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Subaru Crosstrek

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

24 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

1,137 Complaints owner reports, all years

A^* Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2023 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 Crosstrek →Which years to avoid Compare it

Subaru Crosstrek — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Subaru Crosstrek · Photo: Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Active NHTSA advisory on 1 model year of the Crosstrek — park outside or do not drive. The year rows below carry it.

Every Subaru Crosstrek model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Gas	A^*	0	0	—	29 mpg
2026	Hybrid Gas	C	3	9	—	36 mpg	Park outside
2025	Gas	A	0	45	★★★★★	29 mpg
2024	Gas	B	2	120	★★★★★	29 mpg
2023	Plug-in hybrid Gas	A	0	35	★★★★★	35 mpg
2022	Gas	A	1	31	★★★★★	30 mpg
2021	Plug-in hybrid Gas	B	2	116	★★★★★	35 mpg
2020	Plug-in hybrid Gas	A	1	69	★★★★★	35 mpg
2019	Plug-in hybrid Gas	D	8	285	★★★★★	35 mpg
2018	Gas	C	5	195	★★★★★	29 mpg
2017	Gas	A	1	97	★★★★★	29 mpg
2016	Hybrid Gas	A	1	135	★★★★★	31 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2023

On the filed record so far, the 2023 is the cleanest Crosstrek year we hold, and the 2019 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2023	A	0	12
2016	A	0.1	14
2017	A	0.1	11
2020	A	0.2	12
2022	A	0.2	8
2021	B	0.4	23
2018	C	0.6	24
2019	D	1.1	41

Which Subaru Crosstrek years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2019 engine complaints at 0.19× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 7,990 miles). Latest: 2019 visibility/wiper at 1.14× (12,000 miles).

Year	Visibility/Wiper	Electrical System	Engine
2020	0.74×	—	—
2019	1.14×	0.59×	0.19×
2018	1.03×	0.76×	0.32×
2017	0.87×	1.04×	—
2016	—	0.89×	—

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Subaru Crosstrek, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

visibility and wiper problems 343 complaints, every model year electrical problems 194 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2027: dropped hybrid; best combined mpg 36 → 29; 3 → 2 EPA configurations
2026: added hybrid; best combined mpg 29 → 36
2024: dropped plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 35 → 29; 4 → 3 EPA configurations
2023: added plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 30 → 35; 3 → 4 EPA configurations
2022: dropped plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 35 → 30; 4 → 3 EPA configurations
2021: 3 → 4 EPA configurations
2019: added plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 29 → 35; 2 → 3 EPA configurations
2017: dropped hybrid; best combined mpg 31 → 29; 3 → 2 EPA configurations

Compare

All Crosstrek head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2027 Crosstrek vs Kia Sportage · Compact SUV	Sportage +18.2
2027 Crosstrek vs Honda CR-V · Compact SUV	CR-V +15.4
2027 Crosstrek vs Tesla Model Y · Compact SUV	Model Y +30.6
2027 Crosstrek vs Chevrolet Equinox · Compact SUV	Equinox +6.5
2027 Crosstrek vs Jeep Wrangler · Compact SUV	Crosstrek +7.4
2026 Crosstrek vs Toyota RAV4 · Compact SUV	RAV4 +15.9

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 22 of 79 0.61× the mileage of same-age vehicles Subaru Crosstrek owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 12,000 miles across 2018–2020 (fleet 23,512), earlier than vehicles of the same model year. 320 readings.Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 +4.0% at the median across 5 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $25,695 → $26,995. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Subaru Crosstrek

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Subaru Crosstrek year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2023 Crosstrek comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 35 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Subaru Crosstrek years should I avoid?

2019, 2026 have the weakest recall records in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Crosstrek model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Subaru Crosstrek have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 24 recall campaigns for the Subaru Crosstrek. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.