Subaru Crosstrek won't start problems

Filed Oct 23, 2026 · Electrical · SC

The dealership network has already made two (2) separate, unscheduled service attempts to diagnose and fix this ongoing battery drainage issue: 1.First Repair Attempt: July 9, 2026, at McDaniels Subaru of Columbia, Mileage: 2356. Vehicle would not start. When start button was pushed dash lights would flicker on but would not turn over engine. Not being that familiar with the electronics of the vehicle I thought it may be that my wife had somehow disabled the vehicle by trying to get the key fob to work. Lights on the dash indicated the key fob was “disabled” . (The “disabled key fob” warning light can indicate a dead battery). I left vehicle, returned with the spare key fob, but still same result until I was able to get a “jump”. Vehicle seemed OK then. At home I charged battery and my charger said it was “fully charged”. Result: Technician apparently only tested the key fob, even though the repair order states the battery was tested. Nothing was found by the technician that would indicate why vehicle would not start or that battery was drained. (The “disabled key fob” warning light can indicate a dead battery) 2.Second Repair Attempt: Result: : October 5, 2026, at McDaniels Subaru of Columbia, Mileage: 3243 Vehicle would not start in garage at home. Sent various videos to dealer service department of how the vehicle was not starting. Dealer technician advised it appeared to be a dead battery. I made an appointment for the following Monday. I also charged the dead battery. My charger indicated a “bad battery”. 3. Result: Factory battery replaced. I asked for a replacement battery at the time of appointment. I asked for an AGM battery to better withstand the severe drain on the battery from the ignition/starting system but was promptly refused. Despite these efforts, the issue persists. Research and expert dealer consultation indicate that the factory battery is fundamentally underpowered for the technical start-stop and electronic load demand

Filed Jun 17, 2026 · Electrical · WI

2019 Subaru Crosstrek; Battery is drained even when car is fully turned "off". If the car is not driven every day, battery may drain completely and car won't start. If not driven for several days, battery will discharge so low that it is damaged, in which case it may not have sufficient charge to start the car after sitting overnight. After battery is discharged to the point of damage, it must be trickle charged anytime the vehicle is not driven, and even short periods and distances of driving will leave the battery at 25% (or less) of fully charged. Battery replacement is the only way to restore normal operation, but the replacement battery is gradually degraded and ruined just like the original. SOA has not recognized this parasitic battery drain problem in this vehicle. Jump starting the car with auxiliary battery is possible, but this does not reduce the risk of battery insufficiency. Subaru instructs me to have dealer diagnose the problem (at a cost of about $200) and then it might consider a gratis contribution to full cost of diagnosis and repair (estimated at $1,662 including cost of diagnosis). No warning, visual or aural, alerts the driver to this problem.

Filed May 11, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · PA

In the middle of driving car stuttered, engine light went on, and car stalled. Unable to restart, Engine cranks but would not turn over. Had car towed for repair. Diagnostic shows engine coil short causing blown fuse. Subaru has an active recall for this identical issue for my same year and model 2019 Crosstrek but the recall does not cover my VIN.

Filed Sep 4, 2025 · Electrical · IL

Subaru owners have reported experiencing premature parasitic battery drain in vehicles equipped with Starlink in-vehicle technology. The defect presents itself when the equipped data communications module (DCM) attempts to communicate with 3G cellular networks. As 3G networks within the U.S. are no longer functioning, the call will continuously fail even after the vehicle has been turned off, draining the battery and resulting in a no-start safety risk for drivers. According to those familiar with the issue, the only solution to the battery drain defect is to remove the DCM fuse, thus disabling vital safety features such as hands-free calling. This issue is happening to me specifically, as I have had to jump my car multiple times within a week long period if in a bad cell range area. I have brought this into the dealership multiple times, under warranty, and presented this to them. They refuse to fix, even though multiple online threads and lawsuits point to this issue being known.

Filed Jun 16, 2025 · NC

My vehicle would struggle with starting intermittently over the past 2 years. Last week It became a consistent issue each time I would start it. Today my car would not crank and I tried several times over the span of 3 hours. What I experienced previously when starting my vehicle is it would initiate starting, I would hear a mechanical whirring, the car would stop then start again and the engine would turn over a couple of times and eventually start up. Today when trying to start the car, I hear a mechanical whirring and several notifications appear on my dashboard including the following: Check Engine, EyeSight Off Check Manual, Check Owner Manual, RAB Disabled. Thankfully I was not stranded when my car wouldn't start again, but that is a real risk because I travel to the mountains often where there is no cell reception. I looked online for similar issues and have discovered several instances of people with 2018 and 2019 subaru crosstreks (and other models) have had the same issue. Subaru has issued a Technical Service Bulletin (07-198-21), but this is a safety issue which they should address. My coworker has the same car and it has had work done for the same issue. My neighbor has a 2019 ascent which has an auto Start/Stop where it wasn't able to restart and was stuck in traffic creating a hazard.

Filed Nov 27, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · DE

Per the federal safety agency Product Campaign Bulletin WRE-21, all ignition coils on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Premium were replace on August 9th, 2021. On November 26th 2024, the same vehicle experienced a total loss of motive power on a 50 mph, 2-lane road, resulting in emergency action to move the car off of the right-of-way. All occupants of the car were not injured. After the vehicle was towed to a Subaru Dealership, the service notes stated “DIAGNOSED NO START SCANNED AND FOUND P1604 STARTABILITY MALFUNCTION, AND P0304 CYLINDER 4 MISFIRE, CHECKED FUEL PRESSURE AND FOUND IT WAS WITHIN SPEC, FOUND THE IGNITION COIL FUSE WAS BLOWN AND UPON FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND THE CYL 4 COIL PACK SHORTED INTERNALLY AND THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CIRCUITS CONNECTED BLOWING THE FUSE, COIL PACK AND FUSE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED.” The wording of the technician’s notes mirror the wording of the WRE-21. The dealership offered a one-time free “goodwill replacement” of the part in question, but only for 1 cylinder. I believe further corrective action needs to be taken by the federal safety agency to prevent total loss of motive power in affected Subaru crosstreks.

Filed Sep 6, 2023 · OK

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.

Filed Mar 22, 2023 · Engine · FL

The engine part that seems to be the issue is the starter. The car has an auto cut off when stopped at lights and other times you stop the car. The car's engine is supposed to restart as soon as you take your foot off the brake. As the car's engine heats up, the car's engine does not start immediately after removing your foot from the brake. The issue becomes greater the longer the engine has been running. On longer drive times, the engine hesitates enough that it seems like it might not start. The dealer has replaced the original starter due to the same issue. The new starter is less than 3 months old and the problem is again happening. No warning lights or indications that the engine will not start immediately upon removing your foot from the brake. The greater amount of time for the engine to restart has made pulling out into traffic when there is a clearing to pull out has become a safety concern as the pause is enough at times to now make the gap no longer large enough to pull out safely.

Filed Mar 9, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · MT

My car has stopped working while driving 70 mph on the interstate in so separate occasions. Both times it has been driving fine, with fuel in the tank, and all of the sudden it shuts off and completely loses power. All of the warning lights on the dash light up and the only thing to do is to coast to the shoulder of the highway. Couldn’t start the car back up (cranked, no start). Battery is fine. Fuel level is fine. First time it happened it had to be towed. Towed to mechanic who ran diagnostics on it the next day but nothing threw a code. It started fine the next day. I’ve had certified Subaru mechanics tear this thing apart trying to figure out what causes the issue but they can’t find anything wrong. I’m scared this is going to happen again and will put me in a dangerous situation in the middle of a highway or on the side of the road. This is definitely an issue putting myself and others at risk. It seems similar to other issues Subaru crosstreks have had in close model years to mine (20 where recalls have been issued for fuel pump malfunctions etc. Please look into this, this could cause a terrible wreck and needs to be resolved ASAP.

Filed Sep 17, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA

When starting the vehicle in a narrow area, the reverse automatic braking will sometimes activate. This causes the anti-lock brake system to actuate while the car is backing up making a rapid clicking noise. After backing up approximately 6-8 feet, the vehicle will stall, the steering wheel will lock, and all warning dash lights such as "check engine" will be on. Air conditioning codes are triggered U0401 (confirmed - invalid data received from ECM/PCM "A"), and U0416 (Invalid Data Received from Vehicle Dynamics Control Module). Powering off the vehicle for a minute or two and starting the vehicle will return normal operation. This is a safety hazard if the car stalls when backing out from a driveway into a busy intersection. The car will also stall by locking the steering wheel and showing check engine and other errors on the dash, as well as activating the U0401 + U0416 codes when starting the vehicle (push button + brake), and then rapidly shifting out of park, and then using the accelerator. When this occurs, the hybrid system will not start, and the engine will not turn over. No power is transferred to the transmission.