10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,999 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2020 Subaru Outback miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2020 Subaru Outback Owner Comments (Page 1 of 7)

problem #129

Feb 182024

Outback

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Rear hatch opens while driving. It will not lock nor will it auto close. The dealer, Pine Belt Subaru, Lakewood, NJ, tried to fix it, but it happened again one week later. A very dangerous situation. A complete replacement of the hatch's lock may solve the problem.

- Whiting , NJ, USA

problem #128

Jan 152024

Outback

  • miles
- Driver and Passenger window stuck down (won't close) in extreme cold temperatures - I feel my safety is at risk because I had to drive my car miles in frigid temperatures with my window stuck open. - My dealership acknowledged the problem, but were not able to reproduce it as it was 59 degrees when I took it in. - My vehicle was not inspected by anyone other than the dealer - I had no warning of the problem I have a 2020 Subaru Outback Limited. Since I bought the car, there have been multiple incidents where the driver or passenger window got stuck open after being rolled down on very cold days. Several years ago, shortly after I bought it, my Subaru dealer explained to me this was happening because Subaru changed the rubber content in the window gaskets to a harder rubber. Then, when there is dirt on the insides of the gasket, the gasket drags on the window and the actuator opens the window because it thinks it detected it was closing on something it was not supposed to close on. The fix to be able to close my window was to take a screwdriver and a T-shirt or thin towel to clean the insides of the gasket that touches the window. Subaru knows about this problem. As this is a safety hazard and dangerous in cold weather, I do not understand why there has not been a recall. I took my car to the dealer today. I was told that it should not happen again if I keep the gaskets clean. As a Subaru is supposed to be made for offroading and extreme weather conditions, I would think that something as basic as being able to open and CLOSE a window is not too much to ask. Do you really expect me to clean the inside of window gaskets to keep my windows from sticking? That is just trying to normalize a problem that should not be not be normalized. My passenger window got stuck a couple of weeks ago and I had to drive home 7 miles with it open when it was 0 degrees out. I tried to clean the gaskets using a screwdriver and a rag, but it would not work. Please recall!!!

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #127

Jan 272024

Outback

  • miles
I sent a complaint yesterday, I would like to add this to the complaint [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Morris, IL, USA

problem #126

Dec 282023

Outback

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I noticed when the weather is wet, closing the front windows is slow. This kept advancing and now it won't close at all. Today, 12/28/2023 it wouldn't even come up more than half an inch then goes back down. Done some online research, and lots of people are reporting this with several Subaru models and dealers only say it needs lubrication.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #125

Nov 202023

Outback

  • miles
Thermo control valve broken. Leaves no heat to cabin.

- North Attleboro, MA, USA

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problem #124

Oct 312023

Outback

  • miles
Rock hit windshield and cracked Need to be replaced

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #123

Jul 172023

Outback

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Thermocontrol valve

- Collinsville, OK, USA

problem #122

Aug 082023

Outback

  • miles
Windshield developed a crack for no apparent reason on the lower passenger side. Car was parked. Only unusual circumstance is that was a hot day.

- Claremont, CA, USA

problem #121

Jul 242023

Outback

  • miles
The windshield in my 2020 Subaru Outback has cracked spontaneously twice. I had 75K Bumper to Bumper Warranty, which the dealer would not honor the first time the window broke. He said that it was warranted for repair, not replacement. I argued until he gave me a 50% discount. My windshield broke again today. I had just pulled out onto the street and was traveling about 10MPH. No rocks or stone touched the windshield. The sound of the crack startled me. I thought that there had to be an issue. Consequently as I looked online, I have discovered this is a design flaw or something as the problem is widespread. Two cracks in year is not right and it is expensive.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #120

May 242023

Outback

  • miles
Over the course of the nearly three years I have owned my vehicle, the windshield has either spontaneously cracked or cracked from a very very small chip three times. Two of these occurred while I was driving, with no debris impact with the vehicle windshield. There have been several suits filed against Subaru for similar cases, including for the 2020 Outback model. This has been three times in about two and a half years, quadruple the amount for my previous vehicle. Not only is this a vision impairment while driving and a financial burden to fix, I also worry about more catastrophic failure should anything significant impact the windshield while driving. I have had the glass repaired twice, and both times the repair technicians could not understand how such a significant crack had occurred.

- Bozeman, MT, USA

problem #119

May 212023

Outback

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on I-26, a small rock made an initially small crack in the windshield. Over time, while still driving, we watched the crack expand larger and larger, spreading with multiple new arms across the entire passenger side of the windshield. After parking at home in the garage and scheduling windshield replacement for the next day, we continued to notice the crack continuing to propagate further into the driver side. The incident happened on 5/21/23 and the windshield was replaced on 5/23/23.

- Simpsonville, SC, USA

problem #118

Mar 052023

Outback

  • miles
Cracked windshield, very very small pebble hit the driver corner near the pillar, I heard a little -??tick-?? followed by seeing a massive crack form. The crack has now gone straight across to the middle and is making its way up to obstruct the -??eyesight-?? camera

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #117

Jan 312023

Outback

  • miles
I bought the Subaru Outback new Jan. 31, 2020. In those 3 years, I have had 3 windshield cracks from flying rocks resulting in 2-3 ft. long cracks extending across the windshield. The latest one happened Jan. 31, 2023, and the previous cracked windshield was replaced less than six weeks earlier on Dec. 22, 2022. While the first two incidents occurred on an interstate at high speed, the most recent incident occurred while sitting in stop-and-go, in-town driving at less than 15 MPH. Auto insurance will only cover one windshield claim per year. Subaru of Jacksonville (FL) and Subaru of America deny any known defects. The only other person I know who owns a newer Outback has experienced one windshield crack, and has owned the vehicle for less than 2 years. The auto glass company which performed the latest replacement told me last week that they get the most windshield damage claims from Outbacks, Mercedes and Range Rover. The most recent installer also said this is a problem with Outbacks and further said that the windshield containing the safety features are made of thinner glass than conventional windshields, and if I didn't want it to happen again, I would have to choose a thicker conventional windshield and lose the built-in safety features.

- St Augustine, FL, USA

problem #116

Jul 112022

Outback

  • miles
Moonroof without any warning broke out while driving on the freeway. This has happened two times within 6 months. When it breaks there is a very loud bang and glass fly's from the car, possibly hitting following vehicles. Both times we had the inside sun shade closed so the occupants of the car were not showered with glass. Happened on 7/11/22 & 1/28/23. We no longer trust driving the car and will trade it in.

- Mariposa, CA, USA

problem #115

Jan 142023

Outback

  • miles
I have had to replace my battery three times. Car drains battery without being used and I have had to be jumped on multiple occasions. The car is a 2020 and this seems unusual.

- Wilmington, CA, USA

problem #114

Sep 102022

Outback

  • miles
For one, my windshield cracked out of nowhere, I didn-€™t know that windshields were having issues at the time, so I had to replace it on my own without contacting the dealership. Other issues include the front windows not going up all the way from time to time. The info system crashes and shuts down from time to time too, which leads to the Eyesight to shutdown temporarily too. And from time to time, the hatch buttons lag where I have to push on the buttons multiple times to get it to close

- Monterey, CA, USA

problem #113

Jan 122023

Outback

  • miles
Windhsield cracked for the 2nd time. First, original windshield cracked in 2022 and replaced with OEM part. Now, 1/12/23, windshield again cracked w/o any reason.

- Ca, CA, USA

problem #112

Dec 252022

Outback 4-cyl

  • miles
Windshield defective issues. The windshield in my subaru outback cracked twice in a 6-month period. Both incidents occurred while driving between 40-55 mph in San Diego. The first time (July 2022) the windshield cracked for no apparent reason. I took the car to the Subaru dealership for a windshield replacement. The second time (12/25/22) it appears that a small pebble hit the windshield on the bottom side of the windshield. I am really not even sure a pebble hit the windshield, I just heard the windshield crack. Subaru has been notified of this second incident and I am waiting for an appointment to replace the cracked windshield. This is appears to be a defect on the windshield. I've never had this issue with any other car. Its troubling to know that the windshield on my car can cracked so easily and it worries me for the safety of my family. Please investigate all the other complains that have been submitted related to subaru's windshield cracking.

- Encinitas, CA, USA

problem #111

Mar 032022

Outback

  • miles
Windshied cracks from small rock chip am having to replace my secound windshield in less than 7 mounths time because it cracks with in a few minutes after inpact from small rock chip the safety issue would be the glass from the crack could inpair vision. I had the first one replaced by the dealerwith dealer supplied glass.

- Manteca, CA, USA

problem #110

Nov 292022

Outback

  • miles
This vehicle is equipped with an auto start/stop system. It is automatically enabled every time the car is turned on. While it can be turned off, it must be turned off manually every time the automobile is started. It is (candidly) both easy to forget to disable and also a nuisance to disable with every start. The incident occurred during fresh snow fall with ice coat, temperature around 24F. I was stopped at a traffic light and the auto stop turned the engine off. As I slowly started to accelerate with a green light, the auto on "kicked on" resulting in loss of control and the car fish tailing.

- Rochester, MN, USA

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