The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 95,830 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 156 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility/wiper. Last updated July 20, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN23V7550002023-11-0995,830 affected
Defect
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Consequence
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
5
1fires
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
5
2crashes2injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
1crashes1fires
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
3
Total complaints156
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Viscous coupling and center differential failing. Unable to turn at low speeds. Low mileage vehicle, under 40,000. This is a several 1000$ repair that happens right after warranty”
“- rod #4 failure of unknown cause, although there is speculation that current failure may be related to a major repair in oil system a year ago. - my safety along with my unborn child’s, husband’s and brother in law’s were all at risk. Another driver had to take evasive action to avoid…”
“Thermo control valve (tcv) causes a check engine light to come on and disables eyesight issue started may 29, 2026. The check engine would go on and off. Now it just stays”
“Thermo control valve (tcv) causes a check engine light to come on and disables eyesight issue started may 29, 2026. The check engine would go on and off. Now it just stays”
“On [xxx] ~[xxx] pm, at highway speed on [xxx] eastbound near frisco, co (a mountain interstate), returning to denver from salt lake city, my 2021 subaru crosstrek suddenly and without warning dropped into reduced-power limp mode and began lurching and shaking while the engine kept running. I lost…”
“On [xxx] ~[xxx] pm, at highway speed on [xxx] eastbound near frisco, co (a mountain interstate), returning to denver from salt lake city, my 2021 subaru crosstrek suddenly and without warning dropped into reduced-power limp mode and began lurching and shaking while the engine kept running. I lost…”
“On [xxx] ~[xxx] pm, at highway speed on [xxx] eastbound near frisco, co (a mountain interstate), returning to denver from salt lake city, my 2021 subaru crosstrek suddenly and without warning dropped into reduced-power limp mode and began lurching and shaking while the engine kept running. I lost…”
“The dcm on our 2021 subaru crosstrek is causing a parasitic drain on the battery. It left us stranded several times. We replaced the battery twice in the past 15 months. There is a class action lawsuit against subaru for this exact problem, but they won't replace it on our vehicle because it has…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek as of
July 20, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.