2020 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while seated in the parked vehicle in the garage with the vehicle turned off, the contact watched as the passenger’s side windshield cracked without impact. The contact stated that the crack extended approximately two feet. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the front windshield had previously been replaced due to the same failure. The failure mileage was 42,000.

My vehicle stalled abruptly as I came to a stop while driving on a slope. Shortly afterward I determined that this was caused by a loose battery terminal; the battery had been replaced a day earlier. This much was the fault of the mechanic, not the manufacturer. My complaint is with respect to the state which the vehicle failed into: 1. The gear shift was stuck in drive and could not be moved into park. 2. It was not possible to engage the parking break, as it can only be controlled by an electronic switch. 3. The steering wheel column was locked. As a result of this, the only way to prevent the vehicle from rolling backward down the hill was to continuously keep my foot on the brake. It also was not possible, as a result of the locked steering wheel column, to guide the vehicle downhill safely. I was stuck holding the brake and unable to get out of my vehicle until another motorist stopped to give me a jump and enable me to engage the parking brake.

The contact owned a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop at a red light, an abnormally loud noise was heard coming from the vehicle, and then black smoke came from underneath the driver's side hood. Additionally, a fuel odor was detected while driving. No warning light was illuminated. The contact parked and exited the vehicle with two minor passengers while flames erupted from the engine compartment. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was received. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,882.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that two months after purchasing the vehicle new, the windshield cracked upon sustaining a light impact. Additionally, the contact stated that the windshield had also cracked from cold air inside the vehicle and the hot air outside the vehicle. The contact also stated that a tiny crack on the windshield would significantly expand within hours. The contact stated that the windshield had been replaced three times by the dealer, and the repair was covered by the insurance; however, the failure kept recurring. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 35,500.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact became aware of a crack on the center of the front windshield. The contact stated that there was no impact to the windshield to cause the crack. The vehicle was not inspected, and the windshield was not replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 47,900.

I had a fault/issue with the Electronic Parking Brake on my 2020 Subaru Outback that resulted in a vehicle fire. I had set the electronic parking brake, and received a warning light. I retracted the electronic parking brake and the warning light disappeared. I did this twice. The warning light stayed off. I drove the car and the passenger rear brakes caught on fire, damaging the brakes, the electronic parking brake motor, the brake caliper, the wheel bearing, the ABS sensor and all wiring to that wheel. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer had the vehicle for over 2 months. In that time, my insurance inspected the vehicle. The dealer inspected the vehicle. The dealer had a Subaru (Subaru of America) factory tech visit and inspect. Subaru factory sent out a second tech (from quality control) to inspect the vehicle. The dealer tech and both Subaru factory techs could not determine the root cause of the failure. Subaru replaced all components damaged in the fire (at my cost) and sent me on my way without a determination of what caused the issue. Issue was well documented here... https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/parking-brake-fault-caught-on-fire.551030/ I have attached a scan of the Subaru Dealer repair order.

I am replacing 3rd windshield since September 2022. This was definitely caused by a rock chip but had been resin repaired. With defroster blowing on a cool morning the windshield cracked across the lower portion. The replacement windshield cracked for no reason other than it was cold during a December night and was replaced in April. That windshield cracked spontaneously while driving in the rain one month after install. A Subaru dealer took photos or I have sent photos to them of all incidents for submission to my Subaru insurance. I have now met the maximum allowed for windshield replacement. All windshields were replaced at an authorized Subaru dealer.

While driving my Subaru Outback, I encounter a problem where the Starlink Multimedia system abruptly goes black. Shortly after, the driver information center also goes black. Although the car continues to run, the cruise control, if engaged, and the EyeSight safety system shuts off as well. Both systems then undergo a reboot.

While driving on the NYS Thruway (I90), I started to pass a Tractor Trailer, I put my blinker on and began moving to the right to pass. There were 2/3 cars in back of me also passing. I was using cruise control and I began to put my foot on the accelerator to finish my passing and move over to the right hand lane to let the other vehicles pass me. However, upon accelerating, my car started to drop power, multiple lights displaying simultaneously indicating a potential problem. (Eyesight Assist, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Brake & Engine Lights), the vehicle started jerking back and forth and I lost all but maybe 5 miles of power. My choice at that time was put my blinker on and try and move to the right - letting the Tractor Trailer pass me on the right and HOPE there was not another vehicle behind so I could move over safely at that crawling speed or go to the left into the gully. This could have been a multiple car collision and maybe fatalities due to the speed and loss of control of my vehicle. After towing to the nearest dealer, they determined it was the Thermo Control Valve. I see now that there is a "service bulletin" and design change of this component and that other Subaru drivers have been affected the same way. This is a very serious situation. I ask, why no recall from Subaru. I have been without my vehicle now for 4 days and may not have it back until next week. I am very fearful of driving that vehicle again.

Over the course of the nearly three years I have owned my vehicle, the windshield has either spontaneously cracked or cracked from a very very small chip three times. Two of these occurred while I was driving, with no debris impact with the vehicle windshield. There have been several suits filed against Subaru for similar cases, including for the 2020 Outback model. This has been three times in about two and a half years, quadruple the amount for my previous vehicle. Not only is this a vision impairment while driving and a financial burden to fix, I also worry about more catastrophic failure should anything significant impact the windshield while driving. I have had the glass repaired twice, and both times the repair technicians could not understand how such a significant crack had occurred.