2020 Subaru Outback complaints

The Subaru front camera incorrectly detected a hazard. The automatic braking system engaged and locked the steering. I skidded off the pavement, causing damage to the car. At the time of the accident, the blind sight warning lights flashed on the dash signaling that they were disabled. I was going very slow in a driveway. No personal damage just property damage and damage to the car. I have let the insurance company know about the issue and the collision center. I have had periodic instances where the warning signals of blind sight disabled have come on the vehicle. I informed Subaru in August 2024 about the issue at my last maintenance appointment. There is also a software update required on the vehicle. I asked Subaru to update the software in August 2024, but I was told by a service technician that it was not possible to update . I had to make a separate appointment for the software update as it took a long time.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V227000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact became aware that there was a 12-inch-long crack on the windshield starting from the driver’s side of the windshield. The contact stated that there was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the windshield to crack. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V227000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

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.

After completing an OTA software update the screen would not load and entered continuous buffering disabling all environmental and safety functions.

Rearview mirror fell off windshield with very little use. The mirror broke off a piece of the windshield, causing damage and requiring complete replacement of the windshield.

Windshield cracked from a rock chip. Within 1 day, the crack had expanded to 12 inches across the windshield.

Problem component: exterior mirror on driver side It was raining, I was driving, I heard what sounded like a loud explosion by my driver side window. After the initial shock, I thought a tire had blown out, but car drove ok and no tire warning light came on. It was a rural road with no shoulder, only deep stormwater ditch along the roadside, so there was no place to safely pull over in traffic to assess what may have happened. I drove about 2-3 miles before I could pull over at a safe spot.There I saw that the back side of my driver side mirror had completely disappeared. Wires were exposed. It appeared to have exploded off for no apparent reason. The body of the car was completely fine, the white exterior paint of the car was perfect, the actual housing of the mirror showed no marks, there are no dings or cracks in windows. No sign of any debris hitting the car. I reported it to Subaru general headquarters, and gave them all the info. I have an appt with local Subaru dealer this week. The mirror and housing are still on the car, minus the back, which is gone. My husband returned to the scene a few minutes later and searched for the piece that had propelled off the mirror or for any debris that could have caused the mirror to explode. There was nothing on the road, so wherever the back of the mirror went, it must have propelled far off the road. Safety issue: because an explosion like that nearly caused me to lose control of the car. And the piece that propelled off the mirro

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while his wife was accelerating from a stop at approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to move. There were unknown warning lights illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The dealer confirmed the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 70,158.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer to be serviced, the dealer informed the contact that the transmission was binding and making an abnormal grinding sound while driving at slow speeds and making turns. The dealer performed the TCM software update and replaced the transmission clutch kit under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train); however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the recall repair had failed to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the transmission clutch pack was replaced twice; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Schumacher Subaru (3021 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33409), where the transmission clutch pack was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the second dealer, where the transmission clutch pack was replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was temporarily repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,869.

We are on our 3rd battery in < 4 years. Subaru is well aware of this issue in their engineering in the parasitic drain from the Starlink module. AAA won’t even replace these batteries anymore because the problem is so prevalent. Meanwhile, I’m about to have to buy a 4th battery less than 4 years after purchasing the car.

I have 2020 Subaru Outback and have had 14 windshield replacements/repairs. The windshield has spider cracked out of nowhere and has been unable to take the smallest impact without cracking in multiple locations. I have submitted multiple complaints to Subaru and was informed the issue is unique to my vehicle, but the car has never been inspected by Subaru, regardless of countless requests to do so. All but one windshield replacement has been submitted through my insurance, Subaru has covered one replacement. The last time I spoke with a Subaru representative I was informed it was not Subarus issue. No one was hurt during any windshield incidents but the quality and safety of the windshield is dangerous. Subaru has refused to thoroughly inspect my windshield and the safety of my vehicle.

ACC eye sight is intermittent. It normally fails within 5 minutes of operations and just turning the car on.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the thermo-control valve. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V227000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while operating the vehicle with a front seat passenger seated inside the vehicle, the warning message "Air Bag Off" flashed off and on. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 44,300. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

See attached document for complaint

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.

After an automatic software download update, the RAB off light came on. The RAB light comes on when the car is put in Reverse and provides the option to turn that function off. After the update, the RAB icon is no longer displayed. It is the only system so far that I noticed that malfunctioned after the software update

We are on our 3rd broken windshield in 3 years. We do not drive the car very often or drive any extreme ways. This is more broken windshields than I have had in my whole life in just a few years having this car. There must be something wrong with the way it’s made.

This recall for Subaru outbacks has been in effect since March but there is no remedy available yet. I would like to have my car repaired as soon as possible because of safety concerns. Is there a timeline for when a remedy will be available?

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while seated in the vehicle in the driveway of the residence, the front windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the failure was not caused by a manufacturing defect. The windshield was replaced. The contact stated that the windshield had been replaced three times and was in the process of a fourth replacement. The contact stated that the first three windshield replacements were due to a small gravel striking the windshield. The contact stated that failures had occurred while driving, and it was very scary, she was very nervous when she heard the loud popping sound from the windshield. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 500.

The Thermal control valve went out in May while I was traveling though Texas, I took it to a dealership right away to see what the issue was and was told once again it was the thermal control valve. When it goes out you have the check engine light come on, the eyesite, and cameras all stop working along with all The warning lights staying on. They replaced it and I was told I should most likely get a refund for when I had the part first replace in July 2021. Which at that time my car was only 7 months old. I was told I would get a reimbursement for that part. However ever since Subaru warranty sent me an approval for reimbursement of this service ( letter dated May 21, 2024 for $1071. 00 that should happen in 30 -45 days, they are now stalling and stating it will be 90 days for checks to be mailed out. This is a faulty part they knew it 3 years ago and failed to handle, now more and more vehicle owners are having the issue, so they will replace the part ONLY if you have any issues. This is fraud on the part of Subaru to their customers.

This is a safety issue regarding the durability of windshields. I have had 2 incidents now with my 2020 subaru outback having a cracked windshield. Both times it came on suddenly with at least a foot long crack or more the first time and an 18 inch crack the second time just recently. I reported the incident to the service manager this time and he put me in touch with customer advocacy at subaru who is waiting for a report from the diagnosis on Monday, July 22. The first crack was in March 2024. Prior to the crack happening, I noticed a drip of dried substance running down the inside of my windshield from the top of the windshield. I thought it must be sealant and was going to contact subaru. However, without warning, I pulled out of my garage one morning to find a crack across the driver side of the windshield at least a foot or longer. There had been no incident of any rock hitting my windshield that I noticed and there was no damage to the paint on frame close to where the crack started which was on the outer edge of the windshield. The crack grew larger and crossed over the driver's visibility. I asked if there had been a recall since I thought this was odd and spontaneous but there was none. The service repair person said if a rock chip occurs in the defroster area in the perimeter of the windshield, the windshield will sustain a long crack. So I believed that something like that must have happened in my lack of knowledge of prior issues with subaru windshields. I had a

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the battery was replaced several times; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that the battery was not big enough for the turbocharger installed in the vehicle. The battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the driver's side seat moved forward and backward unexpectedly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000. The VIN was not available.

On [XXX], I was driving east on [XXX] on the North side of Toledo Ohio close to the intersection with [XXX] . The "Check Engine" warning came on, all the vehicle "Eyesight" functions were automatically turned off, and Pre collision braking and Pre collision throttle control features were activated. There was no danger of a collision at this time, but all of this left me stranded in the middle of this busy four lane highway. I was able to literally crawl to the shoulder of the road. I was not hit, but it was just good fortune that prevented that. This is where my safety was at greatest risk. After about 10 minutes during which I started and stopped the car numerous times, the pre collision braking and throttle were deactivated and I was able to drive the car. I located the nearest Subaru dealer (Yark Subaru Toledo, Ohio) and drove there. The cause of the Check Engine light was diagnosed as a failure of the Thermal Control Valve. I had received a letter from Subaru dated May 1, 2024 stating that this part might fail and extending the warranty for this part. That letter specifically stated that nothing needed to be done until the part failed. There was no mention of the fact that the car would be disabled when it happened. Part was eventually replace on July 1, 2024 two days later. Since then I have spoken to 3 people at Subaru of America seeking to understand why a Check Engine situation caused the vehicle to be disabled. I also asked the Service Advisor at Yark Subaru to expla

I am on my 4th windshield on a 2020 Subaru Outback

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front windshield unexpectedly shattered. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the windshield to shatter. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who suggested that the contact file a claim with the insurance company to replace the front windshield. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

Hi: When I was driving yesterday, the engine warning light and brake warning light both turned on. The car was like frozen on the road cannot be moved no matter how to press the gas pedal. The police helped to call tow and move my car out of the road. The tow driver left my car at a flat parking lot. On the lot, when I tried to restart my car, the car started to shake side to side and up and down. I can feel some part is dislocated and one piece of heavy thing was swaying in the car. The engine warning light was on for two times during the last two years. First time when I sent the car to the dealership, they performed the check and fixed it by free. The customer service person told me the problem is the sensor failing and the fixing was free. So, I guess it is the system defect and the manufacture already knew it. So the repairing was free. However, with one year, the situation happened again. The second time I sent the car for fixing, the service person told me it was the same problem of sensor failing but they charged me around two hundreds dollar for the second time fixing. Yesterday, the same situation happened again with the brake warning light on at the same time. It is almost another one year after the second time I sent car for repairing. My most concern is the car completely suddenly stopped during the driving. If I was on the highway, serious collision may happen and I am already passed away.

Rear trunk door won’t lock when closed and open up while driving. It’s unsafe as I have to constantly keep an eye in rear view mirror to see if door popped open by itself. Took to service station and they said it’s tied to battery and it is preventing door to close because trunk door takes power to open. I do not understand how trunk door locking close cannot be independent of battery. It is quite unsafe for vehicle occupants and poses danger to other vehicles driving behind.

I have a occupancy sensor error which has turned off the airbags on the passenger seat. I looked up the issue and found an open recall with Subaru regarding this issue. I spoke with multiple case managers to resolve the issue. They said they have reported the issue to NHTSA but it is not an active recall because they have yet to find a solution. So they have no responsibility to fix the issue at this time. They are unwilling to provide me with an alternate option than driving my car with the exact issue they issued the recall for.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while turning off the vehicle, the Data Communication Module (DCM) remained running, causing the battery to become drained twice. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. The VIN was not available.

Spontaneous windshield cracking

Display to control the environment freezes.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, he became aware that the passenger’s side of the windshield was severely cracked. The dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned that the vehicle was a safety hazard and could cause severe injuries to occupants in the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the Insurance Provider for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000.

Windshield Cracked on vehicle, this is the 2nd incident and second full windshield replacement In 2 years, noth OEM.

A small horizontal crack recently appeared on my Outback's front windshield while it was sitting in a garage overnight. The crack started from the passenger side and has now crept over to the middle of the windshield. Previous to this incident, the car had been sitting unused for over a month, so there was no opportunity for rocks or other debris from the road to cause the crack. This is the second time that the windshield has developed a crack out of thin air. I have replaced the windshield at least five times since owning the vehicle, in addition to having small chips from rocks repaired twice. These incidents are potentially dangerous and could possible interfere with the vehicle's automated systems such as collision detection and cameras.

As my husband & I were traveling to Augusta, GA on Memorial Day weekend with our niece, we approached the [XXX] outside Chattanooga, Tennessee in heavy traffic and heavy rain on Saturday [XXX] 2024 at approximately [XXX] When we stopped for a small accident ahead of us, the “auto stop-start engine” feature stopped the car engine as normal. However, almost instantly, all of the electronics in the car appeared to fail and the car would not restart. The dashboard indicated that Eyesight and RAB were disabled and to "check the owner's manual." Normal traffic quickly resumed around us, but we were stranded in the #2 lane with several close calls of a rear-end collision--not to mention the cars at risk swerving to avoid us. My husband is a retired firefighter & our niece is a nurse in Los Angeles. Frankly, we were terrified! We were stranded on the interstate in the #2 lane for about 20 minutes before being pushed into the "gore zone" between [XXX] & [XXX] by a TDOT truck. We spent about 40 minutes in the gore zone where we were nearly hit twice by cars driving across the zone. We were finally towed to Crown Subaru in Chattanooga, TN and arrived there about 11:40 a.m. The general manager of the dealership, Keith Aviles, told us there was a sudden, massive failure of a battery cell controlling the electronics of the car, and the battery was replaced. We never had any indication or evidence prior to this incident that there were issues with the battery. Also, we have never received a

The windshield has cracked every year since I purchased the vehicle in May 2020. I fortunately bought the insurance but that only covers the windshield once a year. The windshield cracks within a month or two of replacing every single year. The cracks generally start from the edge of the windshield and there is no indication that it was hit be a rock as the start of the crack is clean. There have been two incidents where I heard a pop prior to the start of the crack. I am currently on my fourth windshield.

The driver’s side (front left) power seat adjust motor has lost the inside end cap of the worm drive control assembly. Only the outside left rail will move. Subaru will not sell the part to repair, they only will supply the entire lower seat assembly for $1000. .

This vehicle is equipped with a driver monitoring system. This system will flash warnings and activate audible alarms directing the driver to keep his/her eyes on the road. At times this system malfunctions and blares warning after warning non-stop to keep eyes on the road when in fact the driver is absolutely looking straight ahead giving the road and traffic full attention. This erroneous non-stop alarm is distracting to the driver and will continue non-stop. Mostly the alarm can be ended by stopping the vehicle and shutting it off and then restarting the vehicle. The distracting nature to the driver is not the only issue. Is that false driver attention alarm being recorded to some black box to be recovered by any investigator, law enforcement or otherwise? If I should be in an accident while the vehicle erroneously has recorded that the driver was not attentive, then in fact I was, how could I prove otherwise? After all, the computer said otherwise. Once, the alarm begins, there is no way to safely stop the vehicle on the interstate, rush hour beltways and such. There is no way to safely stop the vehicle and turn off the ignition. My vehicle electronic system has been updated several times under the warranty period, yet this erroneous distracting safety alarm persists on an intermittent basis. I never know when. it is going to happen. There is reference in the manual to turning the system off, however I question whether just the alarm is turned off and the false data is ti

Spontaneous crack in windshield with no other signs of chips or damage. Car was sitting in the driveway when it occurred.

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.

Windshield developed crack without impact. Crack runs from the bottom of windshield in front of steering wheel up to the middle of the windshield, impairing visibility. This is the fourth failed windshield on this vehicle within 4 years and 60,000 miles. Average lifespan of windshield on this car is less than 12 months. Previous windshields cracked with minor hits from pebbles at highway speeds. Windshield has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives, but is available for inspection.

Have had to replace front windshield 4 times in less than two (2) years due to windshield being cracked by small debris from other vehicles passing by. These have been very minor rocks that have hit the windshield with three of the times it occurred at less than 40 mph. One occurred when I was driving in a residential area at 20 mph. One event occurred spontaneously overnight with the car sitting inside an enclosed garage. Took a picture of the latest event. Concerned that if the window cracks that easy, what would happen if I am in an accident. Subaru is aware of the problem. Windshields have not been inspected by others. No warning lamps, messages, et cetera are related to these events. Review of web comments reveal that it is not an isolated event. Seems to be a design issue and how their Eyesight system affects the windshield design.

Thermostat Replacement: THERMO CONTROL VALVE IS NOT OPERATING. FLUID IS LEAKING FROM ASSEMBLY. The thermostat is a valve that keeps coolant circulating in the engine until it reaches normal running temperature. When this happens, the thermostat opens and allows coolant to flow to the radiator. There were no warnings before this occurred and my car could have overheated. After talking to multiple subaru outback owners, this issue seems to be predominant and am surprised it is not covered by Subaru or that the NTSHA has been warned of this issue.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that there was a large crack on the windshield going across the front windshield. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,000.

Later today I am getting my 4th windshield, maybe my 5th, I don’t remember. There is something wrong With these windshields. Nothing more than a small pebble has hit the windshield to cause the cracks and honestly that was only one incident. All the rest happened for no apparent reason. Again, my fourth or fifth windshield. This is ridiculous.

[XXX] recall , Chain is slipping , Subaru Dealer In Boone NC Recommends [XXX] repair kit. Dealer, Hendrick of SouthPoint, Durham NC, won't cover expenses, because when they did the original procedure, [XXX] noted nothing was slipping at the time, and they updated the TCU and stamped completed. Now that the car is over 100k miles by just a few thousand they will not repair it. Cost to repair $12000.00. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The NEW car battery was replaced by seller early in the first year. The car would not start after stopping. Now the same again dead battery symptom reappears. Upon trying to start, the electrical system will not shut off at this time and will drain the battery down yet further. After stopping the car it will not start without fully recharging. Early on, once the car stopped running while I was in gear driving down the road. Though it did restart this time. I have been unable to disable the engine from stopping at stop signs which is a BIG concern. The last few recharges have only lasted days. I'd say the battery is now gone. And now also, when the battery is charged, the rear hatch will not open. This is a big concern. Dependent upon who you talk to at the Subaru Dealers, you will get numerous answers for this concerns. Buy another car? As to the rear hatch, the Manual shows I can just pull a cord on the inside. None can be found.