The 2016 Subaru Crosstrek has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 1,303,530 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 164 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights…
Consequence
Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
36
3crashes1fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
34
1fires
POWER TRAIN
18
1crashes
ENGINE
13
2fires
STEERING
13
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
6
SERVICE BRAKES
5
STRUCTURE:BODY
5
VISIBILITY/WIPER
5
Total complaints164
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Within 24 hours of purchase, the exhaust pipe became detached underneath the vehicle and exhaust fumes and odor were entering the cabin while driving. This created a potential carbon monoxide exposure risk to me and passengers. Subaru inspected the vehicle and confirmed the exhaust issue existed…”
“A/c control head and connector burned on both ends. Dealer service center stated it was a significant safety/fire hazard if we had not immediately taken in to be checked. No warning, no fuses out. Only indication something was wrong is a/c turned on but only on 1,2 and 4. Then, same day, only on…”
“Hood latch failed causing hood to fly open, smashing and breaking my windshield.”
“Full electrical power steering failure”
“The cvt valve body was diagnosed as defective by the subaru dealership service department. The car was taken to the dcealership when the a/t oil emp, hill assist, abs and traction control, stability control lights came up. The valve body is still available for inspection. The car was taken to the…”
“The cvt valve body was diagnosed as defective by the subaru dealership service department. The car was taken to the dcealership when the a/t oil emp, hill assist, abs and traction control, stability control lights came up. The valve body is still available for inspection. The car was taken to the…”
“The cvt valve body was diagnosed as defective by the subaru dealership service department. The car was taken to the dcealership when the a/t oil emp, hill assist, abs and traction control, stability control lights came up. The valve body is still available for inspection. The car was taken to the…”
“How was your safety or the safety o others put at risk? On [xxx], I bought a 2016 subaru crosstrek. Unfortunately, I fell into the bad and abusive practice of buying a car as is since at no time did that used car dealer in raleigh inform about the correction and rust that is underneath the car. If…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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