Reliable Auto DB

2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 99 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek over 12 years — 6 per year. That is more complaints per year than most XV CrossTrek years here — over the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Crash-imminent braking.

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

99

Per year

6

Recalls

1

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (25 of 99), then Electrical system (19) and Engine (18). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2014

The 2014 XV CrossTrek has 107 complaints, 7 per year. The 2015 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 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (1)

Recall forward collision avoidance, crash-imminent braking 2015-06-12 · NHTSA campaign 15V366000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Outback vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Impreza vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to April 14, 2015, XV Crosstrek vehicles manufactured October 16, 2014, to April 15, 2015, and 2016 WRX vehicles manufactured March 23, 2015, and equipped with the Eyesight Driver Assist System. If the switch that activates the brake lights fails, the automatic pre-collision braking component of the driver assist system will not function.
Remedy Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the driver assist system, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQS-54.

Complaints by component (99 total)

Powertrain
25
Electrical system
19
Engine
18
Service brakes
9
Speed control
7
Air bags
5
Structure
5
Steering
4
Electronic stability control (ESC)
3
Exterior lighting
3
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Wheels
2
Forward collision avoidance
1
Seat belts
1
Seats
1
Suspension
1
Tires
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

320159201662017162018252019620201520214202262023320244202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving 72 MPH, the vehicle stalled and bucked, with a grinding sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-02
  • "I am filing a complaint regarding a major CVT transmission failure in my 2015 Subaru Crosstrek at approximately 117,318 miles. Prior to failure, there were no warning lights, dashboard messages, or significant…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-05-14
  • "While driving at normal operating speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of engine power with no prior warning. There were no dashboard alerts, warning lights, or check engine indicators before the…"
    Engine · filed 2025-12-23
  • "UNKNOWN exact cause. Rear end of vehicle suddenly appears lower than normal. Suspension seems to be issue. Feels as though vehicle lost suspension in rear with no obvious outward cause. Awaiting inspection at…"
    Suspension · filed 2025-11-10
  • "Sunroof exploded for no reason Comments: My son was driving on freeway in Durham North Carolina last night, our 2015 Subaru Crosstrek XV Touring’s sunroof just exploded for no reason at [XXX] in [XXX]. INFORMATION…"
    Structure, Unknown or other · filed 2025-08-09

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

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 Manual 5-speed All-wheel drive 23 30 26 MPG $2500
XV Crosstrek all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) All-wheel drive 26 33 29 MPG $2250
XV Crosstrek hybrid all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) All-wheel drive 29 33 31 MPG $2100

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

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

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek reliable?

Owners have filed 99 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek over 12 years — 6 per year. That is more complaints per year than most XV CrossTrek years here — over the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Crash-imminent braking.

What are common problems with a 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (25 of 99), then Electrical system (19) and Engine (18). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 XV CrossTrek has 107 complaints, 7 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek been recalled?

The 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek?

Owners have filed 99 complaints about the 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Subaru XV CrossTrek is 28.7 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.