59 of the
1,552 complaints filed about the Subaru Crosstrek
are about the steering —
4% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2019.
After about an hour of driving, the vehicle’s steering wheel required slightly more force to turn when changing direction of travel., almost like it was getting stuck. Once unstuck, the steering wheel would get easier to turn, causing overcorrections in direction of travel. The dealership was unable to recreate the issue, however I experienced the same problem today 8/14/26 after taking a longer road trip. The issue today was less pronounced. No one else has inspected the vehicle. No warning lights for this issue. Lane keep assist was disabled for both instances.
NHTSA complaint #11757077 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on a road with a round about as I entered into the round about turn the vehicle lane keeping assist pulled the wheels and caused me to slam into the curb damaging the passenger side front and back wheel. It shoved the front wheel back into the inner fender wheel well and made the vehicle unable to be driven. I tried to counter steer to prevent slamming into the curb but there was no response from the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11753387 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The AED, Braking, Cameras and lane centering systems failed and caused a crash into the highway barrier suddenly due to defects in the driver assist systems defect in the electronic safety systems causing the steering wheel to turn forcefully to the barrier striking it. This happened without any warning despite driver input to stop the sudden steering inputs and braking.
NHTSA complaint #11749816 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Suddenly lost power steering, almost impossible to steer car to shoulder lane and stop. the car was taken to Fitzgerald Subaru, where technician found fault code C2532. Failure in Steering Gearbox assembly. Per Subaru techline case 260518-1300094. Advised to replace assembly. Parts used/replaced: 34110FN03A Need 023212010 x 2 051030300 x2 2 of 023212010. Nut castle 2 of 051030300. Cotter pin 2 of 44616AA291 Gasket - exhau
NHTSA complaint #11744713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I noticed that when I am driving on the freeway/highway for extended periods of time (30+ minutes) the wheel will start locking up. It stiffens enough that I have to force the wheel in a different direction. When it occurs there is no warning lights or messages from the car, it just suddenly stiffens. Other than driving on the freeway for 30+ minutes there does not seem to be any particular trigger for it to happen. This is a 2025 subaru crosstrek sport with 14,000 miles that we bought new. I noticed the first instance of it maybe a month into having the car.
NHTSA complaint #11717698 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After driving the vehicle for 30 minutes to an hour in temperatures approximately above 45°F the steering wheel will get "stuck" on center and go loose then tighten again when trying to make minor corrections in steering. Easiest to duplicate on roads with speed limits at or above 55 mph. If temperatures are below 40°F when the vehicle is started, the issue cannot be duplicated unless the temperature reaches approximately 50°F while driving. If starting a drive in temperatures that cause the issue, then driving into temperatures below 32°F, the issue will go away while driving. This issue has caused me to have to overcorrect on a 55 mph mountain road with spots of melting snow and was noticeable enough for my passenger to be quite concerned. After driving with this issue for 1-2 hours, the added fatigue of constantly fighting the steering wheel can and will lead to a crash. This has been looked at by a Subaru dealership when temperatures were warmer, but they were not able to duplicate the concern. There are no warnings, lights, or alerts while this issue is happening. I have been waiting for this to get worse to bring it in to Subaru, but I fear without assistance from the NHTSA I will be turned away by the dealership again. Added information: ALL Lane Departure and Driver Assistance features were and are currently turned off. The issue still happens in cruise control with or without the lane centering turned on.
NHTSA complaint #11711794 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER STEERING ISSUE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CONDITIONS: LANE CENTERING TURNED OFF. LANE DEPARTURE TURNED OFF. STRAIGHT LINE HWY DRIVING. OCCURS AFTER CONSTANT DRIVING OVER 60 MINUTES. MOST NOTICEABLE ABOVE 50 MPH ISSUE BEGAN AFTER ABOUT 15,000 MILES SYMPTOMS: WHEN VEHICLE DRIFTS SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER LINE RIGHT OR LEFT WITH ABOUT PLUS OR MINUS 5 DEGREES STEERING INPUT FROM STEERING CENTER POSITION. THE POWER STEERING BECOMES STICKY WITH RESISTANCE. IT FEELS LIKE POWER STEERING IS GRABBING HOLD THEN RELEASING. OCCASIONALLY SIMULATES A TOE-OUT ALIGNMENT CONDITION. EXAMPLE: VEHICLE DRIFTS SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT-OF-CENTER OR LEFT-OF-CENTER THEN DRIVER ATTEMPTS A VERY SLIGHT OPPOSITE CORRECTION INPUT, THE STEERING FEELS RESISTANT AS THOUGH IT IS STUCK IN POSITION THEN STEERING QUICKLY RELEASES HOLD CAUSING A SLIGHT STEERING JERK. THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE UNEXPECTEDLY AND DANGEROUSLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO POTENTIALLY CROSS INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC OR INTO ADJACENT LANE TRAFFIC. STEERING GOES FROM NORMAL RESISTANCE THEN STIFF THEN SUDDENLY TOO LOOSE. THEN REPEAT OVER AND OVER… CAUSING CONSTANT DANGEROUS SWERVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NOTE: THIS OCCURS EVEN WHEN ALL EYESIGHT AND LANE CENTERING/DEPARTURE IS OFF OR DISABLED.
NHTSA complaint #11697935 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an unidentified recall; however, the recall repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that upon further inspection, the vehicle occasionally experienced an abnormal battery energy consumption, although the battery was previously recharged. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
NHTSA complaint #11694055 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving long distances, the steering wheel encounters a sticky area where the steering wheel gets stiff to turn and then all of a sudden loosens up causing excessive corrections. This issue is apparently the same that was experienced by Honda owners. my car only has less than 10k miles. This can be dangerous for drivers who are not that experienced.
NHTSA complaint #11690063 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There are 2 issues that I have noticed since I bought my car from a subaru dealership 10 DAYS ago. the first is that upon driving at highway speeds (over 50 mph) It feels like the car is jerky and pulls in a shaky rocking manner. this happened continuously, when I was using the cruise control and when I was not using the cruise control. It basically felt like I was driving in 40mph winds that were moving my car independently of what I was doing. The second is also something that happens at highway speeds, my driver side mirror shakes and vibrates so much so that I can't make out the surrounding space, cars and road at all. I scheduled a service appointment at the same dealership immediately. I told them these issues and upon inspection they reported that they do not see or report any such issues that I am concerned about. Stating that these are quote "characteristics" of the car. These are both potentially very dangerous problems that Subaru has stated is not an issue as far as they are concerned. There is a lawsuit about the driver side mirror that was filed in september of 2024. I just bought this car used with 10,500 miles on it and NOBODY mentioned anything in person or on the pre certified inspection checklist, CARFAX report or anything of that nature about these issues which Subaru must actually know about. If I was told about theses issues I would have not bought the car. And they are continuing to deny anything is wrong, saying its just a characteristic of the car. There are no warning lights or messages alerting of this issue within the car.
NHTSA complaint #11662802 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The CVT valve body was diagnosed as defective by the Subaru Dealership service department. The car was taken to the dcealership when the A/T OIL EMP, HILL ASSIST, ABS and TRACTION CONTROL, STABILITY CONTROL lights came up. The valve body is still available for inspection. The car was taken to the dealership for a Brake Light Switch recall that has the same simptoms.
NHTSA complaint #11657595 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The steering sticks when moving it from the null position. It feels as though there is a lock of some sort and one has to exert more force that normal to move the steering wheel in either direction. This is very noticeable when driving on a straight road or highway where normal steering adjustments are just slightly to either side of null. I find myself over adjusting for things like the crown/pitch of the road. Also, cold weather seems to mask the issue. Now that the weather is warming up though, the issue is consistent and seems to have become worse with more miles logged on the vehicle. Please note that this is not related to the lane assist or road departure safety features as the steering issue occurs with neither in use.
NHTSA complaint #11657095 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I recently have started experiencing a sticky/jerky steering wheel (24K miles). It happens when the car is fully warmed up on longer road trips whether the cruise control engaged or not. In fact, it's worse without cruise control. The steering wheel requires stronger pull and then releases quickly. I could not reproduce it at the dealership as it's nearby and does not require a long trip, but of course right after I left it, the steering wheel started sticking again. The technician did not know what it could be and stated he could not reproduce the issue. There is no issues with alignment or tire balancing. I am noticing it more consistently in warmer weather. It is not an issue at all when it's 20 degrees F. No lights are triggered. I believe this is a huge safety issue as I constantly need to correct the steering when it is stuck. I posted this issue on Reddit with multiple owners experiencing the same problem: [XXX] / It is also the same problem as Honda Civic 2022-2023 models have. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11654253 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while taking the vehicle for a routine oil change. There were no warning lights illuminated. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the control arm was cracked. The contact stated had not experienced the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,500.
NHTSA complaint #11649740 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hello! I started financing my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek in 04/2023. A month after that date, I had a head gasket issue. Then in 2024, a radiator cap deformed after going to the dealer to get an oil change at SF Honda. (The time on that was suspicious being that I didn’t touch that cap at all.) so I had to pay for that repair. Now in 2025, after getting an oil change at Subaru, a day after that oil change, a lot of lights came onto my dashboard. I have two diagnosis reports from other places because I didn’t have the money to pay Subaru $300 to “diagnose” the issue, especially after my car just came from there a day before the problem existed. Since I got into this vehicle, I’ve been suspicious whether or not it’s safe for me, reason also being, I found out in 2024, that this car has been into 5 wrecks. Which I was NOT aware of prior. And now, they are making me feel, there is NOTHING they can do, unless I have a Co-signer, or the approved “credit” score. And now that my vehicle has “7” recalls! I am hoping I can get out of this vehicle. Thanks!
NHTSA complaint #11644364 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Intermittent Power Steering Malfunction while driving causing car to violently "self-steer". Vehicle is NOT equipped with adaptive cruise control or lane assist features. Loss of control while driving become intermittently high risk having to clutch the steering wheel and counteract undesired vehicle self-steering forces to avoid hitting other cars on the road. No other vehicles or other property were damaged during discovery of EPS malfunction. Malfunction occurs at highway speeds and also local town speeds. There are no check engine lights present on vehicles OBD system. Vehicle is only ever serviced at the same dealership where originally purchased. Upon occurrences of malfunction, vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostic testing. The dealership's determination is that there is an electrical fault inside the Electronic Power Steering Gearbox. The dealer was able to duplicate the electrical malfunction while test driving. Vehicle currently remains at dealership indefinitely until operating hazard remedied. Original OEM malfunctioning EPS gear box still installed on vehicle as of 12/16/2024 and is available for requested inspection. Since current existing recalls for the EPS gearbox were not applied to this vehicle, Customer is forced to pay out of pocket ($1400 part plus $600 labor) to fix. Requesting NHTSA to confiscate malfunctioning part for examination and comparison to known OEM defects involved with other safety recalls. Replacement parts currently on order by dealer as of 12/16/2024. Reference existing Subaru recall # (WUC-88). Reference existing NHTSA # (19V065000). Replacement OEM part # (34110FL133 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Steering Gear). Existing OEM part number currently on vehicle is unknown. Subaru Dealer: Minooka Subaru 4141 Birney Ave, Moosic, PA 18507 (570) 346-4641
NHTSA complaint #11630923 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My steering feels loose to the point it is pulling to the right when you drive excess 35mph. It is to the point where it doesn’t feel very safe because if sometimes if you hit a pothole, it will want to turn the wheel to the right and pull you in that direction. I had the issue repaired once at the Subaru dealer where they did an alignment and tire rotation and the issue returned after about 1000 miles. There is no warning lights but the vehicle steering is not correct in any means.
NHTSA complaint #11610381 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving with cruise control enabled right around 40mph. All of the sudden, while I was moving, my speedometer dropped to 0 and all of my dashboard lights turned on. I pulled over to the side of the road and tried to put the car in park to figure out what was going on. I was not able to shift the car into park, only remain in D or shift to N. I forced the car shutoff while in D with the press-button ignition, then turned the car back on. I was then able to shift the car into P. However, all of my dashboard lights were still on. I will attach an image to this description as I was able to take a photo of all the dashboard lights. After putting the car in park, I then shifted it back into D. However, my steering wheel was very stiff. Eventually, it loosened up back to normal. I then turned around and headed home for about a 2.5 hour drive. For the first 1.5 hours of the drive, most of the dashboard lights remained on and I could not initiate cruise control at all. After stopping for gas and turning the car back on, I was then able to drive as normal (putting the car in cruise control) and most of the dashboard lights also turned off. This was a Sunday evening. I then brought my car to the Subaru dealer in which I bought the Crosstrek from the very next morning. I told them exactly what happened. They said this was highly unusual and this wasn't something they've dealt with before, especially on a brand new car (I purchased this vehicle with 0 miles just 6 months prior). After sitting in the shop for 30+ days, the dealer eventually replaced the VDC Module and gave the car back to me. I did submit this issue to Subaru of America, but they denied this to be a Lemon case. They would not tell me why, even though a car sitting in a shop for 30+ days achieves Lemon status in the State of Utah. Since the dealer replaced the VDC Module and returning the car to me, I have not yet had another issue, but am nervous this could occur again.
NHTSA complaint #11589243 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Steering power assist deactivated suddenly with no advance warning while driving in traffic. Warning lamps on dash lit concurrently. Steering still functional with higher level of driver effort. Under the circumstances, no real danger. Curvy road at speed would be dangerous. Vehicle currently at the dealer awaiting replacement steering rack. Two weeks today.
NHTSA complaint #11574674 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.