The Subaru Crosstrek carried forward the success of the Impreza hatch, in a rugged form and retained the iconic flat-four engine as well. While the car is a brilliant one in the segment for some specific characteristics, it has been facing some trouble with its reliability in the recent past. The most complained about area against the 2017 Crosstrek is the windshield followed by the transmission and electrical system. Despite several models getting affected by the repetitive complaints from owners, the brand has not issued any recalls regarding the problems and the one official recall is completely unrelated to the problems as well. The 2017 Subaru Crosstrek starts at $21,695 and rivals the Mazda CX-3, the Buick Encore, and the Chevrolet Trax.
Subaru Crosstrek user complaints and problems
Engine problems
- Engine stall: Several complaints about the engine stalling suddenly are reported against the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek. The users in their reports state that while driving their vehicles’ engines stalled suddenly. Even after restarting the engine, it refused to accelerate for quite some time before the throttle started to respond again. As a result, the safety of the affected owners was risked considerably.
- Sudden power loss: Another major issue with the 2017 Crosstrek’s powertrain is the sudden loss of power while driving. The filed reports state that the engines of the affected models stopped accelerating and lost power suddenly while driving. As a result, one owner even got rear-ended out on the highway as well. In all the instances, the exact cause of the issue was not determined. Surprisingly, Subaru did not issue any recalls regarding the problem as well.
- Transmission control module failure: One report regarding this issue is present with the NHTSA. The complaint states that while the owner was driving during the incident, there was a loud noise at the rear of the vehicle. Post that, the gear lever did shift to different modes but the transmission unit failed to shift. Further inspections revealed that the transmission control unit blew out.
Safety problems
- Airbag failure: On a few occasions where the owners were involved in an accident, the airbags of the affected vehicles failed to deploy. In some cases, the airbag warning sign came on for the passenger’s side and it persisted intermittently whenever the seat was occupied. In a few cases, the owners expressed their concerns that the brand should issue recalls regarding the safety issues but there are none.
- Subaru Eyesight malfunction: A single problem mentioning this issue is present. The report briefly states that the owner pressed the brake pedal fully while driving to avoid a collision but the brakes failed and the vehicle crashed. The Subaru Eyesight system also failed to stop the vehicle from crashing. The airbags did not deploy as well.
Exterior problems
- Windshield cracking issue: Numerous problems regarding the windshield cracking issue are recorded by the NHTSA for the 2017 Subaru Outback. All the reports state that the windshields of the models in question cracked on their own without any exterior impact. In a few instances, very minute rock particles from the tarmacs, that are not supposed to crack a normal windshield, were responsible for the cracks which spread further automatically. Some owners reported that even after getting their windshields replaced more than a couple of times, the problem recurred.
2017 Subaru Crosstrek recalls
|
S.No. |
Recall Date |
NHTSA Campaign ID |
Issues noticed |
Additional remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
February 28, 2019 |
19V149000 |
Brake Lights May Not Illuminate |
Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of a crash. |
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began on April 15, 2019. |
Should you buy a used Subaru Crosstrek?
The Subaru Outback is a near-perfect getaway vehicle in its segment that doesn’t hesitate to take on the unpaved roads. Apart from the lethargic powertrain, the standard Symmetrical AWD and the spacious cabin make it a better option than some of its peers too. However, all that brilliance is let down by the unresolved issues such as the windshield cracking and the engine stalling problems reported by a significant number of owners. Getting a used example does involve the risks of ending up with a model having a faulty windshield at the least. To rule out the chances, getting one from a reputed dealer after an all-out inspection is mandatory.
