2020 Subaru Outback complaints

While driving along the freeway, I heard a "pop" and noticed a crack along the windshield. It was along the passenger side, about 10"-12" above the dashboard, and went all the way to the passenger side edge of the windshield. There was a vehicle ahead of me, maybe 1/4 mile ahead. As I kept driving, it grew a little more towards the middle of the windshield. This is the third time this has happened to this vehicle, as the previous owner had to get the windshield replaced twice in the past 6 months.

I was trying to open the trunk with the button in the car, it didn’t work, so I pulled the car forward thinking it was the problem, but it wasn’t. I got out of the left the door open and attempted to open it, but it would not. With the keys in my hand, I shut the driver’s side door, and attempted to push the button on the back, but that still didn’t work, even using the key fob. I went back to the driver’s side, only to find that the doors somehow became locked with the car on and the keys in my hands. The doors would not unlock even though I touched the driver’s front and the passenger’s front doors. Using the key fob did not work. Luckily this car has the key in the fob and that’s what I had to use to enter the car. Actually, this is two incidents in one, the trunk would not open and the doors locked with the car running and the keys in my hand. The trunk oddly just spontaneously started to work again after the analogue key was used on the door. Of note, the monitor and Apple CarPlay had been on the fritz all morning and continued. I’m not sure if the electronics caused a problem with trunk opening and the car doors locking while the car was running.

The head unit (Entertainment Center) of my car will re-boot several times while driving. This re-boot process will also disable Eyesight, speed control, lane departure warning, and other safety systems on my car while driving. These safety systems will not re-enable without pulling over, turning off the car, then turning the car back on again.

Windshield cracked after a slight impact to the glass from something off the road. Car was purchased new in April 2020, first windshield was replaced in February 2021 and second windshield was replaced in July 2021. Three windshields in 15 months

Windhshield spontaneously broke in linear pattern, approximately 2ft in length, across passenger side, without spidering/inpact. Car was parked in open sun parking lot for apprimately 5 hours. Taken to Safelite autoglass for repair when they stated that they see 2-3 newer subaru’s a day for similar issues.

I was hit by a very small pebble in the freeway which left a small crack smaller than the diameter of a nickel. My insurance sent safelite to repair the small crack. The technician started work on the small crack and immediately popped and turned into a 10-12 inch crack which meant the windshield had to be replaced. I did not have to pay the cost of the replacement windshield as safelite said it was still under warranty.

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..

Driving north on the interstate with no other vehicles on the road. Windshield spontaneously cracked from passenger side defrost to middle of windshield. Took the car into the dealer, and they claimed a rock hit it because they could run their fingernail into the crack. I strongly disagree with Subaru’s maintenance division as I was there when it happened and there is no chip or star shaped damage from an impact of any object. The crack quickly spread across the entire length of the windshield.

Purchased new and front windshield spontaneously cracked in multiple directions overnight. No impact evidence at the center of the crack. Noticed online that many Outback owners are reporting this same problem. Not sure if it’s a defective windshield or body flex which caused windshield to flex and crack. I expect the windshield to be replaced by Subaru at no charge.

The contact owned a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, a truck pulled into the roadway and struck the contact's vehicle however none of the airbags deploying. In addition, the lane keep assist system did not chime. No one was injured and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed as destroyed. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

I bought my Subaru Outback in July 2020, it’s barely one year but I already had two major problems happened to the vehicle. 1. The transmission was broken, it’s confirmed by the dealership and they were able to replace the whole transmission system for me. But this concerns me a lot, from safety perspective, if I wasn’t able to identify the issue in early stage it could cause malfunction while I’m driving and I always have my daughters in my car. 2. It’s a barely one year car but my battery drained twice. I have to call road side assistant to jump start. I always make sure to shut all my lights and I don’t understand why this keep happening. There was one night I have to drive to the grocery store and my battery died within that 20 minutes while I’m in the store. I was waiting for road side assistant for 45 minutes while it’s getting dark and my kids are home by themselves.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the front windshield cracked without impact, from the passenger’s side going toward the middle and of the windshield. The contact was able to continue driving to his destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 17,800.

We are getting about 24.5 mpg highway on a car that was advertised at 33 mpg highway. We traded in a 2015 outback that did consistently get 32 mpg on the type of driving we do. (mostly Highway). I have taken the car to the dealer where we purchased the vehicle several times but they say the computer shows no problem. They cannot conceive that the sensors or the computer might be in error. This 30%reduction in gas mileage will cost us about $600/year. We are winter Texans and drive to Alaska every summer and there is the danger of running out of gas on some of the long stretches on the Alaska highway.

My 2020 Subaru Outback has had to be towed to service a battery that failed to start the car even after is was jumped by AAA and driven for 20 miles. Subaru assured me that the battery was simply not properly charged and the car was returned. Then a couple of months later I left my car unproven in my driveway while I was out of town for 2 weeks and my car would not start. I again had it towed to my Subaru dealership where Subaru ran the same test and told me that they replaced a bad battery. They also told me that when they jump started the car in their shop they discovered that the interior dome light had been left on while I was out of town. The later is inconsistent with my experience as I loaded my Subaru Forester sitting right beside my Outback in the dark before leaving town. Had the dome light been left on, I would have noticed the light as I packed my car. In addition their test of this battery later showed this battery to need to be replaced. My safety concern is I cannot trust this car to start. Had I driven my 2020 Outback to the airport for a 14 day trip rather than my 2020 Forester, I would have found myself on the 4th level of the terminal parking lot with a dead battery upon my return. This is the second time that I have had to have this car towed to the Subaru dealership to have the battery serviced under warranty. I cannot simply purchase and install a 3rd party battery under warranty.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the contact heard a minor ding on the windshield. The ding was a small pebble that hit the windshield which caused a crack to form from the driver’s side to the passenger’s side of the windshield. The crack obstructed his vision while driving. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the windshield was replaced out of pocket. Eight months later, the same failure occurred again while driving, at the exact spot on the replacement windshield. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and denied knowing any information about failures with windshields in similar vehicles. The contact also stated that several electrical failures had occurred in the vehicle such as the infotainment screen and eyesight system not operating as designed. The contact made an appointment with the same dealer however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that she awoke and noticed that the windshield of the vehicle had cracked overnight, from the exterior edge inward. The contact stated there were no chips around the crack that could have caused the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 30,300.

With in the first few months of ownership it would not start. I used roadside assistance to get a jump. A couple of moths later same thing. Same driver from road side assistance jump started me and stated, " all I have been doing lately is jumping Subarus". It soon died again, the dealership tested battery and found it defective and had to wait for a new "stronger" battery. 4 days later I get it back. It was still under warranty.

Today, 7/11/2021 my 3rd OEM Subaru windshield cracked spontaneously, while driving. All windshields were replaced at Beardmore Subaru, in Belleville, NE using Subaru replacement windshields. In all instances the windshield has cracked spontaneously without impact on either the passenger side or at the bottom of the windshield, near the middle. The cracks continue to propagate quickly while driving or when parked overnight, until the crack terminates on the side opposite the crack. This spontaneous cracking, is a safety hazard in that it not only compromises the integrity of the glass, but also can affect the Subaru EyeSight safety vision system, by impairing camera view thru the windshield if a crack propagates through the cameras field of view. This new instance means that in less than 10,000 miles I have had 4 windshields in this car. I have never had this occur on any vehicle I have owned previously, nor to our 2017 Outback. This appears to be a defect in Subaru OEM glass or the specifications Subaru has engineered for the 2020 and up Outback global platform.

2020 & 2021 model Subaru Outbacks, as well as Accents come with a battery that apparently are unable to power the vast electrical components contained within the car made by Subaru. Subaru service states the auto has to be continually driven, not just running, for the battery to recharge. They do not give a straight answer and place the issue on the vehicle owner usage habits.

My battery has died multiple times this summer, most often when the rear liftgate is open. I have 17,000 miles on this car and would expect the battery to last longer.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the garage, the next day it was discovered that the front windshield had developed a crack that extended approximately two and a half feet long. The contact indicated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The failure mileage was 7,600.

Four times in the last 3 months, the car has failed to start and required a jump. I now feel like I can't drive the car alone or to remote places, and I fear degrading the electrical system over time through constant jumping. The dealer has inspected the battery and done a full diagnostic and reports no issues. Their advice is that we're not driving the car often enough to charge the battery. But the last instances have been with a trickle charger, and with long drives on the highway. It seems clear that either the electrical system is draining the battery while the car is off or that the battery isn't charging efficiently while driving. We've checked all the internal lights and other devices that might be draining the battery. We haven't yet done a third party inspection but will do that shortly.

The vehicle was purchased new in September 2020. It is now 10 months old. I drove the car twice yesterday. Today I went out to the vehicle and the battery/electrical system was completely dead. No interior lights, no response to the fob. Other than the two drives, I programmed the PIN entry system, last night. The vehicle has been garaged since new and was in the garage since driven yesterday.

2020 Subaru Outback purchased in January 2020 has had to have windshield replaced twice. I have owned dozens of vehicles and never had to replace a windshield more than once even on vehicles I owned for 10 - 15 years. The windshields clearly are defective as evidenced by the many complaints regarding windshields for multiple Subaru models over several years.

Windshield cracked without any incident. The crack is approximately 12 inches long and located on the drivers side of the vehicle. With no incident causing this crack, I am concerned that this crack may cause severe injuries and is an obvious safety concern.

On 4/01/2021 the windshield cracked while the car was parked inside my garage for some unknown reason. I scheduled and paid for a new windshield and eyesight calibration, which was installed by dealer (Briggs Subaru Topeka, Ks). Windshield cracked again two months later on 6/23/2021 for an unknown reason. The crack occurred while I was parked at work. There is no sign of a rock chip or other object cracking the windshield. I scheduled my car for an inspection on 7/01/2021 at the same dealership.

Battery died at only 10months old. Left stranded for over 4 hours in remote area since we were camping when it happened. Nothing had been left on in the vehicle. Was able to eventually get a jump start and get vehicle to dealer for check. They found battery deeply discharged and recharged but battery died again 2 weeks later. Battery replaced that time. Fear this could happen while driving if i forget to turn off the auto stop/start system or even cause the car to stall while driving and result in loss of braking or control.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while sitting in the vehicle parked at a doctor’s office, the driver noticed that the front windshield started to crack from the driver’s side and extended to the middle of windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle but was unable to provide the diagnostic cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 20,800.

The main control module goes completely blank while driving, eventually rebooting itself. Just recently I have documented blanking on April 9th, May 1, May 9, May 30, and June 13. One instance of the voice for navigation going silent on May 14 also occurred. The module was replaced today and on the way home from the dealership, it went blank again.

After leaving this car in an airport parking lot for 4 weeks, it would not start. I also noticed that all of the doors except the hatchback were unlocked. I coincidentally had a jumper battery unit in the car and was able to start it with the external battery jumper. When I drove the car the 30 minutes to my home, I found that the battery had not charged at all. This meant that until Subaru fixed this on warranty, I could drive the car but would have to raise the hood, hook up the external jumper unit, start the car, disconnect the jumpers, close the hood and finally drive where I was going. This procedure grows old after doing it repeatedly to shop for supplies after being away for 4 weeks. The Subaru dealer fit me in the following day and confirmed the battery had been destroyed by the car sitting unused for 4 weeks. He recommended that I always leave a small charger on it whenever it will not be used for 2 weeks or more! That would have been impossible at the airport parking lot. I have taken this car on very many severe backcountry drives where failure to start when it's time to leave could be problematic or even fatal. Whatever is the problem should be fixed. If the new battery will fail the same way, it should be replaced with a battery that won't, on warranty. If it's the charging system that's at fault, then the faulty design should be corrected.

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 belt was shredded. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the drive belt to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated in February of 2021, the tailgate failed to open with the key fob or manually. The contact stated after opening the tailgate, it failed to latch and close properly. The contact stated the tailgate ajar warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was called and made aware of the failure. The dealer informed the contact to disconnected the battery. The contact followed the instructions and stated the tailgate was functioning properly but in May of 2021, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to Royal Moore Subaru (1326 SE Enterprise Cir, Hillsboro, OR 97123: (503) 640-5660) where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.

I was driving down the interstate with no cars around and my outback windshield cracked. I was far enough away from cars and I didn’t see anything hit the window. I heard a loud pop. A soft but quick pop, not like the sound of a rock hitting but different. Then I drove on down the road and saw a large crack forming from the bottom of the passenger side of the window. And there’s no dimple anywhere in the crack.

Purchased the car Friday 06/18/2021, Battery was dead two days later on 06/18/2021, Flemington subaru replaced the battery on 06/19/2021.

The front windshield cracked unexpectedly today while driving. There were no visible rock chips where the crack emanated from but I have noticed other chips in the glass. I only have 15,000 miles on this vehicle. There was a loud pop and a large crack appeared on my windshield.

Along with the ongoing class action lawsuits about the Subaru Outback lower windshields, we have had a crack in our lower windshield that popped up ~30 seconds after the smallest stone hit the windshield. We've had the same small stones hit our windshield on our other cars for decades and never had a crack (around 9-12 inches in length) come up like this.

I have had to call Subaru Roadside Assistance at least five occasions. Randomly on occasion, when I go out to use my Car, I find my vehicle locked with the battery drained. Everytime it happens the dealer gives me a loaner vehicle while they try to troubleshoot the problem. Every time they say they cannot not find a power drain. The service department then said that I must have bumped the rear dome light and that drained the battery. I am pretty sure I did not bump the light so this last time I taped that dome switch with clear tape so that could not move. This morning 12/15/21 my started fine. I drove more than 50 miles to the VA Hospital in Tampa. I stopped my car a line for a pre-op COVID check. I turned the car off 5-10 minutes and when the line of cars moved again and I went to crank the car up again, it would not start. I got out and called Subaru Roadside Assistance and got locked out. I used my hidden key in the Fab. Subaru brought a gallon of gas which was not the solution and then he told me to try to start the vehicle. He said the battery was drained (which is strange because had just drove fifty miles to th location and the alternator should be keeping the battery full). He the connected a battery power pack jumper and successfully jumped the car. I have faithfully waited and been patient with Cannon Subaru explanations and reasons to no avail. I explained to a sales representative that my 2020 Subaru Outback Limited is a Lemon and I want to exchange it for a new

Went to drive vehicle and found windshield cracked down the middle from top to bottom. No chips and no prior damage of any kind to windshield. Windshield spontaneously cracked for no reason whatsoever.

In the last month, twice within 30 seconds of starting the car, the head unit has done a complete reboot, which meant that I had no rear-view camera as I was backing out of a parking space. Since the car was already in motion, it was very distracting as it took about a minute for the unit to reboot. This seems to indicate that there is an electrical problem with the car as many others have noted. Many of the car's controls (such as climate control) are soft buttons displayed on the head unit and cannot be adjusted otherwise. Therefore, it is essential that this unit operate properly and dependably.

Battery failed. 12 months, 5000 miles Battery Information: 620 AMPS LN2 20HR 62 AH 82110AN00A

Our 2020 Subaru Outback has less than 14,000 miles. In the last month the battery has failed 4 times. The last time we had Subaru tow come out and give it a charge. It seemed to work but when we took it out upon returning it failed again. We again had Subaru come out and charge it and we drove it to the dealer. The dealer had it Wednesday afternoon through Friday. (6/9/21 - 6/11/21). The notes from the dealer said, "upon inspection of the vehicle technician did not require a jump start to turn vehicle engine on. Tech performed a battery diagnostic test using the Subaru GR8 battery machine. Diagnostic battery results came back as a good battery.Vehicle battery was deeply discharged and required re-charging. Vehicle battery is operating as designed after performing service. No repairs or additional services required." Today, Sunday, won't start again. Yes, it is available for inspection. It hasn't been a risk at this point but certainly could be one.

The front windshield of our 2020 Subaru Outback spontaneously cracked, impairing the ability to see outside. I drove the car yesterday with my wife in the passenger side (June 11, 2021), returning about 1500, and parked the car. We went out today, at about 1400 to go on an errand, not having driven the car since the previous day, and found a crack in the windshield. Compared to other cracks we've experienced in other cars, there is no impact area (and we didn't hear one when driving the previous day). See picture attached. There are no other drivers of this car in our home.

On multiple occasions my car has come to a complete stop, due to the automatic emergency breaking, when the car in front of me was in no way near my car or when there was nothing near my car at all. After almost having 2 accidents in the last 2 weeks due to this, I brought my car to Subaru (twice! two different dealerships) where I was informed that Subaru cameras are overly sensitive and "this happens a lot". Both dealerships told me to turn off my safety features and said there was nothing to fix. There is a class action lawsuit in the works for this exact issue and Subaru is continuing to tell me nothing is wrong. I'm hoping filling this out will get the issue further investigated since it's a common enough problem.

Windshield developed a crack from no apparent external cause and crack has spread across windshield from driver's side to vmcenter if vehicle obscuring driver view of roadway. I live in MT where cracked windshields are very common, usually occuring due to rock or pebble striking glass and then spreading from a "bullseye" to a crack. This incident occured with no apparent external object striking vehicle, not was the crack preceded by the common bullseye normally created by flying gravel or rock.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle had been parked for three days when she noticed that the windshield was cracked. The contact stated that the windshield had cracked without impact. The local dealer was contacted and informed of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,460.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph, the windshield cracked without impact. The crack grew to approximately 20 inches. The windshield had been cracked on five separate occasions. A week prior to the latest crack developing, the windshield had been replaced for the same failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.

Windshield cracked while sitting in driveway, nothing hit the windshield.

On May 27, 2021, my 2020 Outback would not start after driving approx. 20-25 min. and being shut off approx. 15-20 min. I called my dealer, they sent technician & loaner car. He was able to start the car with a battery booster after trying several other things. My husband & I drove directly to the dealer, approx. 30 min., to have battery checked out. They did a Battery and Electrical System Analysis which came back with a "Good Battery". The next 2 days, no problems. On May 30, 2021, the car would not start 2 different times at our home. My husband used the battery booster both times to start. On June 1, 2021 I sched. an appt. for 6/2 with dealer to find problem. I checked in at 12:53, out at 4:15. It took 3 hrs. 22 min. to decide that the battery had failed and replaced.

Car driven regularly 6 days a week. Battery completely drained overnight and needed replacement.

I purchased a 2020 Subaru Outback XT in March 2020 (approximately 14 months of driving at the time of this submission). The vehicle currently has almost 15k miles on it. I recently had my fourth (4th!) windshield installed. The first replacement windshield was installed after a pebble the size of a grain of rice (I saw kicked up by a truck in front of me) hit the windshield and caused a large lateral crack the propagated. The vehicle had approximately 1500 miles at the point. The first replacement (OEM) cracked after hitting another pebble on the highway. I did not see the size this time because it was on the part of the windshield obstructed by the side posts on the outside of the windshield. The crack propagated horizontally across the entire windshield. This occurred at approximately 8K miles. The second replacement (aftermarket made to OEM specs) cracked after hitting a bug! A picture taken immediately after bug impact is attached below. The crack propagated in a Y-formation and needed replacement. Although cicadas have recently begun coming out, this was not an overly large bug. It was approximately the size of a lightning bug, as I saw it hit. I also drive a VW Golf with 50k miles (over 5 years) and have never had a windshield issue.

Electrical issues started August 15, 2020 when car would not start. Requested jump without positive results and after sitting for 3 hours in a parking lot, it started. Took to dealership and they found nothing wrong. Fast forward to 2021, driving on Interstate at 65mph and again at 70mph when radio turns off by itself, then front driver monitoring system light comes on, the side collision prevention light comes on, the RAB light comes on and another warning light that I was unable to catch. Lasts a few seconds then goes off. The next morning after the car sat for approximately 16 hours, it would not start. Dealership stated it was the battery and replaced battery on May 6, 2021. It sat at dealership 2 days and would not start when went to pick it up. They stated dome light left on, charged battery and gave it back to me. Third time when warning lights came on, took in and they stated they couldn’t find anything thus couldn’t fix something they couldn’t find and gave it back to me (May 19, 2021). Now on May 28, 2021 same issue, dead in driveway. Car has 22,285 miles on it.