Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
3960–25K
3025–50K
1250–75K
275–100K
1100–150K
2150K+
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
What owners actually said
896 reports
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
Mileage unknown · Dec 4, 2021
Unknown Or Other
Windshield has cracked in same area as those Subaru windscreens in the class action suit just settled.
NHTSA ODI #11442668
Mileage unknown · Dec 1, 2021
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other
Returned to vehicle and battery was dead. While at work, received notification through Subaru app that alarm was triggered. Same thing happened last week. Tailgate was making clicking sound like it was trying to open. Once battery was jumped, the tailgate continued clicking. Researched online and found that this is a known i…
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Returned to vehicle and battery was dead. While at work, received notification through Subaru app that alarm was triggered. Same thing happened last week. Tailgate was making clicking sound like it was trying to open. Once battery was jumped, the tailgate continued clicking. Researched online and found that this is a known issue for Subaru Outback and Ascent vehicles of certain years.
NHTSA ODI #11442294
Mileage unknown · Nov 30, 2021
Visibility/wiper
Windshield seems to have cracked for no good reason
NHTSA ODI #11442175
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
Mileage unknown · Nov 23, 2021
Visibility/wiper
Vehicle was started remotely (which turned on windshield deicer) and when I entered the vehicle as I prepared to drive there was a popping sound. I noticed that the windshield had cracked in the center bottom of the windshield where the deicer is locate. The crack ran about 4 inches long. Notified Subaru and was told to hav…
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Vehicle was started remotely (which turned on windshield deicer) and when I entered the vehicle as I prepared to drive there was a popping sound. I noticed that the windshield had cracked in the center bottom of the windshield where the deicer is locate. The crack ran about 4 inches long. Notified Subaru and was told to have dealer inspect vehicle. Waiting for reply from Subaru
NHTSA ODI #11441421
Mileage unknown · Nov 22, 2021
Electrical SystemEngineExterior Lighting
The sixth time the car has failed to start due to dead battery. 3 of the 6 were times when the car was driven less than 5 miles and only turned off for a short duration.
NHTSA ODI #11441337
Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2021
Electrical System
Battery/car died on new 2020 outback. Less than 35,000. Dealership cannot diagnose the problem. It has happened 4 times. 3 before. 1 after the dealership tried to diagnose.
NHTSA ODI #11441203
31,000 miles · Nov 19, 2021
Power TrainCrash
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the driver was driving at approximately 35 mph, the vehicle was maneuvering to the right lane however, the vehicle flipped over landing on the roof. The air bags did deploy. The contact mentioned that the wheel mechanism and driveshaft fell out onto the right …
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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the driver was driving at approximately 35 mph, the vehicle was maneuvering to the right lane however, the vehicle flipped over landing on the roof. The air bags did deploy. The contact mentioned that the wheel mechanism and driveshaft fell out onto the right side of the vehicle. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that the driver did not sustain any injuries that needed medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was damaged. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000.
NHTSA ODI #11440980
Mileage unknown · Nov 17, 2021
Electrical System
In approx 2 years, the battery in my brand new 2020 Subaru Outback has died approx 8-10 times. The dealership claims it's Covid related (not driving enough); or the car has so many electrical systems that the battery is being drained as it sits in garage-the fix is me driving it more according to them.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 ↗
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