2020 Subaru Outback
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 899 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 26 Outback model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 19 involved a crash and 7 involved a fire. 4 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMar 22, 2024
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
Campaign 24V227000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)Jul 8, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-22. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V-955.
Campaign 22V485000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)Dec 9, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-21.
Campaign 21V955000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpJul 29, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
Campaign 21V587000 on NHTSA.gov
Back over prevention, display functionDec 10, 2020
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with "high" grade and "mid" grade multimedia navigation. The August 2020 over-the-air software update may have timed out without completing the installation, corrupting the data, and causing the rearview display to shutoff intermittently. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The intermittent loss of the rearview image reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the software and, if necessary, replace the Cockpit Control Module, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-20.
Campaign 20V766000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, pedals and linkagesSep 18, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Outback and Legacy vehicles. The brake pedal mounting bracket may have a missing or insufficiently tightened bolt.
A missing or loose bolt may cause the brake pedal mounting area to deform over time, which can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake pedal mounting bracket hardware and replace the hardware or brake pedal assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUL-97.
Campaign 19V664000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: structure
21 reports, newest first. Show all
Structure, Mar 17, 2025
I have owned the 2020 Subaru Outback since December 2020. Staring in 2021 there have been problems with the lift gate not opening to where it now closes immediately after opening it. This occurs randomly and causes a dangerous situation where one never knows when it will happen. The car has been brought in for service four times over the last four years. Now, that it is out of warranty, and Royal Subaru, Cortland NY, charged us, two weeks ago, $170 to repair the dysfunctional lift gate. The problem was not fixed. The car was left at last Thursday for the repairing the lift gate which they didn’t fix. Subaru who now want to charge $991 to repair what the dealership was supposed to repair. The work had not been done as yet as it is a manufacturing defect, and a dangerous one at that. This Outback issue is not on my car alone as there have numerous online complaints about a malfunctioning lift gate problem. It’s a law suit waiting to happen as one (family members, grandchildren, friends) may not be aware that the lift gate may close upon their head causing a possible concussion or worse. There needs to be a recall before someone gets seriously hurt.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Dec 1, 2024
Defective windshields. The vehicle has been in my possession for 4 years. During these 4 years i've had 5 windshield replacements. 2 of which have been from rocks. 3 of which I have no idea what caused the damage, it seemingly happened out of nowhere while driving. This is well known (but not well dealt with) issue with Subaru vehicles with eyesight. People on multiple forums have the same issue, as do many people I know personally. Its a shame nothing has been done about this despite countless reports and complaints. This is a safety hazard.
Electrical system, Structure, Jul 2, 2024
Rear trunk door won’t lock when closed and open up while driving. It’s unsafe as I have to constantly keep an eye in rear view mirror to see if door popped open by itself. Took to service station and they said it’s tied to battery and it is preventing door to close because trunk door takes power to open. I do not understand how trunk door locking close cannot be independent of battery. It is quite unsafe for vehicle occupants and poses danger to other vehicles driving behind.
Structure, Feb 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the trim on the front driver’s side door started to detach from vehicle. Several days later, the front passenger’s side door also experienced the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the trim on both doors were reattached; however, the failure returned on the front driver’s side door. The contact reached out to the manufacturer online and completed a survey. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
Structure, Visibility/wiper, Oct 5, 2022
Windshield continously cracks. The windshield is prone to cracking. Within two years I've had two windshield cracks
Structure, May 8, 2022
I noticed a crack in my front windshield for no reason, it looked like it had come up from under the hood on the drivers side and bent over to the passenger side. I had not hit any construction debris etc. within 4 days of a full replacement my front windshield was shattered again! When the car was just sitting in the driveway. This crack spread out into three “legs” and got large and I had barely driven the car. I’ve owned lots of cars and I’ve never ever had a cracked windshield before- let alone two within 8 days!
Structure, Jan 31, 2022
When opening the sun roof cover I heard a "PING" noise like a mouth harp or piece of metal being flicked. Took it into dealer and they found the roof reinforcements (Most likely Part Number: 53700AN03A9P) had come loose and detached from roof structure. They are waiting on Suburu to agree to re-attached it (been two weeks)
Visibility, Structure, Dec 29, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated on multiple occasions both the front passenger’s and driver’s side window had become stuck and would not close or open. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the window regulators and window tracks were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 28,000.
Electrical system, Structure, Aug 16, 2021
The Outback had a complete loss of power, cause still not identified. In the process of attempting to get to my portable power unit I discovered a significant safety concern that could result in the death of any rear seat passengers.If there is no electrical power there is NO MEANS OF UNLOCKING THE REAR PASSENGER DOORS. The mechanical door handles do NOT work. I checked the child safety locks and they were not engaged. In the event of an accident/ front end collision that damaged the battery the occupants of the rear seats are trapped. If they needed to vacate the car for any reason they could not. Parents can not get to their children. Please investigate and make Subaru modify the back doos so the mechanical handle will operate when there is nor electrical power.
Structure, Engine, Jun 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 mph when multiple warning lights were illuminated and a "Stop Driving the Vehicle" message was displayed. The contact stated he was able to drive to a nearby gas station. The contact stated while inspecting under the hood, he noticed the drive belt was shredded. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the drive belt to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated in February of 2021, the tailgate failed to open with the key fob or manually. The contact stated after opening the tailgate, it failed to latch and close properly. The contact stated the tailgate ajar warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was called and made aware of the failure. The dealer informed the contact to disconnected the battery. The contact followed the instructions and stated the tailgate was functioning properly but in May of 2021, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to Royal Moore Subaru (1326 SE Enterprise Cir, Hillsboro, OR 97123: (503) 640-5660) where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.
Structure, May 10, 2021
SUNROOF GLASS EXPLODED OUT WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH. HAPPENED AT 7 A.M. 5/10/2021 IN MECHANICSVILLE VA. NOTHING HIT THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS ABOUT 63 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I HAVEN'T USED THE SUNROOF IN WEEKS. IT MADE NO SINCE. I GOOGLED AND SAW WHERE THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE HAPPENED TO THEM ON THEIR OUTBACK AND SOME OTHER VEHICLES TOO. I THANKFULLY HAD THE INSIDE COVER PANEL SLID FORWARD SO NONE OF THE GLASS CAME DOWN ON ME. I TOOK THE CAR BACK HOME BUT AS I DROVE SLOWER, THE GLASS KEPT COMING APART. AT FIRST IT WAS A SQUARE AREA ABOUT 6" X 4" MISSING WHEN I FIRST STOPPED AND THE REST WAS ALL SHATTERED LIKE LITTLE SQUARES BUT IN PLACE. THEN AS I DROVE HOME AT A SLOWER SPEED ON THE SIDE ROADS, IT CONTINUED FALLING IN ONTO THE HEADLINER SLIDE COVER.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Apr 26, 2021
A 12 INCH CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD APPEARED AFTER I HEARD A LOUD SHARP SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION TRAVELING 55 MPH ON A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY (BRILEY PARKWAY) IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.
Structure, Mar 16, 2021
BOUGHT BRAND NEW, IN 5 MONTHS THE WINDSHIELD HAD A CRACKED WINDSHIELD, NOT THE IMPACT STRIKE SPIDER TYPE, BUT FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE EDGE, STRAIGHT LINE CRACK 2 FEET LONG. THE SECOND TIME A CRACK, STRAIGHT LINE TYPE FROM THE PASSENGER EDGE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION BOTH TIMES, 50 MILES AN HOUR, NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND. WHILE DRIVING WITH THE CRACK, THE CRACK WOULD GET LONGER. NEVER SCENE ANYTHING LIKE IT.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jan 27, 2021
THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN THE GARAGE WHILE IT WAS STATIONARY. NOTHING PHYSICALLY DAMAGED THE WINDSHIELD AND IT CRACKED ON ITS OWN. THIS HAPPENED TWICE ON MY 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK AS WELL. I SEE THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN PLACE AND I WOULD LIKE TO GET ADDED AS THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED.
Structure, Nov 25, 2020
I WAS DRIVING AND MY WINDSHIELD JUST CRACKED.
Electrical system, Structure, Nov 16, 2020
WHILE INTERACTING WITH THE REAR OF THE CAR WHILE IT WAS PARKED AND SHUT OFF, I HAD ACCIDENTLY TRIGGERED THE "HANDS-FREE POWER REAR GATE" FEATURE AND THE GATE BEGAN TO OPEN. RATHER THAN WAIT FOR THE TAIL GATE TO FULLY OPEN, I GENTLY PUSHED THE REAR TAIL GATE AGAINST THE AUTOMATIC OPENING BACK INTO THE CLOSED POSITION. AT THIS POINT, THE CAR BEEPED AT ME THREE TIMES AND THE REAR TAIL GATE WOULD NO LONGER LATCH ITSELF CLOSED, EVEN WHEN CLOSED MANUALLY. I WAS FORCED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH THE TAIL GATE UNSECURED, IT WOULD OPEN ITSELF WHILE DRIVING BECAUSE THE LATCH WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND HOLD IT CLOSED.
Structure, Aug 17, 2020
2020 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE REAR LIFTGATE. *LD THE CONSUMER INADVERTENTLY ACTIVATED THE REAR LIFTGATE BECOMING TRAPPED BETWEEN THE LIFTGATE AND GARAGE DOOR UNTIL IT REACHED IT'S MAXIMUM OPEN CAPABILITY. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED TWO CUTS BEHIND THE RIGHT EAR, SEVERE BRUISING AND SCRAPING ON THE ARM, NECK AND HEAD. *JS
Structure, Aug 10, 2020
WE WERE DRIVING DOWN HIWAY 50 NEAR GUNNISON CO WHEN WE HEARD A SHARP SOUND FOLLOWED BY THE WINDSHIELD CRACKING. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS, THIS WAS REPEATED BUT THE CRACKING OCCURRED IN A DIFFERENT PLACE ON THE WINDSHIELD.
Structure, Visibility/wiper, Feb 25, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD STARTED TO CRACK. THE CRACK STARTED FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT A GLASS REPAIR FACILITY. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000.
Structure, Jan 22, 2020
DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, 65 MPH. HEAR A SMALL "CLICK." LOOK OVER AND DISCOVER A 6" CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD. I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR 40 YEAR AND KNOW WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WHEN A STONE HITS THE WINDSHIELD. THIS WASN'T A STONE.
Structure, Jan 11, 2020
GOT INTO THE CAR , SHUT THE DOOR AND THE REAR WINDOW SHATTERED. THE CAR IS TWO WEEKS OLD.