Roof rack failure, Subaru Crosstrek warning

I think that would get CHP's attention really fast in CA

Don't be afraid to load a lot of kayaks on your roof rack.  Whitewater kayakers do it all the time.  Here is a picture of six whitewater kayaks on top of a vehicle. (The vehicle is stuck in one of a series of mudslides along the Salmon River north of Riggins in Idaho which recently closed 70 miles of Highway 95.)

That's pretty cool, but those 6 combined probably don't come close to the weight of my kayak. And crawling along on a dirt/mud road is a lot different than 70mph on I-880...

My kayak is pretty light, maybe 50lbs empty, and the crossbars flex when I load it up. ... although the side rails are strong enough that you can now run one of those car-top tents without voiding the warranty (at least on the Forester, not sure about the Crosstrek)—you just have to buy aftermarket crossbars because the Subaru bars aren’t rated for that weight).

Exactly my impression---the crossbars are flimsy, but the side rails are solid.

Just curious as to your buying experience with Subaru. We've been strictly Honda buyers forever, and always found it a pretty simple and painless process. We bought the Crosstrek at Capitol Subaru, and while the salesman was pleasant enough, the rest of them were pretty annoying. If you want more details, see my Yelp review under "N M."

https://www.yelp.com/biz/capitol-subaru-san-jose

Sorry to hear about the roof rack failures. I have 2015 Subaru Crosstrek and realized from the beginning the factory cross bars were not good support. I went with a set of Whisperbars and whisper cradles. Very aerodynamic and very quite. They may be for sale as I am "Lemoning Out' my Crosstrek. Love the design of the car, gas mileage and movability. Hate their customer service. I must have a lemon. I have had countless amount of trouble with this car, mostly around sensors and a faulty wiring harness which have been replaced and in for service to two different dealerships over the last two years. By the way Subaru customer service is a joke. I have a $1,800 service warranty that is to cover the car for 7 years or 100,000 miles. Purchased car in Redding (great service guys...just could not figure the problem out, took car to Hansel in Santa Rosa and they said take it to Redding despite coast to coast service... came unglued with them and the 1-800 customer service number. Bottom line they really just blew me off. Now going to Lemon Law lawyer since they would not honor my warranty and cannot fix the car. You cannot get past the guys that just answers the phone on the 1-800 number... Sad, they get an A for design and a"F" for customer service... good luck. I would never buy another Subaru in my life and tell everyone I can about this story.

Thanks Dave for the warning. I’m gonna stay clear of Subaru until they get their act together.

...Hate their customer service. I must have a lemon....

We've got a new 2019 Crosstrek, and recently drove over a tiny 3" sandstone rock going about 10 mph on our asphalt driveway. Somehow, that punctured a hole in the sidewall of the tire, making it unrepairable. That seemed pretty freakishly weird, as the tires are supposed to be high end, and it should handle off-road conditions.

We didn't buy any of that extra warranty crap from the dealer, so I was sure we'd have to pay for it, but I called Subaru anyway. They insisted there was nothing they could do and we'd have to pay $160 to replace it, blah, blah, blah. Funny thing is that I then called the tire company (Falken) just to complain, and as soon as I explained what happened, the guy told me to take it to America's Tire, have them call him, and it would be replaced for free. And that's exactly what happened.

Anyways, other than that, the car has been fine so far. If we have a fraction the trouble you've had, we won't buy another Subaru. Our Hondas have all been pretty reliable. The Crosstrek is my wife's car---I drive a 2004 CRV with 270k miles on it, so we'll certainly put the Subaru to the test...

I admit I didn’t read all 51 replies to this thread dating back to 2016(?)...

But this is the first thing that came to mind:

A roof rack’s capacity is listed as a weight - it assumes a downward force. In reality, if you sit your kayak upside down on the racks (with the bow hanging over the windshield) you end up with a strong UPWARD force trying to pull the racks off your car. The bow of the kayak is like a scoop that catches all the wind that gets deflected upward by your windshield.

This is a good reason to tie down the bow of your boat.



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That sucks... I have an 08 subi Outback that just threw the timing belt and bent two valves...... likely parting it out if anyone needs some parts... or $2000 as is 

That sucks... I have an 08 subi Outback that just threw the timing belt and bent two valves...... likely parting it out if anyone needs some parts... or $2000 as is 

Hmm... How is the interior? I have an 09 Outback with an interior that got thrashed by the previous owner’s dog(s). I’ve since contributed a fair amount of fish blood and slime...


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I mentioned in another thread, I have a 2016 Forester, and have hauled two yaks on the freeway to shelter cove without any problems using the factory racks. I did put a bow and stern line on them, as I always do anytime I'm driving freeway speeds.
I lost my yak on the 101 outside Santa Ynez once, using Yakima Mako saddles and their stupid factory straps. The front strap let go, and the yak pivoted up and wrenched the rear bar off the truck shell, sending the yak sliding into the grassy median. Fortunately no one was behind me and I was able to just pull off and back up to the kayak and re-attach everything with extra straps.
Bow lines always on the freeway since then.

That sucks... I have an 08 subi Outback that just threw the timing belt and bent two valves...... likely parting it out if anyone needs some parts... or $2000 as is 

Hmm... How is the interior? I have an 09 Outback with an interior that got thrashed by the previous owner’s dog(s). I’ve since contributed a fair amount of fish blood and slime...


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Dash is busted in the middle from a 4X4 post getting rocketed into it from the cargo area after a “well educated donkey” cut us off but other tgen that’s it’s not bad at all, we had our doge in it but they didn’t trash it, I got one yaker from burley Idaho that may want the whole car or just the transmission. Pm me a cell you can get photos texted too or an email address and I’ll let ya know if the parts are available.