2020 Subaru Outback complaints

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the windshield was fractured on the lower passenger side and had since migrated towards the middle of the windshield. The fracture measured approximately 8-inches long. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, a tiny rock struck the windshield. The contact stated that later that day while the vehicle was parked, she noticed that the windshield was cracked. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not repair the windshield. The vehicle was taken to a glass repair facility and the windshield was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken back to an independent glass repair facility who replaced the windshield. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

3 weeks ago the all of the warning lights came on. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Could not find out what was wrong. Saw there was a lot of carbon build up which was unusual since there is only 26,000 miles on vehicle. After a week a dealership a cleaning took it home. Went back the next day. They inspected and stated it was the spark plugs and needed new fuel injectors. Had replaced. Everything still covered. Picked vehicle up finally after 17 days of it being there. When picking it up the paper work stated the vehicle had cylinder 1 misfires 30-45 times in a 3 hour period. But was assured the vehicle was repaired and fully inspected and 100% safe. Within 24hrs of driving the vehicle. The next morning we drove to school and with after the second light we smelled smoothing rolled windows down and but was sure if it was us. Then had slowed down to turn at the next light to turn to pull over but didn’t get that opportunity before a boom and smoke and flame came and i rushed out of the car and took immediate action and got my 4 year old out of her car seat. Before the whole car was up in flames. I have heard that similar vehicles had similar issues but have had other repairs to deal with it.There was no lights that came on in the vehicle to warn us that something was wrong so thought the smell was from outside. Insurance and the auto maker are inspecting but i had to alert the automaker the dealership wasn’t going to. They stated that the insurance and automaker will just comp

Windshield cracked for no apparent reason. Car was in garage. No impact to windshield observed.

Infotainment system went into a continuous boot loop where screen went blank then subaru bootup screen appeared, then menu started to load then process repeated. During this process the Eyesight driver assistance system would produce an error saying all of it's functions were disabled while the infotainment system was rebooting. Also the display in center of the dashboard that shows vehicle info was randomly showing scrambled text while the infotainment system rebooted. This has happened multiple times, appears to happen when the vehicle has been on for several hours and is warm so it is hard to reproduce.

My windshield cracked from top center, with no impacts, it happened on a cold snowy evening, just cracked……

Driving at speed on 75 S in Dallas and noticed a line crawling up my windshield from the seal near the hood. Didn't hear anything hit the glass. The line keeps getting bigger. It will become harder to see and I fear the glass with shatter at some point. Just had the car inspected a few weeks previous.

My 2020 Subaru Outback has had starting issues since shortly after I purchased the car on 1/31/2020. If I do not drive the car for more than two or three days the car will not start without a jump. On one occasion the battery was completely drained so that the fob key would not even unlock the car. Not long after I purchased the car I spoke to a mechanic at the Subaru dealership regarding the battery drain issue. He offered me no solutions except to say that there are many computers in the Subaru Outback and together they draw a lot of current. I do not know if I received a defective battery or if there is some electrical defect causing excessive battery drain when the car is off.

0N03/31/22 2 CRACKS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVERS DIES OF THE VEHICLE. ONE WAS 9 INCHES IN LENGTH THE OTHER WAS 12 INCHES IN LENGTH. BOTH STARTED AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND WENT UPWARD. ON 0330/22 THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR AN IL CHANGE AND OVERALL INSPECTION. NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND. VEHICLE WAS HOUSED IN GARAGE OVERNIGHT. CRACKS WERE FOUND THE NEXT MORNING. NO EVIDENCE ANYTHING HAD IMPACTED THE WINDSHIELD OVERNIGHT. CONTACTED INSURANCE COMPANY FOR CLAIM FOR REPLACEMENT AND RECALIBRATION OF EYE VISION SAFETY FEATURE. THERE IS A CURRENT LAWSUIT PENDING AGAINST SUBARU FOR WINDSHIELD CRACKS THE COVERS THIS MAKE,MODEL AND YEAR

The front lights are extremely bright for other drivers on the road. It is so bad that I took it into the dealership/service department to get them checked out. I was told that there is no issue with the lights and other drivers are not use to the led lights being installed into newer vehicles. I can see three blocks in front of me as far up into the trees. I rarely drive at night, because I am constantly getting hi beamed by other drivers. I noticed on other public forums that it is an issue with the lights and other models as well.

Headlights do not have a true low beam. When low beam is selected it partially blocks the top of the high beam. OK if on a dead flat road. On one that undulates at all at some point cars coming the other way are blinded by the full brightness of the headlight. Often because of this oncoming cars are flashing their high beams at me thinking that I haven't dimmed mine. If a driver is blinded by the high beam brightness it could cause an accident. Or it could cause a road rage incident by someone offended by my high beam. In my state the Police have fined drivers for not dimming their lights. Selecting low beam creates a very obvious horizontal cut off of the high beam. But a bounce or by meeting another vehicle while I going up a grade will shine the full high beam in their face.

Date: March 25, 2022 - While driving to work, the car shut off. The RAB and eye technology features were disabled. The car indicted the battery was drained. The same day I got the car towed to the dealer. I stayed with the vehicle to find out what was wrong. After a two hour inspection, the Bay Ridge Dealer/Mechanics in Brooklyn, New York indicated that I left something on that drained the battery. I said sir "I did not." He said well the battery is ok and there is no indication that anything is wrong. The next day (March 26,2022) when I was about to start the car - the car couldn't start. I had to get it towed to the dealer and am left without a car.

Unknown - noticed crack in windshield randomly over the weekend. No known damage to vehicle.

Head unit shuts off while driving with no warning, and no clear cause. All safety features shut off including Eyesight and rear brake assist (shows as off in instrumental panel). It has happened multiple times in the past several months ( at least seven times) Head unit then appears to restart while underway, as if I had just entered and started the vehicle. Contacted dealer who said “the radio sometimes shuts off”. I explained that it was the entire head unit and safety features. It was simply left with them saying they have know of it happening, but no action or follow up was recommended. Time of incident is an estimate. Electronics seem to be slow to start when vehicle is first started. Was not able to get photos while driving.

Windshield crack from a rock chip expanded across entire windshield. Another rock chip 5 months later caused another 8” crack.

The windshield cracked for no reason. I was driving around 50mph and didn’t notice anything hitting it.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery would drain with the engine off. The contact had to jump start the vehicle to resume normal operation. The contact also stated that the tailgate would independently open while driving due to a defective latch. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they could not determine the cause of the battery failure; however, the tailgate latch was replaced. Despite the visit to the dealer, the failures persisted. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and offered to provide a cash incentive towards another vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Cracked windshield for no apparent reason. Rapidly spreading.

While driving on the highway, there must have been some road debris that hit the windshield and caused a long crack to form on the right lower quadrant of the windshield. Due to the development of the crack, the integrity of the windshield is lowered in the event another foreign object strikes it. Searching Outback windshield crack on Google or any other search engine will produce many reports in which other owners are experiencing the same issue. There is a subreddit titled subaruoutback in which there are over 50 reports from other Outback owners experiencing crack development for the first time in all their years of driving. I will be getting my windshield replaced by Safelite as to not place my passengers at risk. There have been previous lawsuits regarding Outback and Legacy models regarding defective windshield, which have since settled, although the year models are from 2015-2016, it would be interesting if they continue to persist for newer models such as 2020, 2021, 2022 since there are still many complaints and cracked windshields being reported. In the event that investigation proves that there are still windshield defective issues, hopefully Subaru can be encouraged to further research and provide safe windshield replacements for all parties involved.

I went to my car and saw a 6”+ crack on it. The car was parked in a parking lot.

The windshield developed a spontaneous crack on its top middle, around the the rear view mirror. The crack was noticed when I came entered the car as it was parked in my driveway. The crack is approximately 10 inches long. There is no obvious cause for the crack--- no chips or dings on the windshield; mild temperatures, not running the AC or heat. The crack appears to have occurred while the vehicle was stationary. The crack somewhat impedes visibility and reduces the integrity of the windshield, reducing overall safety of the vehicle. Vehicle had routine 18,000 mile maintenance/inspection at the Subaru dealer approximately 1 week prior with no abnormal findings reported. The Subaru dealer has refused to replace the windshield. I am the first owner of this vehicle, and have had it for approx. 16 months.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise and noticed a small crack on the driver’s side windshield. The contact stated that the following day while approaching the vehicle, the crack had expanded across the windshield horizontally to the passenger’s side. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated on another occasion she noticed a medium crack on the driver’s side windshield. The contact stated that the crack had expanded horizontally across to the passenger’s side. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery was drained very quickly, which caused the contact to frequently recharge the battery. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the mechanic could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 720. The consumer stated the vehicle failed to start on two separate occasions.

Our windshield has easily chipped and cracked repeatedly. We are having our windshield replaced for the 3rd time since November 2021, and it is March 1, 2023, this does not include the two times we have had chips repaired. Each time was due to a small piece of gravel or rock hitting our windshield while driving. Twice was at 20 MPH passing someone at the same speed. Anything that hits our windshield causes a crack or fracture. It is more expensive because we have the eye assist package. We are terrified of something larger hitting our windshield and potentially going directly through it injuring someone in the car.

For the third time in a week I have went out to the garage to find the lift gate up and the battery dead. I talked to the dealers service dept. and they said the fob button had to have been pushed which opened the lift gate and the open lift gate drained the battery. Their recommendation was to make sure the fob button doesn’t get accidentally pushed. I have never had any vehicle with this problem before. Doing an internet search I found that a number of Outback and Ascent owners have had this same problem and it was recommended that it be reported here.

Windshield cracked while parked in a line waiting to go through a carwash. Nothing was above the car that could have dropped on the windshield to cause it to crack. I heard a "crack" looked up and could see the crack starting from the edge of the driver's side window - within minutes it was approx 8 - 10 long. Thankfully no safety for me or others but depending upon where the crack was it could (and if it keeps growing will) impair visibility for driving. Not inspected - this occured less than 1 hour ago. No warning sign that it was going to happen. This is my 2nd windshield on this car that just randomly cracked. Last time it started middle of the window, bottom under the hood of the car and went straight up.

Heard a pop, Spontaneous crack to the windshield

In the last 11 months, we have had to replace the front windshield four times due to significant cracks that occurred after a rock hit the windshield (3 times) and one time following a hailstone hit. The cracks do not show up immediately, but about two hours after the incident. The "Eyesight" safety features don't work when this happens. Our driving is in town or on a freeway. We DO NOT do off-road driving or driving on gravel/dirt roads. The windshields have been replaced with Subaru factory windshields and re-calibrated each time. The auto glass repair shop we use believes this cracking problem is a design issue as the glass is steeply angled and the thickness of the glass is thinner. This is our fourth Subaru and we have never had this issue. In the past, a rock hit would just bounce off the windshield or leave a small "star burst" nick that could be filled. I emailed Subaru of America and asked them what, if anything, they were doing to address this issue. I have not received a response to my email, sent over a week ago.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked overnight and while approaching the vehicle the next day, he noticed that the windshield had a 6-8-inch-long crack on the driver's side. The contact stated that the crack originated at the outer left edge of the windshield and was horizontal. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to Safelight for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,798.

The car randomly breaks when it’s in motion in reverse. This has happened multiple times.

Windshield was hit by two rocks leaving dime sized stars at the base of the windshield. They were low and not in sightline. Have had many cars with same damage on windshield with no issues and driven for years without any change in the glass. When I got home I parked car in garage. The next afternoon when I looked at the windshield, the small stars had cracked in 4 different directions, to a size larger than a basketball. Now I'm forced to replace a windshield that on any other car would be fine.

The windshield cracked with no reason and the hairline crack has been spreading in a matter of hours. The car was parked inside the garage and I drove it to work at 6:20am. The car was in the parking lot until 2:20pm. Upon arriving I noticed a crack (half the length of what it shows in the picture). By 3:30 the crack doubled in length.

Cracked windshield for the 2nd time.

Windshield has cracked on 3 separate occasions while parked. Happened in 2 parking lots and my driveway.

Front windshield crackle sound (like breaking glass) when temperature drops below 20 degrees. Constant sound.

Windshield has cracked 4 times in 21 months, at least 3 times this did not appear to impact related. The crack quickly spreads along the entire width of windshield over a 2-3 day period. We have replaced 3 times, each time through Subaru Clearlake dealership.

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.

We received the recall notice and do not feel safe driving the vehicle. This problem has the potential to seriously injure or kill someone if the vehicle failed on the highways. They quote May as the earliest time frame that they will begin repairs. This is not an acceptable time frame. Assuming the dealers are prepared in May, there could still be an overwhelmingly long wait list for the needed repairs. This could possibly lead on well into summer before my vehicle is in the shop. What are we to do for transportation in the mean time? Are we to continue driving as usual and risk our lives or those of fellow motorists near us? I would like a mitigating solution as we do not have faith in our safety if we were to operate the vehicle any further.

Windshield cracked while using the defroster. This is a 2020 Outback. I had the same problem on a 2019 Outback that went through 3 windshields in less than a year. These windshields are defective.

02/08/2022, at 8:20am, I noticed a crack on the windshield on the passenger side. No explanation how it got there and there is NO chip. The crack comes from the edge of the windshield, out about 5 inches then curves up another 2-3 inches and then curves again towards the driver side another 3-4 inches. Within 12 hours it has grown. This crack will eventually impact my ability to fully see ahead while driving ( light glare and disruptive to the driver). Bob Rhorman Subaru (my local Subaru dealership) will be inspecting the windshield on 02/14/2022. There was no warning signs to this happening. I know Subaru of America has a history of defective windshields and my 2020 Subaru Outback does follow under the windshield lawsuit against Subaru of America.

Within 2 months of purchase 2020 Outback the car's Infotainment center has continually malfunctioned including times when the car's backup camera is displayed while the car is in drive and moving forward. Eye-sight constantly disabled as well is infotainment center constantly blacking out and then resetting itself while car is in motion. Constant beepind telling driver to look at road - all especially in inclement weather. Car is unsafe. I have multiple videos showing this but they are too big to upload here.

Since purchase, the transmission occasionally slipped and "clunked". Over the past few months, it has become worse, and now, with increasing frequency, grinds vibrates and shakes. It was taken into the dealership and nothing was done to fix the problem. We feel it represents a clear and present danger that could result in a severe accident.

The Bluetooth hand-free function stopped working. Callers can be heard by the driver, however, the callers can not hear the driver speaking. It failed on both the Subaru calling system and Apple Carplay. It was taken in to the dealer with no resolution. This failure creates a dangerous situation when trying to place or receive calls and violates the legal requirement for hands-free calling.

Car is affected by a known issue with Subaru Outbacks. Almost 100% of the time, when opening the car window(s), they can not be rolled back up. There is a reset function that fails in most instances. This forces the driver to be on the road in driving rain and snow with the driver's window down, creating an extremely dangerous condition.

Issue started when one day my battery was dead. I thought I left the door or light one but that was not it. Dealer visit after dealer visit it’s the same thing. Keep getting the battery replaced with the same OEM. Works for a while and then it’s dead. Luckily I have not been stranded but I have been trying not to drive my Outback to avoid it. All the complaints about this battery is a shame since it’s an excellent vehicle. We need a higher quality replacement instead of spending money for another brand battery when the vehicle is under warranty.

Battery Failure. Auto-start would shut engine off at light and no restart car. Took 3 trips to Subaru to fails their test. Once replaced car is fine now.

When opening the sun roof cover I heard a "PING" noise like a mouth harp or piece of metal being flicked. Took it into dealer and they found the roof reinforcements (Most likely Part Number: 53700AN03A9P) had come loose and detached from roof structure. They are waiting on Suburu to agree to re-attached it (been two weeks)

I have a 2020 Subaru outback that I purchased brand new one and a half years ago. It has 31,472 miles on it on December 28, 2021 and then again on January 31, 2021 my car would not start on the battery had to be replaced.

My subaru has 12,ooo miles on it and in the past week has died on me. When you try to start the car and depress the brake, the brake locks and you cannot push it anymore, in addition, the battery does not turn over. On the first occasion, we tried to jump start the car but the battery read as normal activity and the car would not start after that. The car just started up for no apparent reason the following day. thankfully we were at home when this happened and we have a 2nd car. The second time, same thing with the brake when we tried to start car and no turnover with the battery but and the car still will not start on the following day but this time it looks like the battery has died. Taking it in to Subaru dealership where supposedly the have never heard of these problems before!

The windshield on my 2020 Subaru Outback spontaneously cracked shortly after I started the car on a hot summer day (06/28/2021). Roughly a minute after starting the vehicle and turning on the air conditioning, I drove a distance of about 100 ft and heard a really loud snap, but initially didn't see the cause of the sound. About 2 seconds later, a crack quickly spread horizontally from the driver's side edge at mid height of the windshield until reaching the center of the windshield. After continuing to drive the vehicle, the crack began to spread vertically for about 6 inches, and then spread further horizontally to the right by another 6 inches, forming an S-shape. No damage or chips were known to have been previously inflicted on the windshield and the glass was visibly intact prior the cracking event. Because the crack was positioned almost exactly at eye level, visibility was noticeably distorted. If the crack and associated snapping sound had occurred while the car was being driven in actual traffic on a road or freeway, the startling nature of the event and loud volume of the snapping sound would likely put someone driving the vehicle at risk of reacting in a hazardous fashion and result in a crash. Furthermore, since the Subaru Outback's forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assistance all operate through a camera-based system that requires a clear view through the windshield, the crack