2018 Subaru Crosstrek Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report windshield glass that chips or cracks easily, with many saying a crack appeared while the vehicle was parked and then spread quickly. A smaller but consistent group describes sluggish acceleration or hesitation when pulling away, and some report a dead battery, intermittent no-start conditions or driver-assist warning messages. Reports arrive across a wide mileage range, from a few hundred miles to well past 60,000.

1. 1
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield chips and cracks spreading into long cracks

   • 71 complaints (36%)
   • median 21,850 mi at 2.6 yrs old (56 state mileage)
   • filed 2018–2025

   Complaints describe windshields that crack from a small chip, or with no impact at all, often discovered when the vehicle had been parked overnight or for a few days. Owners say the crack then lengthens quickly, sometimes running a foot or more across the glass, and a few note it crosses the area where the forward camera sits, triggering warning messages. Several report the dealer declined warranty coverage and quoted replacement plus camera recalibration, and some say the service department told them this is something they see often. Reported from a few hundred miles up to roughly 60,000 miles, frequently after the vehicle sat parked in mild or cool weather rather than during a hard impact.

   What to check: Inspect the glass closely for chips, short vertical cracks near the defroster vents or damage above the rearview mirror, and ask whether the windshield has already been replaced. If it has, confirm the camera recalibration was performed, since owners report that cost adds substantially to the repair.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “A small piece of pebble hit my windshield on the highway. Normally, a small pebble should not make such a big damage, but it created such a big crack in the window. Interestingly, in my neighborhood, there is the same make/model car with the same window crack. It is very disappointing to see Subaru to have low quality windshield in their latest model.”

   NHTSA complaint #11330476, filed 2020-06, 30,000 miles

   “My car sat in my driveway for about three days without being driven. In that time, the windshield formed a crack starting at the bottom near the heat vent and going up into the main part of the windshield. There was no impact from a foreign object, the crack seemed to form spontaneously at some point during the three days I didn't drive the car.”

   NHTSA complaint #11323446, filed 2020-05, 52,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Battery drain, no-start and driver-assist warning faults

   • 51 complaints (26%)
   • median 16,566 mi at 2.3 yrs old (30 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,100 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe the battery going flat after short trips with several stops, and vehicles that would not restart without a jump, with one owner also reporting the radio freezing or staying on after the engine was shut off. Others describe a cluster of warning messages for driver assist and brake assist appearing after heavy rain, along with steering that became hard to turn; in one case a wheel sensor was replaced and the messages returned after the next rain. Dealers reportedly updated radio software, replaced fuses and checked the battery, starter and alternator without always resolving the problem. Reported between roughly 17,000 and 60,000 miles, with several faults appearing after heavy rain or after repeated short trips with multiple stops.

   Recall 21V264000Recall 19V7430002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the engine control module software recalls have been performed and whether the battery has been replaced or tested recently. A service bulletin describes diagnostic steps for battery drain with the ignition off, so ask whether any parasitic draw testing was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “With the crack covering the eyesight system, the warning signal was always flashing and causing my steering to pull to one side. Since it was doing this it was causing the car to pull to one side or bring my tires costing me an additional $800 to replace the tires balance and alignment for my Crosstrek, plus the downtime that I had to takeoff from work to get my car worked on at the Subaru dealership.”

   NHTSA complaint #11376640, filed 2020-11, 60,000 miles

   “We can drive hundreds of miles, make a few stops and during one of those stops, the battery is dead. This has occurred three separate times over the last 4 weeks. We've had the vehicle at john kennedy Subaru in norristown where they attempted to diagnose the problem. What they did was perform an update on radio and the battery, starter and alternator all checked out ok. The car died again today and we're scheduled to bring it in again on monday.”

   NHTSA complaint #11363729, filed 2020-10, 35,800 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Sluggish acceleration and hesitation when pulling away

   • 20 complaints (10%)
   • median 29,500 mi at 2.4 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2025

   Owners describe the vehicle feeling slow to respond to the accelerator, sometimes hesitating for a moment and then moving abruptly, most often when turning into traffic or leaving a stop. Some complaints describe the engine nearly stalling during low-speed manoeuvres, and a few recount the vehicle creeping forward unexpectedly. According to the complaints, dealers have been unable to duplicate the behaviour or identify a cause, and in some cases the ignition fuse was replaced or the engine control software was updated without resolving the concern. Mostly reported between roughly 20,000 and 85,000 miles, typically at low speed while turning, merging or accelerating from a stop.

   What to check: Drive the car through several slow rolling starts and left turns into traffic, and ask the seller whether the throttle concern has ever been inspected. Ask for any service records showing diagnostic visits or software updates for drivability complaints.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When crossing across traffic to get in the lane from right or left turns. There is slow and sluggish as it wants to stall or stay out in cross traffic to cause a collision!! It has happened since I purchased it from a non Subaru dealer beginning of 2021.there should be a recall as this sluggish acceleration problem can cause an accident.”

   NHTSA complaint #11399166, filed 2021-03, 56,000 miles

   “The contact owned a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek. While the contact's son was driving at low speeds and making a left turn, the vehicle became difficult to accelerate. A pick up truck crashed into the rear passenger side quarter panel of the contact's vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The air bags did not deploy. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11289688, filed 2019-12, 20,000 miles

Buying note. Two things are worth budgeting for on this model year: a windshield replacement with camera recalibration, and a battery or electrical diagnosis if the car has sat or been driven mostly in short trips. A pre-purchase inspection that includes the glass, the battery and confirmation of open recall work covers most of what owners report.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.