Subaru · Outback · 2020
2020 Subaru Outback: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 905 owner complaints and 6 safety recalls for the 2020 Subaru Outback. The most-reported problem area is the visibility & wipers (42% of complaints), followed by electrical system and engine. Make sure every open recall has been fixed by a dealer before you buy.
Common 2020 Subaru Outback problems
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Visibility & wipers problems
383 owner complaints to NHTSA (42% of all complaints for this model year) involve the visibility & wipers, including 1 crash. One owner reported: “The first issue I notice was back in may, my subaru almost came to a full complete before it leap frogged into the car in front of me, causing me to reared end the car. Then today october 11. I got into my car, removed my windshield…”
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Electrical system problems
259 owner complaints to NHTSA (29% of all complaints for this model year) involve the electrical system, including 3 crashes. One owner reported: “I have had the car for only three months, and the engine has failed to start >5 times, while stationary. I have had to get several jump starts, and the battery will run again for a few days or weeks before seeming to die again. I took the…”
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Engine problems
50 owner complaints to NHTSA (6% of all complaints for this model year) involve the engine, including 3 crashes, 3 fires, 1 injury. One owner reported: “On 12/6/2023, as I slowly turned right into a parking space, my car suddenly surged forward and accelerated without my input to the gas pedal. The brakes did not work, and there was no resistance from the brake pedal when I repeated to…”
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Transmission & powertrain problems
50 owner complaints to NHTSA (6% of all complaints for this model year) involve the transmission & powertrain, including 2 crashes. One owner reported: “The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after parked in the driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated into their home. No air bags had deployed. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries and no medical…”
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Forward collision avoidance problems
49 owner complaints to NHTSA (5% of all complaints for this model year) involve the forward collision avoidance, including 4 crashes. One owner reported: “Gas cap was not secured overnight. The next day every ADAS function both safety and convenience was disabled and their lights were on. Users guide said car should recover after a few miles of driving. 100 miles and multiple restarts later…”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility & wipers | 383 | 42% | |
| Electrical system | 259 | 29% | |
| Engine | 50 | 6% | |
| Transmission & powertrain | 50 | 6% | |
| Forward collision avoidance | 49 | 5% | |
| Body & structure | 22 | 2% | |
| Lane departure assist | 20 | 2% | |
| Airbags | 18 | 2% |
905 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 19 crashes, 7 fires, 4 injuries. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2020 Subaru Outback recalls
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Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
Risk: 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.
Full recall 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.
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Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Risk: 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.
Full recall 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.
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Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Risk: 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.
Full recall 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.
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Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Risk: 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.
Full recall 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.
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Back over prevention › Display function
Risk: 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.
Full recall 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."
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Service brakes, hydraulic › 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.
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.
Full recall 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. To check whether a specific car’s recalls have been repaired, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
2020 Subaru Outback crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2020 Subaru Outback SUV AWD. Ratings can differ between body styles and drivetrains.
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Specifications
- Drivetrains
- AWD
- Body styles
- SUV
Other Subaru Outback years
About this data
Problems, complaint counts, recalls and crash-test ratings come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public databases, last checked 2026-11-03. Complaints are reports from owners and have not all been verified by NHTSA.
How we score reliability: every model year starts at 100. Points come off for the number of owner complaints (on a log scale, up to 40 points), for each safety recall (2 points each, up to 15) and for complaints involving crashes, fires, injuries or deaths (up to 15). Popular vehicles get more complaints simply because more are on the road, so compare scores between similar vehicles. More about our method.
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