Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the wipers and visibility, electrical, and body and structure. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2022Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2022 Subaru Crosstrek: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/4
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/2
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/1
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2022's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | AWD | 30 mpg |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | AWD | 29 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Windshield cracking is the main problem here. A small chip from a pebble can spread across the glass overnight. Some cracks appear while the car sits parked, with no impact at all. Cracks often start along the bottom edge and grow quickly until they block the driver's view. Replacement glass, including aftermarket windshields, has cracked again, and some owners have been through several windshields. Failures show up early, sometimes within weeks of purchase.
The car can lose power while driving. In one report it shut down at highway speed around 41,000 miles, and the dealer pointed to the battery. In another pattern, reverse automatic braking engages after a start in tight spaces. The car then stalls, the steering wheel locks, and warning lights fill the dash. Restarting clears the fault. A recall for low-voltage terminal corrosion also shows up here, with owners reporting weeks of dealer delays because parts and tools were not available.
Glass moonroofs shatter without warning at freeway speed. Drivers hear a loud boom and see no impact, and the interior shade is all that keeps falling glass off the occupants. A separate crash report with 2 injuries says the car lurched forward from a stop in a parking spot, climbed the curb, and hit a building. That account resembles the unintended acceleration complaints filed under other categories.
Automatic emergency braking engages hard when nothing is in the car's path. One report says the system reacted at 55 mph to a car stopped in an adjacent turn lane, which caused a skid and a near rear-end collision. Another owner says phantom braking is happening more often over time. Both reports describe a real risk of being hit from behind, and at least one driver turned off pre-collision braking because of it.
The car accelerates on its own at low speed while parking, and no warning lights come on. One report puts the failure at approximately 34,000 miles. The dealer did not diagnose or repair the car, and the manufacturer asked for access to the event data recorder. The second complaint gives no details. Crash-related reports in other categories describe similar surging, with the car striking a parked vehicle and a building.
Excerpts from complaints Crosstrek owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
A pebble flew at the windshield with less than 1800 miles on it and chipped it. By the next morning the chip had spread to a crack spanning the length of my windshield. Replaced windshield. Several months later, same thing happened. Replaced windshield again. I am on my 3rd windshield in less than 36k miles.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2024
The windshield cracks if you spit at it. It has had the original one, one from safelite and one from bright glass and it is now cracked again. To top it off, when it cracks, unless I put clear nail polish on it right away it splits the length of the window. The 2005 Crv has had a crack in its windshield for years. Not one cm bigger. The windshield is garbage.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2025
Recall for LV terminal corrosion was sent. Dealerships had no appointments for 2 weeks. Made appointment at a dealer one week later, dropped off car. Dealer called and stated that parts would not be in for another week. They stated they did not have tools or parts for the repair yet. Not fixed in timely manner.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2023
Car was pulled in to a parking spot in front of the store and stopped and suddenly moved forward over the curb, onto the sidewalk and then crashed into the doors and building.
Filed with NHTSA, September 2023
Vehicle will randomly break while driving when there is nothing in the way. This worries me that it will happen while driving on the highway. It seems to be happening more frequently.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2022 ranks joint sixth for owner complaints among 9 Crosstrek years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2022 is the fifth model year of the Crosstrek's second generation (2018–2023).
It includes the 2021 update.
What changed for 2021
Recall repairs are free at any Subaru dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Crosstrek Hybrid vehicles. The harness terminal that supplies low-voltage power from the converter to the 12-Volt battery may corrode and break, preventing the 12-Volt battery from charging.
Risk: A 12-Volt battery that is unable to recharge can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the converter terminal mounting bracket. If corrosion is found on the terminals, the 12-Volt output harness and terminals will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 12, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-23.
Cars shoppers compare with the Subaru Crosstrek, with their own 2022 checklists.
2022 owner complaints, side by side
