Reliable Auto DB

2020 Subaru Legacy reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2020 Subaru Legacy has 121 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 31 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Legacy years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Transmission control module, and Fuel pump.

2012 Subaru Legacy
Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

121

Per year

31

Recalls

6

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (57 of 121), then Electrical system (15) and Visibility (9). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 Legacy has 123 complaints, 18 per year, and the 2021 has 31 complaints, 5 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2020 Subaru Legacy. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2024-03-22 · NHTSA campaign 24V227000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
Remedy Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, transmission control module 2022-07-08 · NHTSA campaign 22V485000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Remedy Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-22. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V-955.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, transmission control module 2021-12-09 · NHTSA campaign 21V955000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Remedy Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-21.
Recall Fuel pump 2021-07-29 · NHTSA campaign 21V587000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
Recall back-over prevention, display 2020-12-10 · NHTSA campaign 20V766000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with "high" grade and "mid" grade multimedia navigation. The August 2020 over-the-air software update may have timed out without completing the installation, corrupting the data, and causing the rearview display to shutoff intermittently. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the software and, if necessary, replace the Cockpit Control Module, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-20.
Recall hydraulic brakes, pedals and linkages 2019-09-18 · NHTSA campaign 19V664000
Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Outback and Legacy vehicles. The brake pedal mounting bracket may have a missing or insufficiently tightened bolt.
Remedy Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake pedal mounting bracket hardware and replace the hardware or brake pedal assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUL-97.

Complaints by component (121 total)

Visibility and wipers
57
Electrical system
15
Visibility
9
Forward collision avoidance
7
Powertrain
7
Engine
4
Speed control
4
Lane departure
2
Service brakes
2
Air bags
1
Back-over prevention
1
Exterior lighting
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Seats
1
Steering
1
Structure
1
Tires
1
Show 9 more Show less
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

282020422021222022152023720245202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "While driving there is a loss of power, the battery fails, electronic components shut down and car stops. Has happened intermittently. Replaced battery. This is a significant safety issue happened on freeway near exit…"
    Steering, Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-20
  • "Driver's seat structurally unstable due to factory-installed welded nut shearing off the seat rail anchor at approximately 32,000 miles. Confirmed by Napleton Subaru technician on video. Physical component in owner's…"
    Seats · filed 2026-04-01
  • "The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that during inclement weather, the front driver and front passenger’s side power windows failed to automatically roll up as intended. The contact was forced to…"
    Visibility · filed 2025-11-05
  • "One hour into traveling on the highway smoke began to come from under the hood so we pulled off to the side of the road. Upon opening the hood, after the smoke cleared, a fire was observed. At that point the passengers…"
    Electrical system, Engine · filed 2025-07-16
  • "Power window driver side intermittently fails to function, leaving window partly or completely open. This is an ongoing problem. Often I have to restart the car to get the window to operate properly. Difficult to drive…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-03-12

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Subaru Legacy 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Legacy all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S8) All-wheel drive 27 35 30 MPG $2150
Legacy all-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S8) All-wheel drive 24 32 27 MPG $2400

Specs and fitment

7th generation (BW), 2020–present
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 synthetic (2.5L; 5W-30 if 0W-20 unavailable) , 5.1 qt capacity
Tire size 225/50R18, 225/55R17 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 22V-485 covers certain 2020-2021 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles: a Transmission Control Unit programming error may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is fully clamped, so the chain can slip or break and cause loss of drive; dealers reprogram the TCU, inspect for chain slip, and replace the transmission if damage is found. Recall 24V-227 covers certain 2020-2022 Legacy and Outback vehicles: a capacitor in the Occupant Detection System sensors may crack and short, preventing front passenger air bag deployment; dealers replace the ODS sensors. Both campaigns list Legacy and Outback under shared unit totals.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Subaru Legacy Next year 2021 Subaru Legacy See every Subaru Legacy model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Subaru Legacy reliable?

The 2020 Subaru Legacy has 121 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 31 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Legacy years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Transmission control module, and Fuel pump.

What are common problems with a 2020 Subaru Legacy?

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (57 of 121), then Electrical system (15) and Visibility (9). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2020 Subaru Legacy more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 Legacy has 123 complaints, 18 per year, and the 2021 has 31 complaints, 5 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Subaru Legacy been recalled?

The 2020 Subaru Legacy has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2020 Subaru Legacy?

Owners have filed 121 complaints about the 2020 Subaru Legacy with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Subaru Legacy get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Subaru Legacy is 28.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Subaru Legacy use?

Recent Legacy 2.5L US manuals specify 0W-20 synthetic, with 5W-30 only when 0W-20 is unavailable.

What generation is the 2021 Subaru Legacy?

7th generation / BW (2020-on).

What tire sizes does a Subaru Legacy use?

Recent US generations commonly list 225/50R18 and 225/55R17 among trim options.