The most-reported problem on the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek is Glass / wipers / cameras (49% of 68 owner reports). There are 1 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Glass / wipers / cameras — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek?
33 of 68 filings named Glass / wipers / cameras (49% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Transmission / driveline (9 reports).
There are 1 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2019 has 283 reports on file; this year has 68. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What to check before you buy a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek
A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.
Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 1 campaigns on file below.
Glass / wipers / cameras. Check windshield, wipers and any camera or sensor the listing claims is there.
Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
Skim a few owner reports below for Glass / wipers / cameras. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.
What owners reported
System named most often:Glass / wipers / cameras 33 complaints · 48.5% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
System / Component
Complaints
Share of Reports
Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
33
48.5%
0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
9
13.2%
1 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
6
8.8%
0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
2
2.9%
0 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
2
2.9%
2 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
2
2.9%
2 crashes · 0 fires
Rear camera / backup safety (BACK OVER PREVENTION)
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations · Snapshot 2026-09-07 · Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
Campaign 23V080000 was reported 652 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Electrical.
Recall campaign 23V080000
Electrical
Report date
Component:
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
Consequence:
A 12-Volt battery that is unable to recharge can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Dealers will replace the converter terminal mounting bracket. If corrosion is found on the terminals, the 12-Volt output harness and terminals will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 12, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-23.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
DEFECT DESCRIPTION My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek has been diagnosed with diagnostic trouble code P2757 (Torque Converter Clutch Pressure Control Solenoid Control Circuit Performance), which my authorized Subaru 802 Subaru retailer in Vermont has confirmed is caused by a defective CVT Control Valve Body. Subaru of America has acknowledged this exact defect in Technical Service Bulletin 16-156-25R (revised 10/28/25), which explicitly covers the 2013–2021MY Crosstrek 2.0L (FB20 engine, TR580 CVT) and prescribes replacement of the CVT Control Valve Body with an updated design incorporating an improved valve sleeve. This bulletin confirms that Subaru is aware of the design flaw in the original valve body and has developed a permanent engineering fix. WARRANTY EXTENSION DISPARITY Subaru of America issued a CVT Warranty Extension on June 30, 2025 (Retailer Bulletin 16-155-25R, revised 07/14/25) extending CVT coverage from the original 5 years/60,000 miles to 10 years/100,000 miles for certain 2019–2020MY vehicles. However, the 2020 Crosstrek equipped with the FB20 engine and TR580 CVT was specifically excluded from this extension, despite: 1. The 2019 Crosstrek (identical FB20/TR580 drivetrain) being included in the extension. 2. The 2020 Impreza (identical FB20/TR580 drivetrain) being included in the extension. 3. TSB 16-156-25R explicitly listing the 2020 Crosstrek as an affected vehicle with the same valve body defect. This exclusion appears arbitrary and inconsistent. Owners of the 2020 Crosstrek are being denied warranty coverage for a documented design defect that Subaru has acknowledged and corrected through a TSB, and for which owners of vehicles with the identical powertrain (same engine, same CVT) are receiving extended warranty protection. SAFETY CONCERN DTC P2757 indicates a failure in the torque converter clutch pressure control circuit. This defect can result in unexpected transmission behavior including hesitation, shuddering, loss of power delivery
While driving 2020 Crosstrek Hybrid, the dashboard lights suddenly flashed and then engine stalled, leaving me with no brakes and no steering. I rolled through straight through an intersection with four stop signs and I could not stop. Luckily no one was driving or walking at the time. I couldn't start car, even with a jump start. I bought a new Interstate battery with higher specs. Three days later the same thing happened, the car stalled while driving just about to park. The dashboard lights also flashed and I saw Hybrid System this time. Car was towed to the dealer and there was a huge amount of corrosion with the electrical system underneath the car. Previously, four times this winter the car batter was completely dead after being parked in a garage and twice in a parking lot. I was told by a mechanic who gave me a jump start that there's a parasitic drain somewhere.
My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek CVT Valve Body equipment failure and CVT Torque Converter failure. This appears to be a common failure for prior Subaru Crosstrek model - however was not extended for coverage to 2020 and beyond models - appears the issue still persists and additional year models should be covered. My vehicle experience the same failure for CVT Valve Body failure and CVT Torque Converter while driving at highway speeds. Problem occurs for previous Subaru Models example: MC-11021247-0001, Subaru Service Bulletin: 16-155-25R where Subaru extended coverage to 10yrs/100k miles or +1 year from date of notification - and my vehicle is currently at the Subaru Dealership for repairs for both CVT Valve Body and Torque Converter. Warning lights did not appear until issue occored.
My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek experienced a sudden loss of motive power and stalled due to a blown ignition fuse. Diagnostic code P1604 (Startability Malfunction) was stored. Inspection by Wayne Subaru (Invoice #25340) confirmed the Cylinder 3 ignition coil had shorted and physically melted. This is the exact failure mode described in Subaru Safety Recall WRE-21 (NHTSA Campaign 21V825000), which currently only covers 2018–2019 models. My vehicle experienced a thermal event and a stall despite being a 2020 model. The dealer replaced only the melted coil and did NOT update the ECM software. This leaves the vehicle at risk of a repeat stall in traffic, as the underlying software defect that causes coils to overheat remains unaddressed in the 2020 model year and the remaining coils may already be at risk.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek?
Owners named Glass / wipers / cameras most often — 33 of 68 reports (49%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek?
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check windshield, wipers and any camera or sensor the listing claims is there. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.