The smallest complaint file in the range, and nearly a third of it is windshields cracking on their own — with no recall and no coverage.

Owners run into this constantly, and one in this year's file says it out loud: 'not sure why this vehicle isn't the class action lawsuit against Subaru of America with Powell et al.' Here is the documented position. A class action was filed on behalf of Christine Powell by a Pittsburgh-based firm, originally contending that 2017 to 2019 Forester, Outback and Crosstrek windshields are defective; it was later expanded with 15 new plaintiffs to add 2020 Forester, Outback and Crosstrek and 2017 to 2020 Legacy and Impreza, and consolidated with two further cases filed in California and New Jersey. The complaint alleges the windshields spontaneously crack and that replacement windshields do not fix it, and that cracks interfere with the EyeSight collision-avoidance cameras mounted behind the glass. What the plaintiffs seek is damages and a jury trial. That is not a recall, it is not a repair programme, and it compels nothing until a court approves a settlement. Two things follow for a 2022 buyer: this model year is outside the scope reported in that litigation, and the Crosstrek's Subaru bulletin record carries no windshield warranty extension at all, while the Forester's and Outback's do. Budget for glass; do not budget on a lawsuit.

Four owners in this year's file describe the car accelerating when they did not ask it to, and two of them end in crashes — one into a brick building from idle, one through a garage while shifting to Park. In the second case Subaru inspected the car and reported that the data 'indicate it has no brake, accelerator or throttle abnormalities', and the owner complains that no event-data recording was captured. A fifth complaint describes the car surging forward over a kerb into a shopfront. We are reporting what owners filed with NHTSA and nothing more: there is no recall, no investigation we retrieved, and no manufacturer campaign on this. It is worth knowing about because it is a real thread in a small file, and worth testing the way any pedal complaint is tested — park the car, confirm the brake feels firm and travels normally, and pay attention on the drive to how the car behaves moving off from a stop.

The only recall on this model year, and it reaches the plug-in hybrid alone. Recall 23V080, Subaru code WRD-23, covers 8,413 Crosstrek Hybrids across the 2019 to 2022 model years: the harness terminal carrying low-voltage power from the converter to the 12-volt battery can corrode and break, the 12-volt battery then stops charging, and drive power can be lost. Dealers replace the converter terminal mounting bracket free, plus the 12-volt output harness and terminals if corrosion is found; letters went out in May 2023. One owner in this year's file describes the wait for parts: 'Recall for LV terminal corrosion was sent. Dealerships had no appointments for 2 weeks... They stated they did not have tools or parts for the repair yet.' 2022 is the last model year in this campaign's scope. Petrol Crosstreks are not affected.

An owner describes CarPlay and Starlink failures and a dealer refusing to fix them, and names the relevant document directly: 'These are listed in a Subaru service bulletin dated 1/28/25 — head unit warranty extension.' They are right, and it is worth knowing before you accept a no. Subaru's bulletin record extends the New Car Limited Warranty on the CP1 and Gen 3.1 infotainment head units to 8 years or 150,000 miles for 2019 through 2023 cars, to cover certain qualifying repairs to the infotainment audio system. A 2022 is comfortably inside that. Exercise the system hard on the test drive — cold start, incoming call, CarPlay, Bluetooth pairing, the reversing camera — and if anything misbehaves, that is a covered conversation rather than a cost.

Two quieter items to price in. The telematics parasitic drain that runs through this whole generation still appears here: an owner at 34,000 miles was jump-started repeatedly, with both a dealer technician and a roadside technician confirming the battery and alternator were fine and the car had a parasitic drain nobody could locate. Subaru's telematics warranty extension covers 2016 to 2018 cars, so it does not reach this one. And on the transmission: Subaru's CVT powertrain extension to 10 years/100,000 miles appears in the Crosstrek bulletin record for the 2016, 2017 and 2019 model years, not for 2022 — so ask for CVT fluid service history. Independent mechanics are consistent that the 'lifetime fluid' description is wrong and that serviced units go a long way.