Subaru Crosstrek Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2018 and 2019 At least twice the 39 complaints of a typical Crosstrek year. Most described: a cracked windshield.
Best years: 2016, 2022, and 2023 Under three quarters of the 39 complaints of a typical Crosstrek year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2013 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 36 mpg combined, arrived in 2026. Includes the Crosstrek Hybrid: a hybrid for 2014 to 2016 and from 2026, and a plug-in hybrid for 2019 to 2023. Subaru sold the 2013 to 2015 models as the XV Crosstrek.

Crosstrek problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Crosstrek year drew 39 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (27). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (39), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 Crosstrek Avoid Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	200	288	8
2018 Crosstrek Avoid Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	98	195	5
2021 Crosstrek Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	72	116	2
2020 Crosstrek Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	45	71	1
2017 Crosstrek Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	33	99	1
2016 Crosstrek Best Most described: stalling or shutting off	27	136	1
2023 Crosstrek Best Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	27	36	0
2014 Crosstrek Most described: transmission failure or replacement	21	107	1
2022 Crosstrek Best Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	19	32	1
2015 Crosstrek Most described: stalling or shutting off	18	100	2
2013 Crosstrek Most described: stalling or shutting off	15	124	3

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Crosstrek for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Subaru dealers.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	3	11
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	0	48
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	2	121
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	0	36
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	1	32
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	2	116
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	1	71
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	8	288
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	5	195
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	1	99
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Hybrid	1	136
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Hybrid	2	100
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	1	107
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	3	124	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 288 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Subaru Crosstrek
Model year	Complaints
2013	124
2014	107
2015	100
2016	136
2017	99
2018	195
2019	288
2020	71
2021	116
2022	32
2023	36
2024	121
2025	48
2026	11

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 28 to 30 mpg (every year from 2013 to 2026); highest in 2020. Hybrid: 30 to 36 mpg (2014 to 2016, 2026); highest in 2026.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 29 mpg · hybrid 36 mpg

Show as a table

Subaru Crosstrek best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2013	28	–
2014	28	30
2015	29	31
2016	29	31
2017	29	–
2018	29	–
2019	29	–
2020	30	–
2021	30	–
2022	30	–
2023	30	–
2024	29	–
2025	29	–
2026	29	36

Every Crosstrek year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Subaru Crosstrek vs Honda HR-VMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Subaru Crosstrek years should you avoid?

The 2018 and 2019 Crosstrek are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 39 owner complaints of a typical Crosstrek year in its first three years. Owners of the 2019 most often describe a cracked windshield. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Subaru dealers.

What are the best Subaru Crosstrek years?

The 2016, 2022, and 2023 Crosstrek are the best years: they drew 27, 19, and 27 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 39 complaints of a typical Crosstrek year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Subaru Crosstrek years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (200) drew the most, then the 2018 (98). Owners of the 2019 most often describe a cracked or shattered windshield.

Which Subaru Crosstrek years have the most recalls?

The 2019 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (8), then the 2018 (5). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Two recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 26V-106 (2026 models) and NHTSA 26V-685 (2026 models).

What are the most common Subaru Crosstrek problems?

In the 1,484 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2013 to 2026 models, owners most often describe a cracked or shattered windshield (301 complaints, most of them for the 2018 and 2019); stalling or shutting off (92 complaints); and loss of power or limp mode (62 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Subaru Crosstrek year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 36 mpg combined, first reached by the 2026 hybrid version. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 35 mpg on gas alone and 90 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.