Table 1 shows one common wheel related problems of the 2020 Subaru Outback.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wheel problems |
The warning lights on our 2020 Subaru Outback have lit intermittently for the past 2 years. When bringing the vehicle into the dealer for service and oil changes, this was reported. Recently the tpms light began to light intermittently. Tire pressure was checked and adjusted but the problem persisted. When we brought the vehicle in for service, it turned out that all tire pressure sensors needed to be replaced but the service techs identified other problems that surfaced just as the car was not covered by warranty - the most serious being an oil leak caused by failure of cam carrier seals. This caused a dangerous condition where oil was leaking onto the engine and into the spark plugs. I find it odd that this expensive issue was not discovered sooner. Subaru and only Subaru has been servicing this vehicle since new and they should have caught it.
Transmission is failing. Wheel bearing bad. This is a 5 year old car with regular maintenance. No warning lights.
Vehicle had 45,000 miles on it when right rear wheel bearing failed. It was covered under 5 year/60,000 mile warranty and was repaired today by a certified Subaru dealer and I no longer have the bad part for inspection. Safety risks would be anything that occurs from a bad wheel bearing like wobble, seizing, overheating, and more damage to other drivetrain components. You could hear the wheel bearing noise at 20 mph constant while driving, only getting louder with increased speed. No warning lights were present on the dash. I feel like at 45,000 miles, a wheel bearing should not be failing.
We bought a 2020 Outback used with 12k miles from local Honda dealership July 2021. At 18k miles we took it in for service and were told there was gross misalignment and all the tires were worn down and needed to be replaced. The Subaru dealership made it sound as though this is a recurring issue with the 2020 Outbacks - the alignment is going off early and the tires are wearing down very fast. This is the car our nanny uses to transport our kids - we are concerned that there could be other families out there that don't realize how quickly their alignment and tires are going downhill and could result in safety issues.
Tpms showed one tire with low pressure alert, checked and corrected all 4 tires. Drove vehicle for over 30 miles and all 4 tires showed same pressure but one tire continued to show a false alert. This is the 2nd time this has happened, the tpms shows false alarms and cannot be relied upon as a safety feature.