2020 Subaru Legacy problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility/Wiper (57) · Electrical System (9) · Visibility:windshield (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Subaru Legacy model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
52 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2024-03-22 · campaign 24V227000 · 118,723 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Power Train:driveline:chain/Belt 2022-07-08 · campaign 22V485000 · 182 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Power Train:driveline:chain/Belt 2021-12-09 · campaign 21V955000 · 198,255 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 Su
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2021-07-29 · campaign 21V587000 · 175,968 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Back Over Prevention:display Function 2020-12-10 · campaign 20V766000 · 7,741 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: The intermittent loss of the rearview image reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of crash.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages 2019-09-18 · campaign 19V664000 · 3,467 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A missing or loose bolt may cause the brake pedal mounting area to deform over time, which can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (595)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-05 · SubaruNet Announcement (M · Other
this announcement provides information on a new software update for the midtronics dss and dca machines.
Power Train 2026-09-28 · SubaruNet Announcement (T · Other
this announcement provides information on an enhancement of the techshare cvt diagnostic assitance application.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-18 · 13-109-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
Electrical System 2026-09-18 · 18-244-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"this bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following dtcs: dtc c1956: rh actuator circuit dtc c1957: lh actuator circuit"
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other
this announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-14 · 15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 595 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-20 · Unknown Or Other“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 ramp, in parking lot in driveway, everything cuts out. opened hood and seems to be battery terminal connector. recall was issued…”
2026-04-01 · Seats“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 possession. failure is consistent with prior subaru seat rail weld recalls. this affects seat stability, occupant restraint geometry,…”
2025-11-05 · Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls · 29,000 mi“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 hold the power window button to slowly roll the windows up. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the contact was informed that t…”
2025-07-16 · Engine · 🔥 fire“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 exited the vehicle and called 911. there was no warning lights or sounds indicating any problems prior to this. the car burned very…”
2025-03-12 · Unknown Or Other“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 when weather conditions change suddenly and window won’t close. …”
2025-02-13 · Electrical System“in inclement weather the windows will not roll up, especially heavy rain events. the window will attempt to go up and then go into the fully open position. you have to wait a minute before the window will allow you to attempt again of reset the windows. this happen to me on the highway in a heavy rain. it has happened several times. subaru knows of…”
2024-09-26 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v227000 (air bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not ma…”
2024-05-14 · Visibility/Wiper“i have had two spontaneous window cracks within 6 to 9 months apart. i had a full windshield replacement and the windshield has just cracked again. the second incident, the vehicle was parked overnight so it wasn't caused by a rock or from following a car. …”
2024-03-18 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the thermo control valve is faulty and my friends is too. there is a class action lawsuit concerning this part. i replacement part was designed in 2021 and subaru is aware of this issue, but refuses to do a recall. so far 2019, 2020 and 2021 models are affected.…”
2024-03-11 · Unknown Or Other“windshield on 3/5/24 i drove to work,...the windshield was intacted as of 8am.. after my shift at 4pm mysteriously there was a line (crack in the window on the drivers side) around 6 inches....haven't been to my car since wednesday 3/6/24... today 3/11/24 that crack has expanded to 12-14 inches across the drivers side the car is parked in my drive…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.