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2021 Subaru Crosstrek

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
1
on record
MPG
27
combined

Open recalls on record

1 safety recall. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2021 Subaru Crosstrek

1 recall
111 complaints
27 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 1 recall were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 8 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 111 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
1
Owner complaints
111
Complaints citing a crash
8

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

1 Recall on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

1 NHTSA campaign affecting this model year.

  • 23V755000high

    Drivetrain issue

    POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH

    Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.

    Consequence

    An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    4 / 5
    Passenger
    4 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    15.6%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
Optional

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 15.6% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2021 Subaru Crosstrek Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2021 Subaru Crosstrek Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2021 Subaru Crosstrek Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

22

City

34

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$1,944
Tailpipe CO₂
329 g/mi

How this compares

The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek against its peers.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 329 grams per mile — about 4.9 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

111 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

111
Total
8
Crashes
2
Fires
6
Injuries

Most reported components

  • VISIBILITY33
  • ENGINE27
  • OTHER21
  • ELECTRICAL8
  • SUSPENSION3

Notable Issues

111 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 6 reports involve injuries. 8 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

visibility issues (wipers, defrost, mirrors)33
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)27
miscellaneous issues21

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 23V755000

    An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
SUV
Drive type
FWD
Engine
2.5L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Regular Gasoline
Transmission
Automatic
Seats
5

Fuel economy

22

City

34

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual cost
$1,944
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Adjacent model years

All Subaru Crosstrek years

Common problems

Subaru Crosstrek problems

1,092 owner complaints analyzed

Systems recalled

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 23V755000

    An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.