2017 Subaru Crosstrek problems: recalls, complaints and whether this is a year to avoid

Is 2017 a good year for the Subaru Crosstrek?

The spread across this nameplate is wide: the 2024 draws 4 times the complaints of the 2023. On a run like that the model year you buy matters more than the badge, and 2017 sits in the middle of it.

Older years have been on the road longer and collect more complaints for that reason alone, and a year that sold in higher volume collects more while being no worse.

This retrieval holds 4 of the nameplate’s model years. 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 are absent, which means no records came back for them — not that they were clean. The ranking above is among the years shown.

The 2017 accounts for 39% of every complaint filed against the Subaru Crosstrek in this retrieval, which works out to 10.8 complaints per year on the road across the 9 years since it was sold new — the figure to compare against other years, because it removes the advantage a newer car gets simply from having had less time to accumulate reports.

Which recalls cover the 2017?

Take the campaign number to any franchised Subaru dealer. Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit, and they follow the car rather than the owner, so a used 2017 with an unrepaired campaign is a free repair you can claim. How recalls work.

Recall text is abridged from the NHTSA record. Search the campaign number at nhtsa.gov/recalls for the full notice and affected VIN ranges.

What do owners report on the Subaru Crosstrek?

Across every Subaru Crosstrek year, not the 2017 alone — NHTSA does not split component totals by model year.

• Unknown or Other — 60 reports
• Visibility/Wiper — 35 reports
• Electrical System — 27 reports
• Exterior Lighting — 16 reports

Which other Subaru Crosstrek years should you compare?

← 2014 Subaru Crosstrek · 2023 Subaru Crosstrek → · All Subaru Crosstrek years

If you are deciding between years, the table above is the short answer and the Subaru Crosstrek page carries the full run with the component breakdown. Before money changes hands, run the VIN for open recalls and read the inspection checklist — ten minutes in the seller’s driveway finds most of what matters.