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2020 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 900 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Subaru Outback, most often about the visibility and wipers (43% of complaints, typically around 6,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Outback model year since 2000 and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2020 Subaru Outback problems
Visibility and wipers
383 complaints · 43%Half of these problems showed up before 6,000 miles. Parts named most often: windshield, rearview mirrors/devices.
Car had around 6,000 miles when my windshield cracked while my car was sitting in my heated garage. No hits or impacts, just cracked. Took Subaru around a month to help me and then they installed it improperly and I needed to wait another week to have it completed properly.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after turning on the vehicle inside the garage, the contact became aware of a fracture on the lower passenger's side of the windshield below the wiper blade. The vehicle was taken to castle Subaru (6100 US hwy 6, portage, in 46368, ([phone]) who informed…
Electrical
259 complaints · 29%Half of these problems showed up before 4,500 miles. Parts named most often: 12v/24v/48v battery, instrument cluster/panel, wiring, adas.
Battery is inadequate for the electronics in this car and will be dead if not driven often. After being a unable to start my car twice within a month, the service manager admitted this was a design flaw, there is no other upgrade or replacement for the battery and that the factory recommendation is to drive the car…
I was driving to the dealer because I had difficulty starting the vehicle because of a low battery. I stopped at a stop light in a busy intersection, and the auto stop-start system shut off the engine. When the light changed to green, I pressed the accelerator and the engine did not restart. I was left with no power…
Other or unspecified
152 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 4,500 miles.
Windshield cracked from the bottom when the heater and defroster were used to preheat the car on cold morning in the driveway. Thermal shock from the outside vs inside temperature caused the windshield to crack upwards and then split in both lateral directions. Coincidentally, the car is new and was making a creaking…
Had a rock hit the windshield when a light turned green. Chip turned into a crack by the next morning and within a few days crack spread across the entire windshield horizontally.
Driver assistance
55 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 9,000 miles. Parts named most often: warnings, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, warning.
This 2020 Subaru Outback touring xt ran well for the first 10,000 miles. We were informed it had a recall and this was corrected 1/06/2021 by carboone's Subaru in utica, ny. After the recall repair when the adaptive cruise and adaptive steering are engaged if the vehicle appeared to leave its lane the warning message…
Windshield developed a progressive crack from edge on passenger side for no apparent reason. The crack was not there on friday, 2/26/2021 at the end of the day. However, when I went to drive it on saturday morning, 2/27/2021 there was a 6-8 inch crack. The crack has continued to spread across the windshield. I did not…
Engine
51 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 7,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
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…
Wife reported car stalled when making a turn after stopping. While turning she said it felt like the car was not getting any gas and had no power. She let the vehicle roll to a stop on the side of the road. She said it took several attempts for the car to start back up. This happened 3 times today during a trip to the…
Transmission
48 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 23,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that he received a recall letter from the manufacturer. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing a software update. The contact reported that the recall letter…
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer to be serviced, the dealer informed the contact that the transmission was binding and making an abnormal grinding sound while driving at slow speeds and making turns. The dealer performed the TCM software update and…
Body and structure
21 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 8,500 miles. Parts named most often: body.
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.…
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.
Speed control
18 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 1,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
Auto on-off function shuts off engine when vehicle stops in traffic for any reason. The engine is to restart when driver steps on accelerator...however this is not always the case. Many times the engine fails to start which causes the driver to believe the accelerator needs more pressure. When the engine does finally…
Vehicle has had multiple documented incidents of the infotainment system crashing or going dark and being unresponsive. Today during another episode the vehicles adaptive cruise control could not be turned off. The vehicle would not come out of cruise and continued to drive at speed. Placed vehicle in neutral while on…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2020 Subaru Outback recalls
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: chain/belt
Risk: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: chain/belt
Risk: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Backup camera: display function
Risk: The intermittent loss of the rearview image reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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."
Brakes: pedals and linkages
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2020 Subaru Outback
- What are the most common problems with the 2020 Subaru Outback?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: visibility and wipers (383 complaints, typically around 6,000 miles); electrical (259 complaints, typically around 4,500 miles); other or unspecified (152 complaints, typically around 4,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2020 Subaru Outback have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from March 22, 2024 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2020 a bad year for the Subaru Outback?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Outback model year since 2000, with 900 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.