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2017 Subaru Crosstrek

Gas

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

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaints6 crash · 2 fire · 5 injured reported 97

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 29 mpg

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

The 2017 Subaru Crosstrek is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Crosstrek AWD, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 97 complaints, most often about the visibility/wiper. 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*
Crosstrek AWD	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl	26	33	29	$2,300
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: 38044, 38043.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Crosstrek AWD	7–9 / 10	Federal Tier 3 Transitional Bin 85 / California LEV-III SULEV30/PZEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay
Crosstrek AWD	7–9 / 10	Federal Tier 3 Transitional Bin 85 / California LEV-III SULEV30/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]
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	2 L

Engine Output

Horsepower

148 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Driver assistance

Standard: Adaptive cruise control, Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning

Optional: Blind-spot monitoring, Lane keeping assist

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, Limited, Limited + NAVI, Limited + NAVI + ES). 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 2017 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 2017 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

97complaints filed

6 involved a crash · 2 a fire · 5 injuries · 0 deaths reported

13 per 10,000 built · Subaru reported 75,759 Crosstrek built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2017: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2019: 24 · 2020: 33 · 2021: 13 · 2022: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 3

Most-cited components

Unspecified 33

Visibility/Wiper 26

Electrical System 18

Power Train 13

Engine 12

Service Brakes 7

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.

No visbility of crack before work. 9 hours later a large crack appears on windshield. Car was parked in gated secure parking structure f=during the time

Visibility/Wiper Jan 1, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11292503

Key gets stuck in ignition and the car needs to be restarted, put in reverse/drive, and then either moved or step firmly on the break and back in park. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts. Having this issue for a couple months. It doesn't happen every time, but often

Electrical System at 20,000 miles Dec 5, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11287251

When driving into my garage, my car made a strange noise and accelerated into the back of my garage. I did put on my brakes but the car was going too fast and did not stop. I had damage to the front end of my garage, a shelf and inside my laundry room and bathroom. I drive slow into my street and my garage.

Engine at 12,000 miles Dec 30, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11291976

I lease a 2017 Subaru Crosstrek. The car has been faithfully maintained as per manufacturer specifications and has never been in an accident/experienced any body damage. The rear wheel bearings have failed three times prior to 48k.

Power Train at 48,000 miles Dec 1, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11283140

My brake lights came on while the car was parked and turned off. When I returned to the vehicle after work, the battery was almost completely discharged. I was able to call for roadside assistance through Subaru and received a jump start.

Service Brakes at 15,000 miles Oct 11, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11267937

My airbag sensor went out on my passenger seat and it was on backorder for over a month and a half. This issue had been reported by other Subaru cars (forester) and it also occurred on my vehicle

Air Bags at 52,000 miles Aug 27, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11246738

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: 39 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 47 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 51 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 28k

miles, typically

Half the 60 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 17,000 and 48,000 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 6

10k–20k 14

20k–30k 12

30k–40k 7

40k–50k 9

50k–60k 7

60k–70k 2

70k–80k 1

80k–90k 0

90k–100k 1

100k–150k 1

150k + 0

Median mileage by component

Component	Reports	Median miles	Vs same age
Unspecified	21	20,000	—
Visibility/Wiper	19	26,000	0.87×
Electrical System	15	36,300	1.04×

Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2017-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
SW AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	15%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 559

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-10-05

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 482 service bulletins, 77 others

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Engine, Unknown Or Other, 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
P0087 P0087 on Subaru →	Fuel rail pressure is below what the system commanded.	Fuel/Propulsion System · Fuel pump →	4 bulletins
C0075	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Service Brakes · Brake pads →	2 bulletins
P0137 P0137 on Subaru →	Downstream bank 1 oxygen sensor reading stuck low.	Electrical System · Oxygen sensor →	2 bulletins
P0138 P0138 on Subaru →	Downstream bank 1 oxygen sensor reading stuck high.	Electrical System · Oxygen sensor →	2 bulletins
P0420 P0420 on Subaru →	The catalytic converter on bank 1 is not cleaning up the exhaust as well as it should.	Engine · Catalytic converter →	2 bulletins
P2096 P2096 on Subaru →	After the catalyst, the mixture on bank 1 is reading lean.	Engine	2 bulletins
P2097 P2097 on Subaru →	After the catalyst, the mixture on bank 1 is reading rich.	Engine	2 bulletins

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 1.4%

failed emissions

3,724 initial inspections of 3,643 vehicles.

Measure	The 2017 Crosstrek	Every 2017 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	1.4%	3.7%	3,712
Failed the safety inspection	2.4%	2.1%	3,724
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.13%	0.25%	3,724
Miles driven a year	9,956	10,048	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	92,458	93,238	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 2017 vehicle” is every 2017 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 this page A 1 97 29 mpg 2016 A 1 135 31 mpg

Common questions about the 2017 Crosstrek

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2017 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 2017 Subaru Crosstrek?

NHTSA gave the 2017 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 2017 Subaru Crosstrek?

Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek, the best EPA combined figure is 29 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What do owners complain about on the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek?

Owners have filed 97 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek, most often about unspecified, visibility/wiper, electrical system. Of those, 6 involved a crash, 2 a fire, 5 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 2017 Subaru Crosstrek?

The EPA smog rating for the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek runs 7 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 — California LEV-III SULEV30/PZEV, Federal Tier 3 Transitional Bin 85 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek?

The manufacturer has filed 559 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek, most often covering electrical system, equipment, engine. 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 2017 Subaru Crosstrek do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek failed the emissions check on 1.4% of first inspections — lower than the 3.7% for every 2017 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.4% (every 2017 vehicle: 2.1%). 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	2 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	2 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	97	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	1 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	559	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	9 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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