Roof rack failure, Subaru Crosstrek warning

Well only transported it a few times and my constant fear just became a reality. Going down the road when the front half of my kayak suddenly dislodges and shoots sideways hanging off the car.

This is a new Subaru Crosstrek. The crossbars were loaded at 1/3 max capacity. The most infuriating part- still under warranty and Subaru said tough luck. This could have seriously injured or killed someone. Glad I had it tied down good in other spots so it didn't launch.

If it wasn't overloaded, wtf was Subaru's excuse for not covering it? Unusually high wind resistance?

Says who it's not covered?  Have they shown you which line in the warranty that says it's not covered?

If it wasn't overloaded, wtf was Subaru's excuse for not covering it? Unusually high wind resistance?

Not covered under the bumper to bumper warranty. Nothing like being 200 miles from home on the side of the road with no way to get your new kayak you finally got after 2 years back home. 

Don't take no for an answer man. That is part of the stock vehicle and that is covered. That was a very dangerous situation that happened there. Don't talk to those idiots at the dealership because they do not know shit. It's like asking advice from a dude working at Home Depot with his pants sagging. Contact a Subaru Warranty specialist.

I thought "bumper to bumper" means everything except the engine & transmission!

Sadly, I doubt it is covered.  A bumper to bumper warranty doesn't mean what it would "sound" like.  There are far more exclusions that there are inclusions when it comes to a warranty.  I'd say pursue it but don't be surprised if it isn't covered.

Sorry to hear this happened though.  That's a tough situation that could have ended far worse it sounds.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Be a dick! You'd be surprised what they will do just to get rid of you.
And there's another great reason to have the bow tied down too.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Could you tell us a little more about the incident? What do you think caused the failure? Was the kayak strapped down directly to the cross-bars or an after-market kayak carrier used? Did the cross-bar snap or simply dislodge (pop out of) the locking cross-bar well? I'm curious if I should be concerned about my subaru too.

The Subaru crossbars weren't meant for a lot of weight. I swapped mine out a while back and went with Thule bars.

You're better claiming with your insurance company

The Subaru crossbars weren't meant for a lot of weight. I swapped mine out a while back and went with Thule bars.

You're better claiming with your insurance company

Rated to around 170 pounds. Kayak is around 60.

Manager is supposed to call me Tuesday. No real winning situation here. Even if they replace the bars I'll never trust them again.





I was using Thule hulaport.  Friend has the exact same year make and model Subaru with the same hulaport and kayak on top. Just talked to him about how much he trusts it a few days ago then this happened. Frustrating.

The first time I bought my Thule Slip and Slide, I installed it on the Tahoe crossbars. It took me only one trip to decide that Thule's crossbars are a million times better.

I would recommend you to go that route too. I had a scary incident like that today too. My AI fell off my trailer this morning while turning and got dragged about 20'. As far as I can tell there's no real damage to the hull beyond instantly looking very well used 

But the rear and front crossbar are trashed on one side. Gonna have to get a new one.

Thanks for the additional photos. Very informative. Good luck with the Subaru reps. I had difficulties with a dealer's interpretation once too. A second dealer was much more accommodating. Wish it didn't have to be that way.

Thanks for posting this, i've got a Forrester that I'm planning on transporting a kayak with.


So I assume your set up looked something like this:


Not only do these carriers put a lot of weight on one part of the rack but also puts all the weight of the kayak on one spot on the kayak.

Subaru sells carriers that look just like this.

For what it's worth I've received much better service from the San Francisco Subaru then from the Santa Rosa Hanzel Subaru where I bought my car from.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well only transported it a few times and my constant fear just became a reality. Going down the road when the front half of my kayak suddenly dislodges and shoots sideways hanging off the car.

This is a new Subaru Crosstrek. The crossbars were loaded at 1/3 max capacity. The most infuriating part- still under warranty and Subaru said tough luck. This could have seriously injured or killed someone. Glad I had it tied down good in other spots so it didn't launch.

That sucks.

The first time I bought my Thule Slip and Slide, I installed it on the Tahoe crossbars. It took me only one trip to decide that Thule's crossbars are a million times better.

I would recommend you to go that route too. I had a scary incident like that today too. My AI fell off my trailer this morning while turning and got dragged about 20'. As far as I can tell there's no real damage to the hull beyond instantly looking very well used 

But the rear and front crossbar are trashed on one side. Gonna have to get a new one.

Wow, that sucks too.