SUBARU XV CROSSTREK · model year

2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK

108 NHTSA complaints, 13 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2014SUBARUXV CROSSTREK carries 108 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 13 crashes, 2 fires, 7 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2014 XV CROSSTREK is electrical system with 17 filings, followed by unknown or other (13) and power train (13). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 2014 XV CROSSTREK. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

108
Complaints
13
Crashes
2
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths
2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

108 filings

Crashes Reported

13 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM17
UNKNOWN OR OTHER13
POWER TRAIN13
ENGINE11
SERVICE BRAKES10
AIR BAGS8
STEERING7
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL4
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)3
VISIBILITY/WIPER2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING2
STRUCTURE:BODY2
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION2
SEAT BELTS2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2

Recent Complaints

20250927AIR BAGS

Some times the passenger airbag light comes on and off. This is a reoccurring problem and I don’t see any recalls on this

20250927SERVICE BRAKES

Some times the passenger airbag light comes on and off. This is a reoccurring problem and I don’t see any recalls on this

20250708ENGINE

I am reporting a complete engine failure on my 2014 Subaru Crosstrek at 140,000 miles due to a valve spring issue that appears to match Subaru’s Recall WTY-84 (NHTSA Campaign 18V772000). I checked my VIN and it currently shows no open recalls, but I’ve reviewed Subaru’s own documentation that lists 2013–2016 Crosstreks as affected by this defect. My vehicle clearly falls within that production range and has now suffered the exact failure described in that recall — a fractured valve spring causing a complete engine malfunction. I never received a recall notice, and when I contacted Subaru, they acknowledged the VIN wasn’t included in the recall despite the year, make, model, and symptoms matching exactly. This raises concern that the recall scope is too narrow and is excluding other affected vehicles. This failure created a safety issue due to sudden engine loss while driving and has led to significant repair costs that I believe should have been prevented. I am asking NH

20250504UNKNOWN OR OTHER

When attempting to put the car in park, the key will not release and is stuck. Incident happens often in recent past days. Key will not release from ignition.

20250504ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When attempting to put the car in park, the key will not release and is stuck. Incident happens often in recent past days. Key will not release from ignition.

20250206ENGINE

I have been getting my 2014 Subaru Crosstrek serviced at Continental Subaru in Anchorage, Alaska for the last 4.5 years. I initially thought that they were an honest dealer/mechanic. I originally bought my Subaru in California and drove it up to Anchorage and it has been here ever since. My car burns oil very quickly. I mentioned this several times and the dealer always said it wasn't that big of an issue. Between oil changes I frequently had to add a couple of quarts of oil in addition to what they added during the oil changes because the car was burning so much oil. Recently in the last year, Continental Subaru told me my spark plugs were bad. I brought the car in because my cylinders were misfiring. They replaced the spark plugs. However a month later the issue still persisted. I called Subaru and had them replace the spark plugs again. At this point they said it was just the spark plugs. The issue persisted. I took my Subaru to a local mechanic this time since I felt like Continent

20250206UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have been getting my 2014 Subaru Crosstrek serviced at Continental Subaru in Anchorage, Alaska for the last 4.5 years. I initially thought that they were an honest dealer/mechanic. I originally bought my Subaru in California and drove it up to Anchorage and it has been here ever since. My car burns oil very quickly. I mentioned this several times and the dealer always said it wasn't that big of an issue. Between oil changes I frequently had to add a couple of quarts of oil in addition to what they added during the oil changes because the car was burning so much oil. Recently in the last year, Continental Subaru told me my spark plugs were bad. I brought the car in because my cylinders were misfiring. They replaced the spark plugs. However a month later the issue still persisted. I called Subaru and had them replace the spark plugs again. At this point they said it was just the spark plugs. The issue persisted. I took my Subaru to a local mechanic this time since I felt like Continent

20241211UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Key was stuck in the ignition and left me stranded unable to leave my car. I took the car to the Subaru dealership for them to assess and repair the issue. During this time the service desk confirmed it was a known issue with the CVT park range switch. They advised me that Subaru of America had done a warranty extension but that I was now outside of the time window for it to be covered. Upon further research this was an issue that was all over the Subaru forum boards with similar issues. I contacted Subaru of America in order to be reimbursed and was offer a $100 as a goodwill gesture and they kept referring to the warranty being extended to cover the issue. Subaru of America failed to issue a recall and instead did the "secret warranty extension" to avoid having to inform their customers and impact their reliability numbers. This is extremely concerning that a brand that is known for reliability would knowingly behave in this way and has me questioning what other items have they done

20241010UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Horn does not work. No warning indicating malfunctioned horn. Unable to signal other vehicles to prevent car crash. The broken horn has been inspected by mechanic.

20240909SEAT BELTS

Passenger side seatbelt stopped locked up and stopped retracting from the device that rolls up the strap into the box.

20240517ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The electrical system and engine flickers on and off or sometimes dies entirely. The trigger is unknown and the underlying cause is unknown. It is unsafe because this has occurred while the vehicle is moving. The problem was confirmed and reproduced by a Subaru service center. They were unable to diagnose the issue. There is no warning when it will happen.

20240517ENGINE

The electrical system and engine flickers on and off or sometimes dies entirely. The trigger is unknown and the underlying cause is unknown. It is unsafe because this has occurred while the vehicle is moving. The problem was confirmed and reproduced by a Subaru service center. They were unable to diagnose the issue. There is no warning when it will happen.

20240401ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Ignition key keeps intermittently locking into ignition when trying to retrieve key. Putting vehicle in park, key will turn engine off, but then will not turn all the way to release the key. Key has a key fob, vehicle is placed on parking gear. Sometimes restarting vehicle can help, sometimes shifting gears and driving vehicle again can help. Sometimes turning steering wheel helps. Sometimes all you can do is wait a few to five minutes to be able to turn off vehicle and retrieve car. No warning lights. After my warranty expired was when I noticed the problem. Bought vehicle used less than a year ago. It can be a safety risk if I cannot retrieve my key and then anyone could jump in and steal it as their is no other way to lock the vehicle unless I automatically locky myself out.

20240128UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I started having issues with my car when I could not turn it off -- the key was stuck in the ignition and I was unable to turn the car fully off. This continued to happen and the only fix I found to get the car off was to turn the car back on, shift the gear into drive, then try to turn it off again. Sometimes it would take repeated tries of turning the car on and trying to turn it off. The problems then got worse when I started to have issues starting the car as well; the car would struggle to start and I lost confidence in the vehicle. Every workday I have to drive my car to a location where I have to turn off my vehicle while a security check is performed -- one day I got stuck at this checkpoint when I could not start my car. I was afraid to drive my car, thinking I could get stuck somewhere with it running or with it unable to start. A certified Subaru repair shop confirmed the issue is a known problem with Subaru parts described in a Technical Service Bulletin [XXX] ). Ther

20231211AIR BAGS

Airbag deployed for no reason, while pulling forward slowly from a parking spot. An airbag that deploys when there is no impact or collision is a clear risk to the safety of the driver, passengers and other drivers on the road.

20230416FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

While driving on highway the engine died, I was able to pull over and stop safely. The engine turned over when I turned the key but would not start. The fuel gauge showed one full bar of fuel and the fuel mileage reading showed 60 miles till empty. I contacted roadside assistance and after 2 hours was able to put 4 gallons of fuel in the car. The car started normally and I was able to drive to gas station and fill up. The fuel gauge had never failed to accurately show the fuel in my car and the mileage range till empty was always accurate. I do not trust my cars fuel gauge anymore. I was lucky not to be in the city in rush hour and stuck in traffic. I will contact Subaru to report the problem.

20230313VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving approximately 30-40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, and then decelerated. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while reversing into a parking spot the following day. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,600.

Mileage: 102,600

20230313SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving approximately 30-40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, and then decelerated. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while reversing into a parking spot the following day. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,600.

Mileage: 102,600

20230210STEERING

Started the car and a warning light came on and the steering froze. I turned it off for the day. The next day I started it and it didn’t freeze again. I’m concerned that while driving the steering will lock up and cause an accident and possible injury or kill me. My uncle reached out to Subaru of America. They didn’t offer any help. They just said take it in at your own expense. We were quoted over the phone approximately $2000 to repair.My uncle researched this issue. This locking steering problem has been a big problem with the Subaru Crosstrek subjecting it to recalls. I believe Subaru should repair this safety issue.

20230202UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was driving to a job sight from Houston to Corpus Christi. About 10 min from the job sight I here a loud pop on top of my roof. I opened up my sunroof viser to see what had happened. The glass broke. Nothing hit the glass. It just broke! Luckly I had the roof viser closed when it happened.There are thousands of forums stating the same exact thing. For reference, https://www.subaruxvforum.com/

Compare 2014SUBARUXV CROSSTREK to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK have?
The 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK has 108 NHTSA complaints, 13 crashes, 2 fires, 7 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK?
The 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK?
The most-complained component for the 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 17 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2014 SUBARU XV CROSSTREK has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.