Rear wheel bearing hubs failures are common with the previous generation XV Crosstrek. You are the first to report one on an 18+ platform. Thanks for the info.

 

Can you define what you mean by common? What percentage (approximately) have that problem in the first 100K miles?

 

mine was driver front
45.000 km

 

120,000 miles on my 2015....no wheel bearing problems. Replaced tires, brakes and spark plugs only. (glad I don't believe in jinxes).

...and welcome to the forum!

 

70k km. Rear wheel bearing.
2016 XV model

 

Some other reports of bearing replacements for different model years and at which KM the replacement took place

https://www.truedelta.com/Subaru-XV-Crosstrek/suspension-problems-1091

 

Just wondering if any else has had the same experience. I drive a 2014 , It had 14,000 on it as a demo now has 140,000. Everything was fine until last April where I had a wheel bearing replaced, millage 105,000 km. It was during the second wheel bearing replacement a couple of months later that the dealer informed me the transmission would need to be replaced. After the transmission was replaced , about 2 weeks later I started to hear the same whirring sound I heard, when the transmission needed to be replaced. Turns out both the rear hubs need to be replaced. 140,00 KM
Is this a common thing with older Crossterk's.

 

Just wondering if any else has had the same experience. I drive a 2014 , It had 14,000 on it as a demo now has 140,000. Everything was fine until last April where I had a wheel bearing replaced, millage 105,000 km. It was during the second wheel bearing replacement a couple of months later that the dealer informed me the transmission would need to be replaced. After the transmission was replaced , about 2 weeks later I started to hear the same whirring sound I heard, when the transmission needed to be replaced. Turns out both the rear hubs need to be replaced. 140,00 KM
Is this a common thing with older Crossterk's.

Welcome to the forum!

I wouldn't say common... but wheel bearing replacements do happen but not common. Large numbers of the previous generation Crosstreks are now going into six figures as far as the ODO is concerned (regardless of whether that's Km or miles) and I don't remember seeing a large number of mechanical issues other than the occasional one.

Is it more frequent as the car gets older? Yes, but what repair gets less frequent at the end of the day.

I would actually be more concerned about the transmission replacement that happened to you. Can you share some details?

 

Huh, well, one month after my post here....I had my driver's side rear wheel bearing replaced....still at about 120,000. BTW upon purchase back in 2015, the dealer, Patriot in Saco ME, offered a lifetime warranty. Well I'll be darned if that warranty didn't cover the entire cost of replacement. Cool , eh?

 

I just noticed that the OP only has one post, about wheel bearings, last October. If it really was an '18 it could only have been a couple of months old, so 26K miles seems unlikely (unless it's Wolverine, LOL). Has anyone had a problem with the new gen?

 

I wouldn't worry that much about it. I expect that some parts will fail within the warranty period - even when the car is in the 'can you smell that new car smell' phase of life. I would be more concerned if after this replacement, we hear that the other side needs to be replaced as well.

 

My 2019 is 8 months old, 16K miles and needs new rear wheel bearings. This is my second new Crosstrek in 2 years. Our 2017 was traded in when the dealer couldn't resolve the issues with it - constant coolant smell, knocking in front end and finally we could not shift out of park. My 2019 is in the shop now for bearings and radio issues. Radio stops working randomly. Of course the dealer wouldn't address this until I could get it on video. As I drive alone it took me weeks to do this. Before that it was in the shop for a rattling sound in the front passenger side upon acceleration. Dealer could not replicate. The loaner I'm driving - an Outback with 9 miles on it - has a clunking sound in the front end. Honestly, I'm so done with Subaru I just turned up the radio. Never again...

 

Darn that's a tough run for you. Hope things work out for you. I'm not very confident that the vast majority of owner here will feel a diminished sense of joy and pride for the Crosstreks.:storm:

 

I have a 2014 Subaru CrossTrek and have had several problems. At 35,000 I replaced the rear wheel bearing. Around 50,000 I replaced the other rear bearing. My car is loud in the driver's side front now at 65,000 miles so I have a feeling that is another one. I have owned a Subaru before and never experienced the maintenance as I have with this one. My car initially had issues with the oil consumption which was a class action lawsuit which l didn't join in on because when I took it in, the gasket they used fixed the problem. I know two other people who own CrossTreks and the one has replaced 3 bearings and the other replaced 3 bearings before finally trading the car in. I would say Subaru CrossTrek has wheel bearing issues although they don't like to admit it.

 

I have a 2014 Subaru CrossTrek and have had several problems.

My car initially had issues with the oil consumption which was a class action lawsuit which l didn't join in on because when I took it in, the gasket they used fixed the problem.

The MY 2014 Crosstrek wasn't included in the class action suit. What gasket are you referring to? Asking due to oil consumption on mine as well.

 

Any relationship between wheel bearing failures and non OEM rims/tires? On common off road rims the rolling diameter is usually kept nearly the same to allow speedo accuracy but is the offset the same? Used to be that wrong offset was brutal on wheel bearings.

 

I wondered about this when I got steel rims for my snow tires and made sure I got 48 mm offset rims. I'm at 230,000 miles now - replaced first bearing at 170,000 miles and replaced the other three and the propeller shaft at 200,000 miles. That's consistent with other vehicles I've owned - bearing start to go around 200,000 miles for me.

 

Hello, I own a 2018 Crosstrek in Florida. All of my driving is done in flat nicely done asphalt.. and yesterday at 26k miles I had to replace my rear wheel bearing.
Has anyone heard of any issues with this? At this point (mileage) and with the Crosstrek?

You should have fixed under warranty a year ago.

 

Hello, I own a 2018 Crosstrek in Florida. All of my driving is done in flat nicely done asphalt.. and yesterday at 26k miles I had to replace my rear wheel bearing.
Has anyone heard of any issues with this? At this point (mileage) and with the Crosstrek?

Yep. My rear driver side bearing had to be replaced at 25K miles.

 

Does anyone offer a higher performance wheel hub? Or are they all OEM quality or less?

 

Hello, I own a 2018 Crosstrek in Florida. All of my driving is done in flat nicely done asphalt.. and yesterday at 26k miles I had to replace my rear wheel bearing.
Has anyone heard of any issues with this? At this point (mileage) and with the Crosstrek?

I just had mine replaced this week. Also in Florida, 33k miles on a 2018 Crosstrek. Thankfully it is still under warranty.

 

Hello, I own a 2018 Crosstrek in Florida. All of my driving is done in flat nicely done asphalt.. and yesterday at 26k miles I had to replace my rear wheel bearing.
Has anyone heard of any issues with this? At this point (mileage) and with the Crosstrek?

 

I am also in Florida and had both rear wheel bearings replaced this week under warranty at 33k miles.

 

As noted in other threads, the rear wheels can start howling on '13-'19 Treks due to a faulty hub/bearing assembly. Replacement covered under 5 year powertrain warranty. Here's TSB:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10165552-0001.pdf

 

I have a 2018 Crosstrek. At 32000km the left rear wheel bearing was replaced. All covered under warranty. The never mentioned anything about a TSB. But reading that TSB suggests that both should have been replaced at the same time. Wonder if this TSB applies to Canadian models?

 

All the Treks come from the same factory in Japan, so I assume this TSB would apply to your vehicle.
If you read the TSB carefully, it doesn't call for both bearings to be replaced if only one is acting up. What it does say is that on any single wheel the bearing and backing plate must both be changed as a set.

As an aside we don't have a law in Canada that requires auto makers to provide free access to TSBs that apply to Canadian vehicles. You can access the TSBs for Canadian Subarus via the Subaru.ca site but you have to pay a subscription fee. FYI here's a little history on how it took the threat of a lawsuit to finally get American TSBs posted for free on the NHTSA site: How to Get a Free Technical Service Bulletin

 

Ahhh,, and, Hello Homies: I stumbled onto this site and forum rather incidentally, , after I googled Low Growling on 2018 Crosstrek:: I own a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek; sitting right at 45,000 miles.. Just today I elected to look furthing into my car's issue and upon Jack-Standing the rear axles - I will very likely discover the 'rear' wheel bearings are in need of replacement.. Do it ye-self thing: after watching the U-Tube video on 'bolt-in' rear subaru wheel/axle bearings,, I am thankful at this time and place that RUST is not an issue to replace the bearing on my vehicle... less than 200 dollars for parts and perhaps another 45-50K... time will tell.. Also,, in Florida and my driving is basically paved asphalt roadways.. Nice to compare Notes!! @ Peace.

 

@Talos,

Why are you doing it yourself when covered under 5 yr 60k mile powertrain warranty?

 

I have a 2019 Crosstrek, My left rear wheel bearing was replace in 2019 ( with about 20K miles on my car) and now it has gone bad again with 42K miles on my car! Highway and freeway driving only, no off roading

should I be worried? dealer replaced both times under warranty.

 

I bought my 2014 XV used at 47k miles. I’ve never had issues with another car like I have with my Crosstrek. Previously had a Honda Insight and had literally ZERO issues up to 100k miles.

When I bought the car I noticed the brakes get sticky after stop and go traffic. The whole front end shakes like you have a flat tire. Other owners have experienced this but the problem can stem from many issues, to the brake assembly to the Axles. The problem comes and goes…dealer can’t diagnose.

At 55k miles the left rear bearing went. $750. At 60k miles 6 months later the same left rear bearing failed AND the right rear, at the same time. Dealer covered the one they just replaced(left) but the right one set me back another $750. At this time as well the A/C compressor failed $750. This car has a great community and it’s a fun car to have but god Subaru screwed the pooch on this car. Next car will be an Outback, that model has it’s actually together. Fingers crossed these bearings make it at least 20k miles.

spoke to my father about the problem and he told me he’s never had a bearing fail on any car he’s owned. Friends and family have confirmed they’ve never had issues either. I suspect it’s the suspension design. You may notice when you go over a bump in the Crosstrek while banking on The highway you’ll notice the car kind of sways out and back into alignment. Like a snake sort of movement that I’ve never experienced driving another car. This movement puts a lot of lateral stress on the hub assembly, I can imagine. Resulting in damaged bearings. Just my two cents.

 

Hello, I own a 2018 Crosstrek in Florida. All of my driving is done in flat nicely done asphalt.. and yesterday at 26k miles I had to replace my rear wheel bearing.
Has anyone heard of any issues with this? At this point (mileage) and with the Crosstrek?

I own a 2017 Crosstrek, 70k miles and just had to have both front axles replaces as well as both rear wheel bearings within 6 months. Was going to trade in for a new model before this happened, now I'm wary of getting another Subaru.

 

2018, 134,500+ mi, both passenger bearings swapped in the last 20,000mi and about to buy the other two, can't tell but the front sounds like it might be starting to whir. The rear looked pretty rusted when I did the rotors and brakes so might just do them both at once.