My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek with 56k miles on it was driven the day before and operated completely normally with no apparent issues. When I started the car to pull out of a parallel parking spot on a downhill grade with 2 to 3 feet of clearance on either side, several warning lights immediately illuminated on the dashboard. With my foot on the brake pedal as it always is when shifting out of park, normal brake pedal pressure did nothing to keep the car from rolling forward. It was only when I slammed my foot down hard that I was barely able to stop the vehicle, narrowly avoiding a collision with the car parked directly in front of me downhill due to a catastrophic failure of the braking system. If this had occurred in traffic while I was driving this would have been harmful, if not deadly. The vehicle was towed to the Subaru dealership, where technicians confirmed an electronic brake booster failure, logged diagnostic trouble code U1129, and scheduled the replacement of the ABS/brake control assembly (OEM Part # 27596FN003). The complete lack of braking power was witnessed, experienced, and commented on by both the tow truck driver and the dealership valet.
Subaru Crosstrek warning lights comes on
25 of the 1,207 owner complaints about the Subaru Crosstrek describe multiple warning lights, most of them for the 2019 model year.
- owner complaints
- 25
- worst model year
- 2019
- typical mileage
- 38,950
By model year
Often reported together
Won't start 4Check engine light 4Loss of power 2Transmission failure 1Stalling 1
Trouble codes mentioned
U1129 1P2757 1P1868 1P0700 1
What owners say
Was driving on highway when all of the lights on my dash illuminated. Eventually I got a warning for oil at temp alarm. Was giving code P2757 and P0700. Looks like this a common issue in Subarus but doesn’t look like it covers anything after 2020.
The car started shaking and shuddering at 40 mph on a straight road and I had several losses of motive power, with sluggish acceleration of a busy road. All dashboard lights began to turn on. The Oil Temp light was flashing, indicating an powertrain issue. After slowly driving it to a Subaru dealership, I was told that the CVT needed to be replaced. This model year also had a loss of motive power when cylinder 4 short circuited (after full replacement due to a recall). These are two examples of loss of motive power at high speeds on a single vehicle which in my opinion constitute a severe safety issue
I purchased the vehicle used on 8/7/24 with 4,507 miles on it. On 8/13/24 while stopped at a red light in the fast lane, the car failed to accelerate and all the warning lights on the dashboard illuminated including the AT oil temp light which according the to owner's manual indicates the transmission. It stands for automatic transmission oil temperature. After turning on my hazard lights, I put the car in park and turned off the car and restarted it and I was able to pull into a parking lot. I had it towed to Subaru who said it was code p1868 and was the transmission. They drained and refilled the transmission and said the fluid was dirty and contained metal debris. When I asked them why a car with such low mileage would have dirty fluid containing metal debris, I was told it could have had low fluid from the factory or the factory could have used "crappy" fluid. I was also told the reason so many warning lights come on is because those systems become disabled when there is a problem. I got the car back on 8/17/24 and then on 9/7/24 while driving, all the lights came on again including the AT oil temp light which was noted to be yellow and flashing. Subaru of America towed it to Subaru again. They said it was the same code and this time they're replacing the valve body. Today is 10/1/24 and Subaru still has my car. They said if it happens again, then they will finally replace the transmission. When it was towed to Subaru on 9/7/24, it had less than 6,000 miles on it. I will upload the invoice from the first incident but I don't have the invoice from the second incident since my car is still at Subaru being repaired.
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.
While driving down the freeway, all the warning lights came on and the engine sputtered and cut out. As we were in the left lane on a busy freeway, it put us at considerable risk. We were able to get to the left shoulder and get towed off the highway. This was caused, I later learned, by a faulty electronic thermostat which caused the system to fail.
Not sure yet what component or system failed as the car is being towed to dealer. On 12/23/24, The engine made a grinding noise and then the car completelyshut down and froze on the Highway. No Power, All the Dashboard lights flashed on - and I could not put the car in Park. Since I was on the highway - my safety and safety of drivers behind me were at great risk until a help truck was able to block the road. Car will be inspected by Subaru on 12/26. Subaru was closed 12/23 PM, 12/24, 12/25 There were NO warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of a problem prior to the failure.
Car was at a stop light, went to accelerate and car would not accelerate- all the lights came on. I had to put it in park and turn it off and back on, then it accelerated and there were no other issues.
Several times the car wouldn’t start but all the lights came on but the engine would not turn over. If I waited a while it finally started.
Engine shut off at a stop sign and the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree with alarms sounding. Couldn’t get car restarted. Towed to Subaru dealer and they said there was a connector cable to the starter that was defective. Replaced at no cost.
Related recalls
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek and Impreza vehicles. Due to insufficient clearance, the instrument panel harness may contact the steering beam bracket, damaging the wire insulation and causing a short circuit.
- Risk
- A short circuit may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the harness and install an additional clamp on the steering beam bracket. If damage is found, dealers will add protective tape or replace the instrument panel harness, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 3, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRL-23.
Recall number 23V551000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Subaru Impreza and 2018-2019 Crosstrek vehicles. The Engine Control Module (ECM) may continue to power the ignition coil after the engine is shut off, causing a short circuit.
- Risk
- A short circuit in the ignition coils may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will update the ECM software, replace the ignition coils and, if necessary, the front exhaust pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning June 1, 2021. Owners can contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE-21. Note: This recall includes all vehicles previously repaired under Recall 19V743.
Recall number 21V264000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Impreza and 2018-2019 Crosstrek vehicles. The Engine Control Module (ECM) may continue to power the ignition coil after the engine is shut off, which could result in a short circuit and blown fuse.
- Risk
- If a short circuit occurs while driving, the vehicle may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will update the ECM software and inspect and replace the ignition coil, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, on vehicles with confirmed ignition coil damage and a certain stored diagnostic trouble code (DTC), Subaru will replace the front exhaust pipe, free of charge. The recall began December 4, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUQ-02.
Recall number 19V743000 · Recall details
Questions about the Subaru Crosstrek warning lights
Why does the warning lights come on in the Subaru Crosstrek?
Owners who report it most often also describe won't start, check engine light and abs light or abs activating, and the codes they mention most are U1129, P2757 and P1868.
Which Subaru Crosstrek years have multiple warning lights problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2019 (8 complaints), 2016 (5 complaints) and 2021 (3 complaints).
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