There are 17 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2020 Subaru Outbackin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the trim on the front driver’s side door started to detach from vehicle. Several days later, the front passenger’s side door also experienced the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the trim on both doors were reattached; however, the failure returned on the front driver’s side door. The contact reached out to the manufacturer online and completed a survey. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
I noticed a crack in my front windshield for no reason, it looked like it had come up from under the hood on the drivers side and bent over to the passenger side. I had not hit any construction debris etc. within 4 days of a full replacement my front windshield was shattered again! When the car was just sitting in the driveway. This crack spread out into three “legs” and got large and I had barely driven the car. I’ve owned lots of cars and I’ve never ever had a cracked windshield before- let alone two within 8 days!
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)
Windshield continously cracks. The windshield is prone to cracking. Within two years I've had two windshield cracks
SUNROOF GLASS EXPLODED OUT WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH. HAPPENED AT 7 A.M. 5/10/2021 IN MECHANICSVILLE VA. NOTHING HIT THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS ABOUT 63 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I HAVEN'T USED THE SUNROOF IN WEEKS. IT MADE NO SINCE. I GOOGLED AND SAW WHERE THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE HAPPENED TO THEM ON THEIR OUTBACK AND SOME OTHER VEHICLES TOO. I THANKFULLY HAD THE INSIDE COVER PANEL SLID FORWARD SO NONE OF THE GLASS CAME DOWN ON ME. I TOOK THE CAR BACK HOME BUT AS I DROVE SLOWER, THE GLASS KEPT COMING APART. AT FIRST IT WAS A SQUARE AREA ABOUT 6" X 4" MISSING WHEN I FIRST STOPPED AND THE REST WAS ALL SHATTERED LIKE LITTLE SQUARES BUT IN PLACE. THEN AS I DROVE HOME AT A SLOWER SPEED ON THE SIDE ROADS, IT CONTINUED FALLING IN ONTO THE HEADLINER SLIDE COVER.
A 12 INCH CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD APPEARED AFTER I HEARD A LOUD SHARP SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION TRAVELING 55 MPH ON A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY (BRILEY PARKWAY) IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.
BOUGHT BRAND NEW, IN 5 MONTHS THE WINDSHIELD HAD A CRACKED WINDSHIELD, NOT THE IMPACT STRIKE SPIDER TYPE, BUT FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE EDGE, STRAIGHT LINE CRACK 2 FEET LONG. THE SECOND TIME A CRACK, STRAIGHT LINE TYPE FROM THE PASSENGER EDGE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION BOTH TIMES, 50 MILES AN HOUR, NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND. WHILE DRIVING WITH THE CRACK, THE CRACK WOULD GET LONGER. NEVER SCENE ANYTHING LIKE IT.
I have owned the 2020 Subaru Outback since December 2020. Staring in 2021 there have been problems with the lift gate not opening to where it now closes immediately after opening it. This occurs randomly and causes a dangerous situation where one never knows when it will happen. The car has been brought in for service four times over the last four years. Now, that it is out of warranty, and Royal Subaru, Cortland NY, charged us, two weeks ago, $170 to repair the dysfunctional lift gate. The problem was not fixed. The car was left at last Thursday for the repairing the lift gate which they didn’t fix. Subaru who now want to charge $991 to repair what the dealership was supposed to repair. The work had not been done as yet as it is a manufacturing defect, and a dangerous one at that. This Outback issue is not on my car alone as there have numerous online complaints about a malfunctioning lift gate problem. It’s a law suit waiting to happen as one (family members, grandchildren, friends) may not be aware that the lift gate may close upon their head causing a possible concussion or worse. There needs to be a recall before someone gets seriously hurt.
THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN THE GARAGE WHILE IT WAS STATIONARY. NOTHING PHYSICALLY DAMAGED THE WINDSHIELD AND IT CRACKED ON ITS OWN. THIS HAPPENED TWICE ON MY 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK AS WELL. I SEE THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN PLACE AND I WOULD LIKE TO GET ADDED AS THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED.
I WAS DRIVING AND MY WINDSHIELD JUST CRACKED.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 mph when multiple warning lights were illuminated and a "Stop Driving the Vehicle" message was displayed. The contact stated he was able to drive to a nearby gas station. The contact stated while inspecting under the hood, he noticed the drive belt was shredded. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the drive belt to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated in February of 2021, the tailgate failed to open with the key fob or manually. The contact stated after opening the tailgate, it failed to latch and close properly. The contact stated the tailgate ajar warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was called and made aware of the failure. The dealer informed the contact to disconnected the battery. The contact followed the instructions and stated the tailgate was functioning properly but in May of 2021, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to Royal Moore Subaru (1326 SE Enterprise Cir, Hillsboro, OR 97123: (503) 640-5660) where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.
2020 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE REAR LIFTGATE. *LD THE CONSUMER INADVERTENTLY ACTIVATED THE REAR LIFTGATE BECOMING TRAPPED BETWEEN THE LIFTGATE AND GARAGE DOOR UNTIL IT REACHED IT'S MAXIMUM OPEN CAPABILITY. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED TWO CUTS BEHIND THE RIGHT EAR, SEVERE BRUISING AND SCRAPING ON THE ARM, NECK AND HEAD. *JS
WE WERE DRIVING DOWN HIWAY 50 NEAR GUNNISON CO WHEN WE HEARD A SHARP SOUND FOLLOWED BY THE WINDSHIELD CRACKING. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS, THIS WAS REPEATED BUT THE CRACKING OCCURRED IN A DIFFERENT PLACE ON THE WINDSHIELD.
DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, 65 MPH. HEAR A SMALL "CLICK." LOOK OVER AND DISCOVER A 6" CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD. I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR 40 YEAR AND KNOW WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WHEN A STONE HITS THE WINDSHIELD. THIS WASN'T A STONE.
GOT INTO THE CAR , SHUT THE DOOR AND THE REAR WINDOW SHATTERED. THE CAR IS TWO WEEKS OLD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD STARTED TO CRACK. THE CRACK STARTED FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT A GLASS REPAIR FACILITY. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026