2024 Subaru Crosstrek: What to check before buying

The driver's side mirror shakes at highway speeds, blurring the image enough to make merging and lane changes hard. Dealers confirm the vibration but call it normal for this model. Replacing mirror glass and housings, sometimes more than once, does not fix it. Other reports describe windshields cracking without any impact, including one found cracked in a garage at about 6,200 miles. In another case the rearview mirror came loose from the windshield and fell into the driver's line of sight while driving.

Windshields crack early and the cracks spread fast, sometimes with no visible impact. Reports include a crack that spread after a pebble strike at 600 miles, cracks that formed overnight while parked, a loud pop on the highway followed by a crack across the glass, and a crack on the second day of ownership. Owners call the glass thin. At least one dealer said the replacement was not covered by warranty. A few complaints here also describe the driver's mirror shaking above 60 mph.

Low beams light only a short stretch of road and end in a sharp cutoff. The top of the windshield stays dark, and drivers lose sight of the road on hills and curves. Many reports describe dark shadows inside the beam that swing with the steering-responsive headlights and look like an animal darting out, which leads to sudden braking. Some owners now avoid driving at night. Dealers reproduce the complaint but say the lights are standard and cannot be adjusted. One report says snow packs into the headlight housings.

The wheel sticks near center at highway speed and then lets go suddenly, so drivers overcorrect. It tends to show up after 30 to 60 minutes of driving, above 50 mph and in warmer weather. Cold weather masks it. Reported onset ranges from under 10k to 24K miles, and dealers often can't reproduce it on short test drives. Other reports describe pulling to the right that came back after an alignment, plus one sudden loss of power assist with warning lights that led to a steering rack replacement.

The car brakes hard on its own with nothing ahead, on side streets and at highway speeds, sometimes with no warning. Owners report being thrown into the seatbelt and worry about being rear-ended. In one crash the car slowed twice on the highway and was hit from behind, injuring one person. Dealers can't reproduce the false braking because the car logs no fault. Other reports describe the car lurching forward while stopped at a light, and a brake pedal that did not respond in snow before a crash.

Two of these reports involve the WRL-23 recall for the dash wire harness, where the replacement harness stayed on back order for months after owners got the notice. Others describe SiriusXM ads filling the screen while driving and Apple CarPlay calls randomly losing audio until the phone is reconnected. One report describes a wireless charger that barely charges the phone while making it very hot. Dealers had no fix for the CarPlay dropouts.

Pre-collision braking activates when nothing is in the way, most often during left turns across traffic or on winding roads lined with pillars. The car cuts power or brakes hard and sounds an alarm. Drivers describe nearly being T-boned mid-turn and nearly being rear-ended by cars following close behind. Two reports involve crashes, one with an injury, in which the driver says adaptive cruise took over acceleration and steering during a left turn. Owners note these events depend on the situation, which makes them hard for a dealer to verify.

The car surges forward unexpectedly at low speed. It happens while parking with a foot on the brake or while turning at about 5 MPH. One surge ended in a crash into a parked car, with several dashboard warnings lit during the event. After a surge at 4,000 miles, the dealer could not find the cause. Another report describes cruise control braking the car back down to its set speed right after the driver accelerated to pass another vehicle.

Original-equipment tires blow out at highway speed, usually through the sidewall, sometimes with several holes in one tire. Reports involve both the Falken Ziex 18-inch tire and a Yokohama 17-inch tire. One owner lost three of four original tires, the first at 10K miles. In that case the car's tire warning gave the driver time to move to a safe spot. Owners describe tire makers as unhelpful, and at least one planned to replace all four tires.