2020 Subaru Outback Problems

I am on my third windshield in les than a year. The tiniest pebble will crack the windshield, or sudden changes to weather has now caused a stress crack. Seems to be poor weight distribution on the design. There is extensive customer complaints on line with the same issue. Insurance will only cover two a year. There were no warnings of this issue when the car was purchased. This is an expensive hazard to keep having issues with. They need to do a recall on a fix.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side mirror had started to detach from the vehicle without an impact to the vehicle, and the mirror had become inoperable. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

In the first 2 weeks after financing vehicle it started having passenger window issues when it rained it caused window to not wat to go up or would try coming down when trying to let it up when it rained next qas battary kept killing my battery I've replaced 4 batteries in 2.5 years and then my rear gate door would sometimes not want to open til it just stopped all together as if it had something stuck in it to keep from opening then while driving the assistant in 2 events tried to take me off rd when going in a curb and while driving the car would just randomly act like it was shuddering and would shut off and then come right back on screen would shut off and everything until it just electrically just shut down completely nothing working complete electrical shut down in the 2.5 years I've had car ive taken it to the used lot where I git car and to two different subaru dealerships and no body had helped me and I know it had a settlement case for the battary for my year car and no body is honoring anything and now I have a shut down car with still 3 years of notes to pay and its completely factory issues but they expect me to pay large deposits to even look at this issues I just need some help on this cause I've tried all I can do and I need a car please help me or direct me to someone who can please thanks oh and the cat is a 2020 subaru outback premium trim thanks

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH on the highway, the contact was alerted by the message “Eyesight Technology Failure”, before the battery shut down, causing the steering wheel to seize, forcing the contact to come to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. The check engine, air bags, and oil warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that several other unknown warning lights and alerts were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was jump-started, and the contact was escorted by a tow truck operator to the nearest dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,168. The VIN was invalid.

I was parking my car slowly until it suddenly accelerated. I hit a wall and car got totaled.

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 it did not. It was taken to the dealer where they cleared the error for free. Poor design that a loose gas cap could cause a collision due to lack of ADAS. Dealer said it is a known condition with all Subaru models.

The warning lights on our 2020 Subaru Outback have lit intermittently for the past 2 years. When bringing the vehicle into the dealer for service and oil changes, this was reported. Recently the TPMS light began to light intermittently. Tire pressure was checked and adjusted but the problem persisted. When we brought the vehicle in for service, it turned out that all tire pressure sensors needed to be replaced BUT the service techs identified other problems that surfaced JUST AS THE CAR WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY - the most serious being an oil leak caused by FAILURE OF CAM CARRIER SEALS. This caused a dangerous condition where oil was leaking onto the engine and into the spark plugs. I find it odd that this EXPENSIVE issue was not discovered sooner. Subaru and only Subaru has been servicing this vehicle since new and they should have caught it.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Car fire, originating under the hood. Unknown if vehicle is available for inspection. Last reported by Insurance company to be at IAA; [XXX]; PH#: [XXX]. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Car fire began while in the car after moving through an intersection with a stop light. Four of us in the car, ages raging from [XXX] old. Fire quickly spread; however, we were able to exit the car without injury. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - NO, car was totaled and Subaru, NA Consumer Advocacy agent assigned claims that the vehicle is no longer available for inspection. Both insurance company (Travelers Auto) and Subaru, N.A. consumer advocacy group made aware of our concern as to why the vehicle caught fire. One or both demonstrated nonchalance of this concern. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - YES - Just prior to the start of the fire, the vehicle stalled and cut-off with CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. Also, we smelled an unusual exhaust at the time prior to, and at the time of the cut-off. This occurred at the intersection of where the car caught fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

From when we purchased this car new until the day we traded it. There were many times on the freeway at 60-65 MPH that you would need to move over a couple of lanes and went to wide open throttle and the car would simply do nothing for 1 to 2 seconds. I recently learned that in 22' Subaru had a software update to rectify this issue. Meaning there are plenty of Subaru owners who are driving around in cars that put their safety at risk. When you step on the gas you need and expect the car to accelerate .

My transmission has started to fail. The check engine light came on the error code read p0867, transmission fluid pressure. Other lights came on as well because it tripped the rest of the sensors because of the CVT failure. This seems to be a common problem in Subarus

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.

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.

I am reporting a safety-related defect involving the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) on my 2020 Subaru Outback with approximately 20,480 miles. Multiple SRS and occupant detection system warning lights illuminated. Dealer diagnostics showed multiple SRS-related faults including airbag ECU malfunction, occupant detection sensor communication failures (lost communication/mismatch), and SRS power/voltage-related faults. These systems directly control airbag deployment and passenger safety. The vehicle has not been involved in any accidents and has not been misused. The dealer advised the vehicle is not safe until repaired. Subaru of America declined assistance and closed my case, stating it is outside goodwill parameters, and is requiring me to pay approximately $1,200 to repair the airbag-related system. In November of the prior year, the vehicle had a battery failure and was serviced by a Subaru-certified dealer. During that repair, wiring work was also performed. Given the current SRS faults and the prior wiring/battery service, I am concerned this may be a systemic or related defect rather than normal wear. I am requesting NHTSA review this issue as a potential safety defect involving the SRS/occupant detection system.

I received letter from Subaru of America saying parts available for recall repair but when I went to the dealer they did not have the parts.

I was driving to a medical appointment in Ann Arbor Mi, and was in the area where [XXX] has a few big turns in the road .... like at ... [XXX] .All of he sudden the car started to accelerate a little on the turn so I attempted to brake the vehicle and I could not feel the brake pedal. I slowly moved into the right lane and frantically trying to slow the car down. I still could not feel the brake pedal and I believe when I hit the speed control off is when it slowed down and I was able to finally brake the car. It all happened in a matter of 10-20 seconds I would guess and it was absolutely terrifying. I have on occasion used the speed control to slow down the vehicle and wonder if that might have some connection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While in a Dairy Queen drive-up lane, I stepped on the brake pedal and it went right to the floor. The car did not stop, causing me to hit the car in front of me. When backing away from the car in front, the brakes again failed and I hit the car in back. I moved forward again , swiping the car in front again. The cars were merely feet apart and my car was thankfully moving very slowly. Had I been traveling at a higher rate of speed there could have been serious injuries. Car was taken to an Auto repair shop where the mechanic experienced the same problem with the brake pedal. He says the pedal went to the floor and the car wouldn’t stop. Car is currently at a collision shop where they report that inspection of the brakes is normal. They also report that the brakes worked when they pulled the car into the shop. The car has not yet been moved to the Subaru dealer service department for inspection of the brake pedal. There were no symptoms, warning lights or messages before the incident and there were none found by the shop after. My car was built in the same time frame as those involved with Recall #19V664000 which involves the brake pedal mechanism although my VIN was not included. The car is available for inspection. I initially received a ticket but it was dismissed after the repair shop owner reported the same failure.

Automatic Braking system has almost caused a rear-end collision 5 times, because it thinks a shadow is an object. We’ve brought the car to the dealership but they told us twice that they can’t replicate the problem. That doesn’t change the issue. I don’t want to wait until we have a collision and have to go through physical therapy and repairs to address this. Front headlights are blinding other drivers causing them to flash their brights at us regularly on the freeway and local roads which then blinds us and causing us to slow down and break. The dealership say that the lights can be adjusted but this is a serious risk to us and something that happens every night. It’s stressful to drive the car anticipating this all the time. We’ve replace the starter last year and having issues again. The car struggles to start. Last year they said this was a known issue and also replaced the battery. But it’s happening again. This indicates a more complicated issue in the electrical. I don’t want to have to replace the starter every year.

On Dec. 20, 2022, my Outback totally stopped working while sitting at a red light, causing traffic to be forced to maneuver around my car. A kind policeman put out flares until the tow truck arrived. I could not shift into park, nothing electric would work, except the radio continued to play and the flashers worked until it all died. I could not turn the radio off and the seat would not adjust. The electronic screen flashed on and off until it went totally black, after about an hour. This vehicle only has about 21,000 miles on it and was under warranty until 3 weeks prior to the incident. Every time I took it to the dealership, I explained that the electronics had glitches. They always said it was fixed but it never was right. The TomTom navigation system was totally unreliable from day one; the screen went blank and the radio would not work at all, as well as all the screen functions, without warning. The screen would read out that I should keep my hands on the wheel, although both hands were on the wheel. Over and over it had problems which were not resolved.

The warning lights on our 2020 Subaru Outback have lit intermittently for the past 2 years. When bringing the vehicle into the dealer for service and oil changes, this was reported. Recently the TPMS light began to light intermittently. Tire pressure was checked and adjusted but the problem persisted. When we brought the vehicle in for service, it turned out that all tire pressure sensors needed to be replaced BUT the service techs identified other problems that surfaced JUST AS THE CAR WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY - the most serious being an oil leak caused by FAILURE OF CAM CARRIER SEALS. This caused a dangerous condition where oil was leaking onto the engine and into the spark plugs. I find it odd that this EXPENSIVE issue was not discovered sooner. Subaru and only Subaru has been servicing this vehicle since new and they should have caught it.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Car fire, originating under the hood. Unknown if vehicle is available for inspection. Last reported by Insurance company to be at IAA; [XXX]; PH#: [XXX]. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Car fire began while in the car after moving through an intersection with a stop light. Four of us in the car, ages raging from [XXX] old. Fire quickly spread; however, we were able to exit the car without injury. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - NO, car was totaled and Subaru, NA Consumer Advocacy agent assigned claims that the vehicle is no longer available for inspection. Both insurance company (Travelers Auto) and Subaru, N.A. consumer advocacy group made aware of our concern as to why the vehicle caught fire. One or both demonstrated nonchalance of this concern. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - YES - Just prior to the start of the fire, the vehicle stalled and cut-off with CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. Also, we smelled an unusual exhaust at the time prior to, and at the time of the cut-off. This occurred at the intersection of where the car caught fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Car lurches when put into gear, Transmission make loud chirping noise when place into gear from park, vehicle shudders when turning. Car has had all recalls updated. Symptoms have been reported to two different dealers. Dealer in Traverse City MI indicates this is "normal". Issue has continued since first noticed.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that their daughter was driving approximately 35 mph when the dashboard displayed that an electronic power steering failure had occurred. The driver then lost control of the vehicle and ended up going over a curb hitting some rocks on the landscaping. The air bags did not deploy due to only the undercarriage being the only part that hit the curb and rocks on the landscaping. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. A police report was filed. As a result, the transmission as well as other parts of the vehicle to be damaged. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. The dealer diagnosed that the steering gearbox needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.

The driver’s power-seat lift motor failed intermittently, leaving the seat stuck in its lowest position. The component remains installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection. The seat could not be raised high enough for my wife to obtain adequate forward visibility, making the vehicle unsafe for her to drive. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Quantrell Subaru confirmed the lift motor failure. The technician tapped the motor, it worked briefly, and then failed again. It was inspected by an authorized Subaru dealer. It has not been inspected by Subaru of America, police, or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps or messages. The first symptom was that the seat would no longer raise and became stuck at its lowest position. The issue was documented by the dealer on July 21, 2026.

The drivers seat is loose, rocking back and forth significantly to the point it very noticeable while driving. The dealer states that this is due to the bottom seat frame being worn out. There are only 41,000 miles on the car, about 37,000 when I first noticed the information. This should not fail so early the car’s life. The dealer is replacing the bottom seat frame at a cost of $1310.

The warning lights on our 2020 Subaru Outback have lit intermittently for the past 2 years. When bringing the vehicle into the dealer for service and oil changes, this was reported. Recently the TPMS light began to light intermittently. Tire pressure was checked and adjusted but the problem persisted. When we brought the vehicle in for service, it turned out that all tire pressure sensors needed to be replaced BUT the service techs identified other problems that surfaced JUST AS THE CAR WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY - the most serious being an oil leak caused by FAILURE OF CAM CARRIER SEALS. This caused a dangerous condition where oil was leaking onto the engine and into the spark plugs. I find it odd that this EXPENSIVE issue was not discovered sooner. Subaru and only Subaru has been servicing this vehicle since new and they should have caught it.

Transmission is failing. Wheel bearing bad. This is a 5 year old car with regular maintenance. No warning lights.

This was December2023Clicking noise when turning. "Rear swaybar bushing replaced (have gap in them when loaded)" also replaced 2 front Axle/CV Boots. Said they were worn. Additionally today, 5/3/2024 got in my car and there is a crack in my windshield that occurred overnight. Crack comes from bottom corning on drivers side up about 12 inches.

WHEN GOING OVER SMALL BUMPS THERE IS A CRACKING SOUND IN THE FRONT AND REAR SUSPENSION OR BRAKE AREA, IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN GOING AT HIGH SPEEDS JUST SMALL BUMPS AND BRAKING.

Transmission broke while vehicle was in motion. I was unable to move the vehicle any further and drifted to a complete stop in the middle of the roadway.

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 advised that the vehicle has no remedy for it yet for the CVT chain. The contact said that the vehicle will be unsafe to operate and the dealer nor the manufacturer have offered any remedy. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

THIS IS NOT AGAINST SUBARU IT IS AGAINST DOHCLO COMPANY. I PURCHASED AN AFTER MARKET SEATBELT EXTENDER. IT IS DEFECTIVE AND WILL NOT SECURE THE SEATBELT TO RESTRAINT YOU IN AN ACCIDENT THAT COULD RESULT IN EJECTION FROM THE VEHICLE DURING AN ACCIDENT. I CONTACTED THE COMPANY AND THEY ARE REFUSING TO ASSIST. I WORRY ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OTHER PEOPLE THAT MAY USE THE ITEM WITHOUT CHECKING THAT IT IS SECURED PROPERLY. I FEEL THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE STARTED. I HAVE PHOTOS, THE PRODUCT AND COPIES OF ALL MY EMAILS REGARDING THIS.*DT*DT*AS*DT *TR*DT