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2013 Subaru Xv Crosstrek

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2013 Subaru Xv Crosstrek do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 78.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

52 reports with mileage · 44 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

96 reports
131,293 miles · Feb 26, 2020
Wheels

RUMBLE NOISE COMING FROM REAR OF VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT RIGHT WHEEL BEARING AND HUB ASSEMBLY NEEDED REPLACED. THIS COULD CAUSE THE WHEEL TO FALL OFF.

NHTSA ODI #11311734

200 miles · Jan 7, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineVehicle Speed Control

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, OIL TEMP, ABS LIGHT, CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT TURNED ON AT 90,000 MILES. HAD VEHICLE SERVICED BY 2 DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND TRANSMISSION CODES STILL APPEAR.

NHTSA ODI #11297788

Mileage unknown · Dec 21, 2019
Service Brakes

I HAD THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH RECALL PERFORMED IN MAY OF 2019 AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE TURNING ON ALL OF A SUDDEN BY THEMSELVES AT NIGHT TIME. THE CAR IS PARKED, NOT RUNNING AND LOCKED. I THINK I HAVE RECEIVED A DEFECTIVE SWITCH. WHEN I NOTICE THIS I MUST GO OUTSIDE AND STEP ON THE BRAKE TO TURN THEM OFF. THI…

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I HAD THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH RECALL PERFORMED IN MAY OF 2019 AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE TURNING ON ALL OF A SUDDEN BY THEMSELVES AT NIGHT TIME. THE CAR IS PARKED, NOT RUNNING AND LOCKED. I THINK I HAVE RECEIVED A DEFECTIVE SWITCH. WHEN I NOTICE THIS I MUST GO OUTSIDE AND STEP ON THE BRAKE TO TURN THEM OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 DIFFERENT TIMES THIS MONTH.

NHTSA ODI #11290645

82,000 miles · Dec 6, 2019
EngineSeats

AFTER TAKING MY VEHICLE INTO DEALERSHIP FOR VALVE SPRING RECALL, SERVICE REP ALSO SUGGESTED OIL CHANGE AT SAME TIME. I AGREED. AS SOON AS I DROVE IT OFF THE DEALERSHIP LOT, CHECK OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED CAR TO HAVE IT CHECKED BUT DEALERSHIP SAID OIL WAS FULL, PROBABLY FAULTY SENSOR AND SENT ME AWAY WITHOUT FULL…

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AFTER TAKING MY VEHICLE INTO DEALERSHIP FOR VALVE SPRING RECALL, SERVICE REP ALSO SUGGESTED OIL CHANGE AT SAME TIME. I AGREED. AS SOON AS I DROVE IT OFF THE DEALERSHIP LOT, CHECK OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED CAR TO HAVE IT CHECKED BUT DEALERSHIP SAID OIL WAS FULL, PROBABLY FAULTY SENSOR AND SENT ME AWAY WITHOUT FULLY CHECKING THE CAR. CHECK OIL LIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY LIGHT UP WHEN DRIVING LOCALLY. THEN ENGINE TAPPING SOUND AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED A FEW WEEKS LATER WHILE DRIVING LOCALLY BUT INDICATOR LIGHTS WOULD TURN OFF FOR SHORT PERIODS IMMEDIATELY AFTER STARTING CAR, OR WHILE DRIVING UP OR DOWN STEEP INCLINES. LOCAL MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT OIL PRESSURE WAS LOW AND RECOMMENDED TAKING IT BACK TO DEALERSHIP. ANOTHER DEALERSHIP IS NOW DISASSEMBLING THE ENGINE AND RECOMMENDING A NEW ENGINE AS OIL PRESSURE IS LOW AND NOT CIRCULATING PROPERLY AFTER VALVE SPRING RECALL REPAIR.

NHTSA ODI #11287482

64,400 miles · Nov 24, 2019
Power Train

AT APPROXIMATELY 64K MILES OUR XV CROSSTREK BEGAN EMITTING A LOUD HUM FROM THE REAR AND OUR GAS MILEAGE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (18 MPG). WHEN WE TOOK IT INTO OUR MECHANIC, HE FOUND THAT THE REAR HUBS WERE DANGEROUSLY DEGRADED AND THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS FAILING. IN HIS OPINION, FAILURE OF THOSE SYSTEMS AT ONLY 64K MILES …

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AT APPROXIMATELY 64K MILES OUR XV CROSSTREK BEGAN EMITTING A LOUD HUM FROM THE REAR AND OUR GAS MILEAGE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (18 MPG). WHEN WE TOOK IT INTO OUR MECHANIC, HE FOUND THAT THE REAR HUBS WERE DANGEROUSLY DEGRADED AND THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS FAILING. IN HIS OPINION, FAILURE OF THOSE SYSTEMS AT ONLY 64K MILES SUGGESTED A DESIGN OR PART DEFECT.

NHTSA ODI #11282056

89,200 miles · Sep 30, 2019
Power Train

I WAS ACCELERATING WHILE MERGING ONTO A FREEWAY WHEN THE ENGINE RPMS SUDDENLY DROPPED AND THE CAR SLOWED WAY DOWN. FORTUNATELY, THE TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT, AND THE CARS BEHIND ME ON THE ON-RAMP AND ON THE FREEWAY WERE ABLE TO AVOID MY CAR AS I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS A WIDE, CLEAR SHOULDER TO PULL ONTO AS I TRIE…

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I WAS ACCELERATING WHILE MERGING ONTO A FREEWAY WHEN THE ENGINE RPMS SUDDENLY DROPPED AND THE CAR SLOWED WAY DOWN. FORTUNATELY, THE TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT, AND THE CARS BEHIND ME ON THE ON-RAMP AND ON THE FREEWAY WERE ABLE TO AVOID MY CAR AS I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS A WIDE, CLEAR SHOULDER TO PULL ONTO AS I TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I SHIFTED INTO MANUAL MODE AND ATTEMPTED TO UPSHIFT. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HAD ANY EFFECT OR IF THE PROBLEM RESOLVED SPONTANEOUSLY, BUT I WAS ABLE TO RESUME DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI #11265217

73,000 miles · Sep 28, 2019
EngineUnknown Or Other

THE ENGINE BURNS OIL TOO FAST. EVERY 800 TO 1000 MILES THE CAR REQUIRES 1OR 2 QUARTS OF OIL

NHTSA ODI #11258670

Mileage unknown · Aug 27, 2019
Electrical SystemEngine

MY CAR IS CURRENTLY USING A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL. I'VE HAD TO PUT IN ABOUT 1.5 QUARTS OF OIL ABOUT 2 TIMES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. THE HORN HAS ALSO STOPPED WORKING IN SOME POSITIONS (THINKING THIS IS LIKELY THE CLOCKSPRING). MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 106K MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ODI #11251865

93,000 miles · Aug 12, 2019
EngineUnknown Or Other

MY SUBARU DEALER COMPLETED 2 RECALL ITEMS ON 7/24/2019 - 8/1/2019 ON MY 2013 SUBARU CROSSTREK.THE ENGINE VALVE SPRINGS AND BREAK LIGHT SWITCH. AFTER WORK WAS COMPLETED, ON 8/1/2019 I HAD MY BUMPER REPLACED FROM A REAR-END ACCIDENT I EXPERIENCED ON 7/16 (POSSIBLE BREAK LIGHT SWITCH MALFUNCTION-- IT WAS THE THIRD TIME I HAVE BEEN …

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MY SUBARU DEALER COMPLETED 2 RECALL ITEMS ON 7/24/2019 - 8/1/2019 ON MY 2013 SUBARU CROSSTREK.THE ENGINE VALVE SPRINGS AND BREAK LIGHT SWITCH. AFTER WORK WAS COMPLETED, ON 8/1/2019 I HAD MY BUMPER REPLACED FROM A REAR-END ACCIDENT I EXPERIENCED ON 7/16 (POSSIBLE BREAK LIGHT SWITCH MALFUNCTION-- IT WAS THE THIRD TIME I HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED IN THIS CAR SINCE PURCHASE). 8/7/2019 I PICKED UP MY CAR FROM THE AUTOBODY SHOP AND DROVE 2 MI. HOME AND PARKED WITH NO ISSUE. 8/8/2019 I DROVE 35 MI. ONE WAY TO WORK WITHOUT INCIDENT... **RETURNING HOME, I DROVE ROUGHLY 25-MILES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OF 45-70MPH, AND 5-MILES IN LIGHT, STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. 30-MILES INTO MY TRIP AT AROUND 5-15MPH MY CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE AND VIBRATE, I CONTINUED TO DRIVE, TRAVELING SLOWLY, TRYING TO DISCERN IF THE SHAKING WAS COMING FROM MY CAR OR FROM ONE OF MY TIRES. ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL OF MY ERROR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON MY DASHBOARD AND MY ENGINE LOST POWER AND STALLED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY (THE LIGHTS AND STEREO WERE STILL ON). WITH NO OTHER OPTIONS, I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE SO I COULD PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. UPON DRIVING, MY CAR CONTINUED TO SHUDDER AND VERY LITTLE POWER TO ACCELERATE. IT STALLED AGAIN WITH 30 SEC. OF DRIVING. I WAS ALONE AND SCARED AND DIDN'T WANT TO SIT ON THE HIGHWAY, SO I RESTARTED MY ENGINE AND DROVE THE SHOULDER TO TRY TO REACH THE DEALERSHIP (.5 MI. AWAY) MY CAR CONTINUED TO SHAKE, HAVE NO POWER AND STALLED ANOTHER THREE TIMES AS DROVE TO REACH IT. THE DEALERSHIP DID A DIAGNOSTIC BLAMED THE "ENGINE STALL-OUT" I EXPERIENCED ON MY BUMPER REPLACEMENT, AND GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF $889.00 TO FIX, WHICH IS [XXX]! THIS ENGINE STALL FROM THE RECALL REPAIR PUT ME IN EXTREME DANGER, I WAS ALONE AND TERRIFIED WHEN IT HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY, AND NOW I AM BEING RIPPED OFF BY THE COMPANY IN CHARGE OF FIXING IT. ITS NOT RIGHT. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #11243427

66,000 miles · Aug 9, 2019
Power Train

THE KEY GETS STUCK WHEN YOU TURN OFF THE CAR. YOU HAVE TO TURN IT ON AND PUT IT IN GEAR AND TRY AGAIN. SONETIMES IT TAKES ONE TRY AND SOMETIMES UP TO 20. PLEASE HELP. WE CANT LEAVE IT IN THE CAR BECAUSE THE BATTERY WILL DRAIN. IS THERE A RECALL COMING FOR THIS? THE TECHNICIAN SAID THEY SEE THIS A LOT BUT OURS IS THE WORST THEY'V…

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THE KEY GETS STUCK WHEN YOU TURN OFF THE CAR. YOU HAVE TO TURN IT ON AND PUT IT IN GEAR AND TRY AGAIN. SONETIMES IT TAKES ONE TRY AND SOMETIMES UP TO 20. PLEASE HELP. WE CANT LEAVE IT IN THE CAR BECAUSE THE BATTERY WILL DRAIN. IS THERE A RECALL COMING FOR THIS? THE TECHNICIAN SAID THEY SEE THIS A LOT BUT OURS IS THE WORST THEY'VE SEEN. ITS BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT A MONTH.

NHTSA ODI #11242865

Official recalls

2

18V772000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

Nov 1, 2018

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Subaru Impreza, 2012-2013 Impreza Stationwagon, 2013 Subaru BRZ, XV Crosstrek and Toyota Scion FR-S vehicles. The engine valve springs in these vehicles may fracture causing an engine malfunction or a possible engine stall.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. Toyota will notify the FR-S owners. Dealers will replace the valve springs, free of charge. The recall began December 26, 2018. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614, Toyota owners may contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-888-270-9371. Subaru's number for this recall is WTY-84.

13V061000 · Electrical System; Equipment

Feb 25, 2013

Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Equipment

Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.

Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.

Electrical System

Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.

Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.