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2020 Subaru Outback

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Outback years

Owner complaints for the 2020 Subaru Outback are substantially higher than the model-year median of 207.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

443 reports with mileage · 453 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Visibility/wiper. Review the 313 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 258 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Visibility. Review the 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

19 crash reports7 fire reports4 injury reports

Visibility complaints

70 reports
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42,000 miles · Dec 6, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after coming outside to start the vehicle it was discovered that the front glass windshield had cracked. The crack was located on the passenger side of the front windshield and extended between 18 to 30 inches long. The cause of crack was not determined. The contact…

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after coming outside to start the vehicle it was discovered that the front glass windshield had cracked. The crack was located on the passenger side of the front windshield and extended between 18 to 30 inches long. The cause of crack was not determined. The contact indicated that no object had made contact with the windshield to cause the failure. The contact also indicated that the windshield had previously been replaced for the same failure in February. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 42,000.

NHTSA ODI #11442820

42,000 miles · Dec 6, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the front windshield cracked without impact. The crack was approximately one foot long on the passenger’s side of the windshield. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The windshield was previous…

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the front windshield cracked without impact. The crack was approximately one foot long on the passenger’s side of the windshield. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The windshield was previously repaired twice at the same dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

NHTSA ODI #11442809

18,442 miles · Nov 23, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, a pebble hit the middle of her driver’s side windshield creating a crack which overtime spread horizontally across the windshield. Due to the failure, the crack would obstruct the contact's vision while driving. She then took the vehicle to …

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, a pebble hit the middle of her driver’s side windshield creating a crack which overtime spread horizontally across the windshield. Due to the failure, the crack would obstruct the contact's vision while driving. She then took the vehicle to a dealer where she had the windshield replaced out of pocket. A few months after the replacement, the contact experienced two separate windshield cracks within a week. Both cracks had spread horizontally across the windshield and were within inches of meeting in the middle. The contact stated that both cracks had formed after minor road debris had hit the windshield. The contact also stated that the most recent crack obstructed her vision while driving. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the issue. The windshield was not replaced. The failure mileage was 18,442.

NHTSA ODI #11441441

48,000 miles · Nov 5, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and unattended, the front windshield cracked. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the windshield had been impacted by an object. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independen…

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and unattended, the front windshield cracked. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the windshield had been impacted by an object. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the windshield was replaced. The failure recurred twice. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

NHTSA ODI #11439457

6,000 miles · Nov 1, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, a pebble hit the bottom passenger’s side of the windshield and formed a horizontal crack. Within minutes, the crack expanded to almost 3 feet. The contact was referred to the dealer by his insurance provider. Upon taking the vehicle to the d…

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, a pebble hit the bottom passenger’s side of the windshield and formed a horizontal crack. Within minutes, the crack expanded to almost 3 feet. The contact was referred to the dealer by his insurance provider. Upon taking the vehicle to the dealer, the contact had the windshield replaced out of pocket. A few weeks later while driving at 45 MPH, the windshield was impacted by an object and cracked. The contact stated that the failure obstructed his vision while driving. The contact parked the vehicle after the failure and had not driven the vehicle since. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI #11438851

44,000 miles · Oct 28, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front windshield cracked without impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact mentioned that the windshield was previously cracked and was replaced. The manufacture was …

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front windshield cracked without impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact mentioned that the windshield was previously cracked and was replaced. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000.

NHTSA ODI #11438513

14,501 miles · Oct 27, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that there was a crack in the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The contact stated that this was the third time that the windshield cracked and needed to be replaced. The first failure occurred in a parking garage when th…

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that there was a crack in the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The contact stated that this was the third time that the windshield cracked and needed to be replaced. The first failure occurred in a parking garage when the contact heard a loud pop and noticed there was a crack while leaving the parking garage. The second failure occurred when a rock came off another vehicle and struck the windshield. The dealer replaced the windshield twice. The dealer was not made aware of the third failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 14,501.

NHTSA ODI #11438324

10,000 miles · Sep 13, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound on the front windshield. The contact continued to drive but within an hour a crack had formed in the middle of the windshield. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer where a glass company replaced the wind…

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound on the front windshield. The contact continued to drive but within an hour a crack had formed in the middle of the windshield. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer where a glass company replaced the windshield. The contact stated several months later a small stone struck the base of the front shield and a huge crack developed from the bass to the center of the windshield. The contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer where the windshield was previously replaced, and the windshield was replaced a second time. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ODI #11432751

42,000 miles · Aug 23, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, she noticed a crack on the front windshield from the driver's side to the center of the windshield. The contact stated that nothing had struck the windshield to cause the crack to form on the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed or r…

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, she noticed a crack on the front windshield from the driver's side to the center of the windshield. The contact stated that nothing had struck the windshield to cause the crack to form on the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

NHTSA ODI #11430157

38,000 miles · Jul 26, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000. Dealer a…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000. Dealer agree to replace the windshield..

NHTSA ODI #11426499

Official recalls

6

24V227000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

Mar 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

22V485000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm); Power Train:driveline:chain/belt

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:driveline:chain/belt

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.

Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

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.

Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

21V955000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm); Power Train:driveline:chain/belt

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:driveline:chain/belt

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.

Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

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.

Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

21V587000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Jul 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

20V766000 · Back Over Prevention:display Function

Dec 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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The intermittent loss of the rearview image reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of crash.

Remedy: 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.

19V664000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages

Sep 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

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