Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Subaru Outback owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 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.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated on multiple occasions both the front passenger's and driver's side window had become stuck and would not close or open. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the window regulators and window tracks were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 28,000.
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. …
The Outback had a complete loss of power, cause still not identified. In the process of attempting to get to my portable power unit I discovered a significant safety concern that could result in the death of any rear seat passengers.If there is no electrical power there is NO MEANS OF UNLOCKING THE REAR PASSENGER DOORS. The mechanical door handles do NOT work. I checked the child safety locks and they were not engaged. In the event of an accident/ front end collision that damaged the battery the occupants of the rear seats are trapped. If they needed to vacate the car for any reason they could not. Parents can not get to their children. Please investigate and make Subaru modify the back doos so the mechanical handle will operate when there is nor electrical power.
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.
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!
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.
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)
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.
Body complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2020 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the body & structure of the 2020 Subaru Outback, 2% of the model year's 901 complaints. The component named most often is body (16 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2020 Subaru Outback body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2020 Subaru Outback, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2020 Subaru Outback body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 9,000 miles, and 92% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.