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Total NHTSA Complaints
68
Owner filings recorded
#1 Reported Problem
Visibility, Wipers & Glass
34 reports (50%)
Crash Incident Reports
6
Filings citing a crash
Fire & Injury Reports
3
0 fire • 3 injury filings
Defect Investigation Analysis

Executive Problem Findings

AutoUtility currently tracks 68 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek. Visibility, Wipers & Glass issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 34 complaints (50% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 3 report one or more injuries.

Methodology Notice: Consumer complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Filings are not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and do not constitute an audited component failure rate.
Incident & Severity Profile
  • • Total Owner Reports: 68 complaints submitted under federal penalty.
  • • Primary Subsystem: Visibility, Wipers & Glass accounts for 50% of submissions (34 reports).
  • • Secondary Systems: Electrical System (10), Powertrain & Transmission (9).
  • • Crash Incidents: 6 filings cite an impact or collision.
  • • Thermal Incidents: 0 filings cite smoke or fire.
  • • Reported Casualties: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings.
Category Distribution

Reported Defect Categories for 2020 Subaru Crosstrek

Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records

Visibility, Wipers & Glass
34
50%
Electrical System
10
14.7%
Powertrain & Transmission
9
13.2%
Engine & Cooling
4
5.9%
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
4
5.9%
#1 50% SHARE

Visibility, Wipers & Glass

34 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
#2 14.7% SHARE

Electrical System

10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
#3 13.2% SHARE

Powertrain & Transmission

9 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash
#4 5.9% SHARE

Engine & Cooling

4 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
Federal Oversight

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)

Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

ODI Action #DP22005 CLOSED Defect Petition (DP)
Opened: 2023-01-27 • Closed: 2023-08-07
Subject / Subsystem
Pedestrian alert sounds
Affected Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM
Recall Linkage
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
Consumer Filings

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2020 Subaru Crosstrek

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Powertrain & Transmission ODI #11737783
Filed: 05/14/2026
Defect Report

"DEFECT DESCRIPTION My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek has been diagnosed with diagnostic trouble code P2757 (Torque Converter Clutch Pressure Control Solenoid Control Circuit Performance), which my authorized Subaru 802 Subaru retailer in Vermont has confirmed is caused by a defective CVT Control Valve Body...."

Electrical System ODI #11737166
Filed: 05/11/2026
Defect Report

"While driving 2020 Crosstrek Hybrid, the dashboard lights suddenly flashed and then engine stalled, leaving me with no brakes and no steering. I rolled through straight through an intersection with four stop signs and I could not stop. Luckily no one was driving or walking at the time. I couldn't..."

Powertrain & Transmission ODI #11737051
Filed: 05/11/2026
Defect Report

"My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek CVT Valve Body equipment failure and CVT Torque Converter failure. This appears to be a common failure for prior Subaru Crosstrek model - however was not extended for coverage to 2020 and beyond models - appears the issue still persists and additional year models should be..."

Engine & Cooling ODI #11735976
Filed: 05/06/2026
Defect Report

"My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek experienced a sudden loss of motive power and stalled due to a blown ignition fuse. Diagnostic code P1604 (Startability Malfunction) was stored. Inspection by Wayne Subaru (Invoice #25340) confirmed the Cylinder 3 ignition coil had shorted and physically melted. This is the..."

Brakes & Traction Control ODI #11725956
Filed: 03/20/2026
Defect Report

"Beginning one year after buying this used 2020 Subaru Crosstrek base trim the starter failed and battery fully died after failing to start from a stop. The engine was OFF due to the auto-stop system and failed upon lifting my foot from the brake on a slight incline, causing a constant warning beep..."

Multi-Year Trend

Complaint History for Subaru Crosstrek

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Subaru Crosstrek 0 0 1 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Subaru Crosstrek 131 4 1 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Subaru Crosstrek 97 6 1 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Subaru Crosstrek 194 10 5 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Subaru Crosstrek 284 6 8 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Subaru Crosstrek Current Page 68 6 1 Current
2021 Subaru Crosstrek 115 8 2 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Subaru Crosstrek 30 3 1 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Subaru Crosstrek 33 4 0 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Subaru Crosstrek 111 8 2 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Subaru Crosstrek 43 2 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Subaru Crosstrek 0 0 2 View 2026 Problems →
Exhaustive System Audit

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2020 Subaru Crosstrek

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 20 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Injury Entries Fatality Entries
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 29 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 7 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 4 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 2 2 0 2 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 2 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
Search Intelligence

Quick Answers: Common Problems & Reliability Questions for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek

Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek

What are the most common reported problems with the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek?

In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek is Visibility, Wipers & Glass, appearing in 34 records (50% of submitted filings).

Secondary reported categories include Electrical System (10) and Powertrain & Transmission (9).

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Is the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek a reliable vehicle?

AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 68 consumer defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek.

Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.

Source: NHTSA ODI & Safety Recalls Databases

Are there crash, fire, or injury reports associated with the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek?

Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek, 6 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 3 report one or more injuries.

Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Consumer Logs

Has NHTSA formally investigated defects on the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek?

NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek (all closed).

Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Registry
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.