Reliable Auto DB

2020 Subaru Outback reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2020 Subaru Outback holds 897 complaints after 7 years, a rate of 240 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Outback years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Transmission control module, and Fuel pump.

2012 Subaru Outback
Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

897

Per year

240

Recalls

6

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (313 of 897), then Electrical system (259) and Visibility (70). Those filings include 19 that report a crash, 7 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 Outback has 1,034 complaints, 184 per year, and the 2021 has 296 complaints, 75 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 Outback. 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 (897 total)

Visibility and wipers
313
Electrical system
259
Visibility
70
Forward collision avoidance
49
Engine
48
Powertrain
46
Structure
21
Lane departure
20
Air bags
18
Speed control
18
Exterior lighting
16
Service brakes
15
Fuel and propulsion system
14
Steering
13
Back-over prevention
10
Wheels
5
Seats
4
Engine and engine cooling
3
Suspension
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Equipment
1
Fire-related
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Parking brake
1
Seat belts
1
Show 18 more Show less
Crash-flagged

19

Fire-flagged

7

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

162019244202028420211762022742023592024272025172026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "9/20/26 my 2020 Subaru Outback experienced repeated electrical failures followed by loss of power-steering assistance. The underlying failed component is unknown. The vehicle is parked and available for inspection.…"
    Steering, Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-20
  • "The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on various occasions upon bringing the vehicle to a stop or upon acceleration the vehicle had experienced a total loss of automotive power, and all of the…"
    Engine · filed 2026-08-19
  • "In the first 2 weeks after financing vehicle it started having passenger window issues when it rained it caused window to not wat to go up or would try coming down when trying to let it up when it rained next qas…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-11
  • "From when we purchased this car new until the day we traded it. There were many times on the freeway at 60-65 MPH that you would need to move over a couple of lanes and went to wide open throttle and the car would…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-05
  • "The driver’s power-seat lift motor failed intermittently, leaving the seat stuck in its lowest position. The component remains installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection. The seat could not be raised high…"
    Seats · filed 2026-07-22

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Subaru Outback SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 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
Outback all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S8) All-wheel drive 26 33 29 MPG $2250
Outback all-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S8) All-wheel drive 23 30 26 MPG $2500

Specs and fitment

6th generation (BT), 2020–present
Body styles Wagon
Oil 0W-20 synthetic (2.4L turbo and 2.5L; 5W-30 if 0W-20 unavailable) , 5.1 qt capacity
Tire size 225/65R17 to 225/60R18 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 3,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Recall 20V-766 covers certain 2020 Legacy and Outback models with mid- or high-grade multimedia navigation when an August 2020 over-the-air update can time out and corrupt data, intermittently shutting off the rearview display and failing FMVSS 111. Subaru's remedy is software reprogramming and, if needed, replacement of the cockpit control module (recall WRH-20). Recall 22V-485 covers certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles: Transmission Control Unit programming may engage the clutch before the drive chain is fully clamped, risking chain slip or break and loss of drive; dealers reprogram the TCU and replace the transmission if damage is found. Recall 24V-227 covers certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles: an Occupant Detection System sensor capacitor may short and prevent passenger air bag deployment; dealers replace the ODS sensors. Legacy and Outback share these campaign unit totals.

Compare

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

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Subaru Outback reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2020 Subaru Outback holds 897 complaints after 7 years, a rate of 240 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Outback 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 Outback?

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (313 of 897), then Electrical system (259) and Visibility (70). Those filings include 19 that report a crash, 7 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

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

The 2019 Outback has 1,034 complaints, 184 per year, and the 2021 has 296 complaints, 75 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 Outback been recalled?

The 2020 Subaru Outback 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 Outback?

Owners have filed 897 complaints about the 2020 Subaru Outback with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Subaru Outback get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Subaru Outback is 27.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Subaru Outback use?

US manuals specify 0W-20 synthetic for recent FB and turbo engines, with temporary 5W-30 only when 0W-20 is unavailable.

What does NHTSA recall 19V-008 cover on the Subaru Outback?

Recall 19V-008 covers certain 2010-2014 Subaru Outback and Legacy vehicles (among other Subaru models) sold or ever registered in listed Zone B states: the front passenger air bag inflator may explode during deployment and send sharp metal fragments into the cabin.

What generation is the 2013 Subaru Outback?

4th generation (BR) (2012-2014).