Subaru Crosstrek adaptive cruise problems

Filed Jul 29, 2026 · Driver assistance · NV

Adaptive cruise control did not disengage when brake pedal was pressed. The cars ahead of me on the highway were coming to a stop, so I tried to veer to the right since the brakes didn't work. The lane assist kept fighting me and wouldn't let me veer off to the right. Almost hit the car in front of me. Now the car is undrivable and needs to be towed

Filed Jul 12, 2026 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · VT

While driving at highway speeds in the passing lane, the vehicle’s adaptive cruise control with EyeSight malfunctioned. The system suddenly emitted a forward‑collision warning beep even though the lane ahead was completely clear. Immediately after the warning, the brakes engaged forcefully on their own, causing abrupt and unexpected deceleration while overtaking another vehicle. This created a significant safety risk to us and surrounding drivers, as the vehicle slowed rapidly in active traffic without any legitimate hazard. In addition to the sudden braking events, there have been multiple instances where, while adaptive cruise control was active, attempts to decelerate using the steering‑wheel control button either did not respond or behaved unpredictably. On one occasion, pressing the deceleration button caused the vehicle to accelerate instead. These inconsistent control responses further increased the risk of losing safe control of the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, and the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. The only symptom prior to each event was the forward‑collision warning beep immediately before the brakes activated.The underlying cause remains UNKNOWN.

Filed May 22, 2026 · Driver assistance · TX

I was driving on a Texas highway on May 2 at the speed limit of 75 mph with the car on cruise control. It was a sunny day and traffic was light. Suddenly, without warning, or apparent cause the car went into a hard brake and the collision avoidance signals were beeping and flashing. The car behind me had to hard brake to avoid collision. I pulled over to the shoulder but as soon as I put my foot on the brake the flashing and beeping stopped. I eased back onto the highway but as soon as I got up some speed, the same thing happened again. I thought it might be related to the cruise control so I turned off the cruise control and it stopped. I drove the rest of the way without cruise control and there were no further incidents. I took the car to dealer. The service department ran diagnostics and test drove it but said they could not duplicate the problem. They said the car was operating "normally." I called Customer Advocacy at Subaru and spoke to woman on a recorded line. She clearly stated that sometimes the EyeSight feature can cause the car to "think there's something in front of you" and activate the collision avoidance hard braking. She claimed this was "normal." Still Subaru refused to do anything about it or buy back my car for more than trade-in value. I got the car from the dealer on May 18. On May 21, I discovered a class action lawsuit (Hall et. al. v. Subaru of America, Inc.) had been filed against Subaru on May 11, for the very same problem. The lawsuit covers most recent Subaru models including mine. I also discovered that "phantom braking" is a frequent complaint here and that Subaru settled a previous class action lawsuit for older models in Nov. 2025 . the federal safety agency needs to force a recall and warn consumers of this very dangerous defect. I would be surprised if it hasn't resulted in serious injury or death.

Filed Jan 18, 2026 · Steering · OR

After driving the vehicle for 30 minutes to an hour in temperatures approximately above 45°F the steering wheel will get "stuck" on center and go loose then tighten again when trying to make minor corrections in steering. Easiest to duplicate on roads with speed limits at or above 55 mph. If temperatures are below 40°F when the vehicle is started, the issue cannot be duplicated unless the temperature reaches approximately 50°F while driving. If starting a drive in temperatures that cause the issue, then driving into temperatures below 32°F, the issue will go away while driving. This issue has caused me to have to overcorrect on a 55 mph mountain road with spots of melting snow and was noticeable enough for my passenger to be quite concerned. After driving with this issue for 1-2 hours, the added fatigue of constantly fighting the steering wheel can and will lead to a crash. This has been looked at by a Subaru dealership when temperatures were warmer, but they were not able to duplicate the concern. There are no warnings, lights, or alerts while this issue is happening. I have been waiting for this to get worse to bring it in to Subaru, but I fear without assistance from the federal safety agency I will be turned away by the dealership again. Added information: ALL Lane Departure and Driver Assistance features were and are currently turned off. The issue still happens in cruise control with or without the lane centering turned on.

Filed Dec 29, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · MO · crash · 1 injury

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek brakes engaged TWICE without the driver pushing on the brakes, slowing the car down significantly. The initial vehicle speed was around 65 mph on the highway, and slowed to around 45 mph after the second automatic braking incident occurred. Adaptive cruise control was NOT on. The car in front of the Crosstrek was 8-10 car lengths away. Then while the Crosstrek was still moving, a truck hit the back right bumper of the Crosstrek and pushed it into the next lane to the left. (I), the driver of the Crosstrek, was able to steer back into the original lane of travel to the right. After the Crosstrek was steered back to the original lane of travel, it came to a stop due to right rear axle damage. The Crosstrek driver was able to creep to the shoulder to wait for emergency personnel to arrive. The safety of myself and others, due to the Crosstrek (Eyesight?) malfunction, is extremely important to investigate. This safety feature when engaged unexpectedly is dangerous. When drivers do not have control over the braking system of the car, sudden and unexpected slow-downs can lead to rear-end accidents, and even the loss of life. When I was pushed to another lane of travel, a secondary accident could have occurred, or a chain-reaction with many cars. I did not see or hear any warnings, messages, or experience any unusual symptoms before the car braked on its own and I was rear-ended. After I crept to the right shoulder of the interstate, the Crosstrek was still running and there were no warnings or messages. Since the Nov 11 accident, Dean Team Dealership in Ballwin MO has reported the issue. State Farm Insurance has totaled the 24 Subaru Crosstrek, recovered data from the Event Date Recorder (EDR), and is discussing the vehicle losses with Subaru Corporation. [XXX] is receiving chiropractic care also. Additionally, there similar reported incidents on websites—Reddit and [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 23, 2025 · Steering, Suspension · IL

There are 2 issues that I have noticed since I bought my car from a subaru dealership 10 DAYS ago. the first is that upon driving at highway speeds (over 50 mph) It feels like the car is jerky and pulls in a shaky rocking manner. this happened continuously, when I was using the cruise control and when I was not using the cruise control. It basically felt like I was driving in 40mph winds that were moving my car independently of what I was doing. The second is also something that happens at highway speeds, my driver side mirror shakes and vibrates so much so that I can't make out the surrounding space, cars and road at all. I scheduled a service appointment at the same dealership immediately. I told them these issues and upon inspection they reported that they do not see or report any such issues that I am concerned about. Stating that these are quote "characteristics" of the car. These are both potentially very dangerous problems that Subaru has stated is not an issue as far as they are concerned. There is a lawsuit about the driver side mirror that was filed in september of 2024. I just bought this car used with 10,500 miles on it and NOBODY mentioned anything in person or on the pre certified inspection checklist, CARFAX report or anything of that nature about these issues which Subaru must actually know about. If I was told about theses issues I would have not bought the car. And they are continuing to deny anything is wrong, saying its just a characteristic of the car. There are no warning lights or messages alerting of this issue within the car.

Filed Apr 12, 2025 · Steering · TN

I recently have started experiencing a sticky/jerky steering wheel (24K miles). It happens when the car is fully warmed up on longer road trips whether the cruise control engaged or not. In fact, it's worse without cruise control. The steering wheel requires stronger pull and then releases quickly. I could not reproduce it at the dealership as it's nearby and does not require a long trip, but of course right after I left it, the steering wheel started sticking again. The technician did not know what it could be and stated he could not reproduce the issue. There is no issues with alignment or tire balancing. I am noticing it more consistently in warmer weather. It is not an issue at all when it's 20 degrees F. No lights are triggered. I believe this is a huge safety issue as I constantly need to correct the steering when it is stuck. I posted this issue on Reddit with multiple owners experiencing the same problem: [XXX] / It is also the same problem as Honda Civic 2022-2023 models have. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Dec 16, 2024 · Steering · PA

Intermittent Power Steering Malfunction while driving causing car to violently "self-steer". Vehicle is NOT equipped with adaptive cruise control or lane assist features. Loss of control while driving become intermittently high risk having to clutch the steering wheel and counteract undesired vehicle self-steering forces to avoid hitting other cars on the road. No other vehicles or other property were damaged during discovery of EPS malfunction. Malfunction occurs at highway speeds and also local town speeds. There are no check engine lights present on vehicles OBD system. Vehicle is only ever serviced at the same dealership where originally purchased. Upon occurrences of malfunction, vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostic testing. The dealership's determination is that there is an electrical fault inside the Electronic Power Steering Gearbox. The dealer was able to duplicate the electrical malfunction while test driving. Vehicle currently remains at dealership indefinitely until operating hazard remedied. Original OEM malfunctioning EPS gear box still installed on vehicle as of 12/16/2024 and is available for requested inspection. Since current existing recalls for the EPS gearbox were not applied to this vehicle, Customer is forced to pay out of pocket ($1400 part plus $600 labor) to fix. Requesting the federal safety agency to confiscate malfunctioning part for examination and comparison to known OEM defects involved with other safety recalls. Replacement parts currently on order by dealer as of 12/16/2024. Reference existing Subaru recall # (WUC-88). Reference existing the federal safety agency # (19V065000). Replacement OEM part # (34110FL133 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Steering Gear). Existing OEM part number currently on vehicle is unknown. Subaru Dealer: Minooka Subaru 4141 Birney Ave, Moosic, PA 18507 (570) 346-4641

Filed Jul 1, 2024 · Acceleration · 8,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving with the cruise control activated and attempting to overtake another vehicle, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, after overtaking the other vehicle, the vehicle independently started braking and slowed down to the preset cruising speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline and report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

Filed May 17, 2024 · Acceleration, Electrical · UT

I was driving with cruise control enabled right around 40mph. All of the sudden, while I was moving, my speedometer dropped to 0 and all of my dashboard lights turned on. I pulled over to the side of the road and tried to put the car in park to figure out what was going on. I was not able to shift the car into park, only remain in D or shift to N. I forced the car shutoff while in D with the press-button ignition, then turned the car back on. I was then able to shift the car into P. However, all of my dashboard lights were still on. I will attach an image to this description as I was able to take a photo of all the dashboard lights. After putting the car in park, I then shifted it back into D. However, my steering wheel was very stiff. Eventually, it loosened up back to normal. I then turned around and headed home for about a 2.5 hour drive. For the first 1.5 hours of the drive, most of the dashboard lights remained on and I could not initiate cruise control at all. After stopping for gas and turning the car back on, I was then able to drive as normal (putting the car in cruise control) and most of the dashboard lights also turned off. This was a Sunday evening. I then brought my car to the Subaru dealer in which I bought the Crosstrek from the very next morning. I told them exactly what happened. They said this was highly unusual and this wasn't something they've dealt with before, especially on a brand new car (I purchased this vehicle with 0 miles just 6 months prior). After sitting in the shop for 30+ days, the dealer eventually replaced the VDC Module and gave the car back to me. I did submit this issue to Subaru of America, but they denied this to be a Lemon case. They would not tell me why, even though a car sitting in a shop for 30+ days achieves Lemon status in the State of Utah. Since the dealer replaced the VDC Module and returning the car to me, I have not yet had another issue, but am nervous this could occur again.