moaning sound at low speeds, which a Subaru dealership diagnosed as a transmission issue requiring full replacement. Continuing to drive with a known transmission fault risks unpredictable gear-shifting behavior that could be dangerous for you and others on the road, and may cause additional damage leading to costlier repairs. The dealership inspected and confirmed the problem on 1/20/25. Fixing this will require a complete transmission replacement or rebuild by a qualified technician.

Your transmission has started making a whining noise during low-speed acceleration and when backing up, along with slight hesitation when accelerating. Your transmission failed completely at 6,000 miles and was replaced under warranty, but the same problem has occurred again at 34,000 miles. The dealer has confirmed it's a transmission issue again, and Subaru is sending a technician to investigate.

Your windshield cracked on its own overnight while parked in the garage, with no impact or debris involved. This is concerning because a cracked windshield can block your view of the road and interfere with your car's safety camera system, and the crack could spread and shatter. The windshield may need replacement to restore visibility and ensure your safety features work properly.

Your windshield developed a 6-8 inch crack on the passenger side near the bottom, above the defrost vents, without any visible impact or warning signs — it appeared to form overnight. You haven't reported it to insurance, the dealer, or Subaru yet, but you've noted that Subaru has had a recent class action settlement involving windshields cracking without warning, suggesting this may be a known issue. The windshield will likely need to be replaced entirely, as cracks of this size typically cannot be safely repaired.

Your windshield developed a crack in the top middle area near the rear view mirror without any impact or accident causing it. The crack could be a safety concern if it spreads further. The issue appeared suddenly with no warning signs beforehand. A windshield replacement or repair will likely be needed to address this.

Your windshield has cracked twice without any visible impact — once in December 2021 and again in November 2022. You suspect small rocks or pebbles caused the cracks, though you didn't witness the impacts. This has been unusual in your driving experience. The windshield will need to be replaced, which typically involves professional removal and installation of a new windshield.

During a low-speed collision at an airport (16 mph), the diagonal part of your seat belt failed to restrain you properly, and your chest hit the steering wheel, causing ongoing pain. The seat belt did not function as intended during the impact, even though the collision was minor and at low speed.

Your vehicle was rear-ended at highway speed while parked, and the driver's side seat belt failed to restrain you during the crash. Your head struck the steering wheel and windshield pillar, and your ankles hit the dashboard, resulting in serious injuries including a brain injury, back pain, and a diagnosed condition called craniocervical instability. The airbags also did not deploy during the collision. Inspection and possible replacement of the seat belt assembly, retractor mechanism, and airbag system may be necessary to determine why they failed to function.

Your car's starter fails when the auto-stop system turns off the engine at a stop, leaving you unable to restart the vehicle. When this happens, your brake pressure drops significantly, which can cause your car to roll unexpectedly—the owner reported rolling into the car behind them. The problem occurs even with a new battery and happens on level ground, but the car starts normally when you turn off auto-stop and restart from a full ignition-off position, suggesting the auto-stop system itself is malfunctioning. Fixing this will likely require diagnosing and repairing or replacing the auto-stop system components and possibly the starter.

Your brakes didn't respond when you pressed the pedal while pulling into a parking spot. When you pressed the brake pedal a second time, your vehicle suddenly accelerated instead of stopping, drove up onto a curb, and hit a pole. The airbags did not deploy and no one was injured. The dealer said they need the vehicle repaired by a body shop before they can diagnose the brake issue.

Your car rolled downhill after you thought you had put it in park and removed the key. When the car started moving, you weren't able to shift it back into park to stop it. This resulted in a crash.

Your Crosstrek Hybrid's fuel tank may corrode from regular fuel, causing clogs in the vapor vent tubes that trigger occasional check-engine lights and disable safety features like pre-collision braking and rear cross-traffic warnings. Subaru has acknowledged this as a known issue with a technical service bulletin but has not issued a recall, and the repair is expensive. When the check-engine light comes on, your safety features are disabled until the problem is diagnosed and repaired, which could involve replacing the fuel tank and fuel system components.

Your car's auto engine shutoff feature was disabled by the dealer during a repair, and warning lights appeared on your dashboard afterward. When you contacted the dealer about it, they initially said the feature couldn't be disconnected for safety reasons, but then refused to re-enable it or continue service. You're concerned that the dealer left a safety feature disabled and won't fix it.

Your plug-in hybrid Crosstrek can move while still plugged into the charging cable, which can break the charging port. When you try to drive with the cable attached—especially on an incline—the car displays a vague "check engine" warning and a red steering wheel symbol instead of clearly telling you the cable is still plugged in. Even putting the car in Park doesn't prevent it from rolling downhill and damaging the charging connector. Additionally, if you restart the ignition while plugged in, you won't be able to turn off the engine until you exit the vehicle and manually disconnect the cable. The fix will likely require Subaru to reprogram the vehicle's control system to prevent movement when the charging cable is attached and to display a clear warning message.

While driving on the freeway at approximately 65 mph, your sunroof glass suddenly shattered with a loud explosive sound. The sunshade was closed at the time, so glass didn't enter the cabin, and no other vehicles were nearby or involved. The sunroof glass panel may need to be replaced, and the sunroof frame should be inspected for damage.

Your front left seat has a loose bolt where it connects to the seat rails, causing the seat to wobble and bounce when you sit in it. This makes the seat unstable and uncomfortable to use. The fix will likely involve tightening or replacing the bolt that secures the seat to its base.

Your car's warning lights are turning on unexpectedly when driving from a stop, and this problem keeps happening even after the dealer replaced the battery and fuel cap. The dealership has cleared the warnings multiple times, but they keep coming back. Your car is currently at the dealer being diagnosed to find the root cause.