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2016 Subaru Crosstrek

Hybrid Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaints4 crash · 3 fire · 1 injured reported 135

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 31 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2016 Subaru Crosstrek is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the XV Crosstrek Hybrid AWD, is EPA-rated at 31 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 135 complaints, most often about the electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

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

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
XV Crosstrek Hybrid AWD	Hybrid	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl + 101V Ni-MH	29	33	31	$2,150
XV Crosstrek AWD	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl	26	33	29	$2,300
XV Crosstrek AWD	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl	23	30	26	$2,600

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36833, 36832, 36831.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
XV Crosstrek Hybrid AWD	7–9 / 10	Bin 3 / PZEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay
XV Crosstrek AWD	6–9 / 10	Bin 4 / PZEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay
XV Crosstrek AWD	6–9 / 10	Bin 4 / PZEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV]
GVWR class	Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)

Engine Basics

Displacement

2 L

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: Base, Ltd, Ltd + NAVI, Ltd + NAVI + EyeSight). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Exterior Lighting

WUE-90

1,303,530 vehicles 78% reported repaired built May 17, 2012 – Jun 13, 2017

Problem Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park. Risk Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash. Fix Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V149000 reported Feb 28, 2019 Subaru of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific Crosstrek

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Subaru publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Subaru’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

135complaints filed

4 involved a crash · 3 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported

14 per 10,000 built · Subaru reported 95,636 Crosstrek built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2016: 7 · 2017: 6 · 2018: 14 · 2019: 32 · 2020: 25 · 2021: 16 · 2022: 7 · 2023: 12 · 2024: 10 · 2025: 5 · 2026: 1

Most-cited components

Electrical System 38

Unspecified 35

Power Train 19

Engine 16

Steering 14

Fuel/Propulsion System 8

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

Key is sticking in ignition. Was informed that there is a known fix for a known problem that happens but it will cost over $400 to fix. This is a known design flaw with a known service bulletin that makes a change to a piece of plastic in the shifter

Electrical System at 43,000 miles Dec 19, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11162595

The contact owned a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that vehicle would not start. The contact called the manufacturer who sent a letter to schedule a service appointment with the dealer. The dealer changed the oil and a 1,000 mile test was to be performed to check the status.

Engine at 5,700 miles Dec 18, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11162235

This is a complaint about Subaru dealers not responding to a recall in what I would call a timely manner. I cannot tell where on your website to submit this. It is very confusing. It says to submit a complaint of this type, but doesn't tell where. I got a recall for the brake light issue. I consider this a very high priority.

Service Brakes May 6, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11205801

The glass of my sunroof exploded while I was driving on the freeway. I was not close behind any car and I was not going under an overpass. Luckily the inside of the sunroof was closed so the exploding class did not hit me

Visibility/Wiper at 33,400 miles Feb 7, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11175004

Today we had the third wheel bearing replaced on this car. At 43k miles the right rear bearing has been replaced twice and the left rear bearing once

Power Train at 43,000 miles Dec 19, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11162593

While stopping at a traffic light and foot removed from the gas pedal, the transmission surged violently. Had to apply brakes as car was trying to move forward into a highway. Managed to shift in park and surge eventually stopped. First time I took the car to the dealer,they said nothing wrong. It has happened again while to park.

Vehicle Speed Control at 34,600 miles Nov 4, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11145193

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Subaru itself: 60 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 2 killed, 72 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 63 per 100,000 built. Every Crosstrek model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 38k

miles, typically

Half the 77 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 20,000 and 55,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

under 10k 11

10k–20k 7

20k–30k 8

30k–40k 17

40k–50k 10

50k–60k 6

60k–70k 6

70k–80k 3

80k–90k 1

90k–100k 3

100k–150k 5

150k + 0

Median mileage by component

Component	Reports	Median miles	Vs same age
Electrical System	20	40,000	0.89×
Unspecified	19	39,000	—
Power Train	13	40,000	0.77×

Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2016-model-year complaint about the same system, all makes: under 1× means owners of this car reported it at lower mileage. Which systems go early across the whole fleet: the component study.

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
SUV AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	15%
SUV AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	15%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 581

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-10-05

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 505 service bulletins, 76 others

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Unknown Or Other, Engine, Power Train.

11037943 Other
2026-10-05 · Electrical System
This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
13-109-26 Service bulletin
2026-09-18 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
11037930 Other
2026-09-15 · Unknown Or Other
This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
15-333-25R Service bulletin
2026-09-14 · Electrical System
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
15-304-22R Service bulletin
2026-09-14 · Electrical System
This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
16-156-25R Service bulletin
2026-08-20 · Power Train
This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
15-308-23R Service bulletin
2026-08-20 · Electrical System
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
15-304-22R Service bulletin
2026-08-13 · Electrical System
This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
B2A16 B2A16 on Subaru →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	15 bulletins
B2A20	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	6 bulletins
B1760 B1760 on Subaru →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Equipment	2 bulletins
C0075	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Service Brakes · Brake pads →	2 bulletins
C2532 C2532 on Subaru →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Steering	1 bulletin · 1 owner report

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 1.7%

failed emissions

4,638 initial inspections of 4,524 vehicles.

Measure	The 2016 Crosstrek	Every 2016 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	1.7%	4.2%	4,622
Failed the safety inspection	2.1%	2.2%	4,638
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.09%	0.27%	4,638
Miles driven a year	9,918	10,028	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	101,986	103,109	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2016 vehicle” is every 2016 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

Crosstrek by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A^* 0 0 29 mpg 2026 C 3 9 Do not drive 2025 A 0 45 29 mpg 2024 B 2 120 29 mpg 2023 A 0 35 35 mpg 2022 A 1 31 30 mpg 2021 B 2 116 35 mpg 2020 A 1 69 35 mpg 2019 D 8 285 35 mpg 2018 C 5 195 29 mpg 2017 A 1 97 29 mpg 2016 this page A 1 135 31 mpg

Common questions about the 2016 Crosstrek

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek. The most serious on file is 19V149000, covering Exterior Lighting. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek?

NHTSA gave the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (92/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek?

Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, the best EPA combined figure is 31 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What do owners complain about on the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek?

Owners have filed 135 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, most often about electrical system, unspecified, power train. Of those, 4 involved a crash, 3 a fire, 1 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek?

The EPA smog rating for the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek runs 6 to 9 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Bin 3, Bin 4, PZEV — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek?

The manufacturer has filed 581 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, most often covering electrical system, equipment, unknown or other. The most recent is dated 2026-10-05. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek failed the emissions check on 1.7% of first inspections — lower than the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.1% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	3 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	3 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	135	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	2 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	581	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	4 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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