Reliable Auto DB

2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek holds 97 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 5 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most XV CrossTrek years here — under the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Engine and Electrical system.

2012 Subaru XV CrossTrek
Photo by Kk027, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

97

Per year

5

Recalls

2

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (35 of 97), then Powertrain (21) and Electrical system (14). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 XV CrossTrek has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2014 has 107 complaints, 7 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall Engine 2018-11-01 · NHTSA campaign 18V772000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Subaru Impreza, 2012-2013 Impreza Stationwagon, 2013 Subaru BRZ, XV Crosstrek and Toyota Scion FR-S vehicles. The engine valve springs in these vehicles may fracture causing an engine malfunction or a possible engine stall.
Remedy Subaru will notify their owners. Toyota will notify the FR-S owners. Dealers will replace the valve springs, free of charge. The recall began December 26, 2018. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614, Toyota owners may contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-888-270-9371. Subaru's number for this recall is WTY-84.
Recall Electrical system 2013-02-25 · NHTSA campaign 13V061000
Summary Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Remedy Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.

Complaints by component (97 total)

Engine
35
Powertrain
21
Electrical system
14
Steering
9
Wheels
6
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Service brakes
5
Speed control
5
Air bags
4
Electronic stability control (ESC)
3
Exterior lighting
3
Visibility
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Chest clip, buckle, and harness
1
Equipment
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Seats
1
Suspension
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

42014112015420161201772018172019182020820219202232023720244202542026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Nuna RAVA convertible car seat, model CS05107RFD, manufactured 10/15/2021, purchased Jan 2022. Harness failure after completing the remedy for Recall 24C-002. Both of my seats had never shown any harness problem before…"
    chest clip, buckle, and harness · filed 2026-09-20
  • "When the car is put in park the key will not come out of the ignition. Sometimes to be removed from ignition. Therefore the key will get stuck. The transmission has to be put back in drive and then back into park for…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-04-09
  • "I have been working with Subaru of America and Capital Subaru service in San Jose, CA for a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek XV 2.0 CVT automatic engine shortly after we bought it used for multiple faulty known engine problems…"
    Powertrain, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-04-09
  • "Within 10 days of purchasing this vehicle a certified Subaru dealership documented the following safety defects. Both front CV axles failing and clicking on turns creating loss of vehicle control risk. EPS electronic…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-03-09
  • "I was t-boned on 11/7 on the driver side door of the car. My car is totaled and the airbags, knee and curtain did not deploy and I was hit almost dead on on the B pillar. Unknown if the problem has been reproduced by…"
    Air bags · filed 2025-12-18

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek SW AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
XV Crosstrek all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) All-wheel drive 25 32 28 MPG $2300
XV Crosstrek all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed All-wheel drive 23 29 25 MPG $2600

Specs and fitment

GP generation, 2012–2015
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 full synthetic , 4.8 qt capacity
Tire size 225/55R17

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V-149 covers certain 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles among other Subaru models (NHTSA lists Crosstrek for these years): exposure to condensed moisture can cause the brake light switch to malfunction. Dealers replace the brake light switch.

Compare

Next year 2014 Subaru XV CrossTrek See every Subaru XV CrossTrek model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek holds 97 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 5 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most XV CrossTrek years here — under the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Engine and Electrical system.

What are common problems with a 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (35 of 97), then Powertrain (21) and Electrical system (14). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 XV CrossTrek has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2014 has 107 complaints, 7 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek been recalled?

The 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek?

Owners have filed 97 complaints about the 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Subaru XV CrossTrek is 26.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Subaru XV Crosstrek take?

0W-20 full synthetic; capacity is about 4.8 quarts with filter.

What does recall 19V-149 cover involving Crosstrek?

Certain 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles among other Subaru models—see the NHTSA campaign summary for the defect and remedy.

What tire size did the GP XV Crosstrek use?

225/55R17.