2020 Subaru Outback Complaint Log

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.

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 explain. They have all been friendly and attentive, but they cannot or will not give an explanation. My main concern is that a Check Engine situation may cause this Pre Collision shut down to happen again. Based on the danger I was in when this happed, I think that there should have been a recall and the Thermal Control Valve replaced before failure. To be clear, the repairs were completed under warranty and Subaru has sent me a $350.00 coupon for future service. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

See attached document for complaint

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.

Display to control the environment freezes.

Spontaneous windshield cracking

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.

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.

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 notice from Subaru about battery problems. However, we are now aware that Subaru settled a class action lawsuit to avoid a recall of these batteries. I have notified six friends who own Subarus. Three have had issues with their batteries, but were also unaware of the class action lawsuit. This is absolutely shocking for a vehicle manufacturer that touts safety to sell vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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.

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.

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 till being recorded for anyone to find and place me in jeopardy should an accident occur. This is a known problem discussed in multiple forums and discussion groups. This has been and intermittent problem since 2020.

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.

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. .

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.

I received a safety recall notice (Campaign Number: 24V227000 / Subaru Code: WRA24) for my Subaru Outback. I contacted multiple Subaru dealerships in my area, and they all told me that the repair parts are not available and there is no clear ETA for when they will arrive. This recall relates to a safety issue, and I am concerned that my vehicle may not be safe to drive, especially at highway speeds. Every time I follow up, I receive the same response: “No parts available, but we can order for you." I am wait for this for 1 year. I believe this delay is unreasonable given the nature of the recall, and I’m worried that a serious accident could occur if the issue is not resolved in a timely manner. I would appreciate it if NHTSA could follow up with Subaru to ensure they are providing timely remedies or alternative solutions for affected owners. Thank you.

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 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.

On 2/20, a crack appeared across the drivers side of my windshield while my car was parked. The crack is approximately 15" long extending from the lower side of the windshield, curving up toward the middle of the windshield. The crack is significant enough that it will require replacement.

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 .

Starting in September of 2023, my 2020 Subaru Outback began having issues with the battery. After replacing the battery, having the vehicle died, being left stranded in unsafe scenarios, paying for , and associated repairs, I was told the DCM panel was found to be faulty and causing repetitive battery drainage and failures. The DCM is trying to connect to an old network without success causing the battery failure. This occurred twice in September, once in December, and three times in January of 2024.

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.

I have had to replace the battery 2 times. Dealer has replaced once ~1 year of purchase. I replaced the battery ~3.5 years after purchase.

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)

Heated windshield area where the windshield wipers are shorted out and caused the windshield to crack

- 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!!!

The automatic lifting of the rear trunk opens as it should, but then will start to close on you out of no where without pushing the close button. It is terrifying because it doesn’t sense a body there. The screen in the center console also will become inaccessible and black out making it impossible to use the touch screen. The usb ports/ connecting to iPhone will disconnect making Bluetooth unavailable. Extremely difficult when needing gps or on the freeway

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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

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.

Thermo Control Valve assembly has failed resulting in loss of use for the following: Rear Automatic Brake, Eye Sight lane keeping, loss of heat in cabin and failure of coolant to circulate within engine possibly leading to engine failure, loss of cruise control and check engine light coming on. Reference TSB [XXX] . Without cabin heat vehicle is not useable in current cold temperatures (Currently 22 degrees Fahrenheit in Ohio on December 14, 2023). Dealer has confirmed part failure. Issue must be addressed to continue operating vehicle so I paid $1185.87 out of pocket to repair. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On 12/6/2023, as I slowly turned right into a parking space, my car suddenly surged forward and accelerated without my input to the gas pedal. The brakes did not work, and there was no resistance from the brake pedal when I repeated to push it. The car continued to accelerate for about 80 ft as I focused on steering to avoid hitting other cars parked in the lot. The car ran over a curb, up a grassy area, and crashed into a row of trees. The airbag did not deploy. I sustained neck muscle strain/whiplash, and bruises to my chest and right knee. My safety was at risk, as well as anyone or anything that was in the car's path since I had no control over the acceleration or the brakes. The car is a 2020 Subaru Outback with about 44000 miles. It is in a body shop and they have not yet determined if it is safe to work on. So far, they have observed the engine race when the car was turned on. There were no warning signs prior to the acceleration. When I called the Subaru dealer service department, I was told that they never heard of this before and it had to have been my fault. They said I could bring it in after the body damage is repaired, and that I can pay for a diagnotic report. However, they expect that the report will not show anything.

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

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback Premium. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact noticed the front windshield was fractured. The contact stated that the crack was in the middle of the windshield which was the same area that the previous windshield fracture had occurred. The contact stated that the front windshield had been replaced two times previously due to the same failure and this incident is the third occurrence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was due to the windshield glass being too thin. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000

The automatic braking system detection the RB system as it’s identified on the Subaru Dash heater, failure airbag deployment, all disabled repeatedly removal of the battery connections for a period of 30 minutes reset it but failure has repeated

On November 21th, 2023, we were driving on a 30 mph street at 8:00 pm with no traffic and our automatic emergency braking system deployed on our 2020 Outback, we jolted to a stop for no apparent reason. This could have been dangerous if a car was behind us. Just had our oil changed with free inspection at Miller Hill Subaru 1 week prior. First incident. Will have the dealership inspect ASAP. The "Auto Start /Stop No Activity Detected" indicator message light came on afterward.

Thermo control valve broken. Leaves no heat to cabin.

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.

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

Rock hit windshield and cracked Need to be replaced

Thermal control valve failed leading to temperature problems and loss of safety features such as automatic braking and adaptive cruise control otherwise known as “Eyesight”

Per Subaru there is something wrong with the Cockpit Control Module (CCM) that is causing a constant / parasitic draw on the battery. This results in the battery being dead within 4 hours, leaving us constantly stranded. Because the CCM also controls the electrical system, many of the safety features (auto breaking, lane departure, etc) turn off randomly. This is the diagnosis from our local Subaru dealership: COCKPIT CONTROL MODULE IS DRAWING 2 AMPS. WITH COCKPIT UNPLUGGED THERE IS STILL A 1 AMP DRAW. WILL NEED TO REPLACED CCU THEN FIGURE OUT WHERE THE OTHER 1 AMP DRAW IS. UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE WITH MULTIPLE SYSTEMS DRAWING I have opened a case with Subaru of America, but with no resolution.