Body problems of the 2020 Subaru Outback

16 problems related to body have been reported for the 2020 Subaru Outback. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2020 Subaru Outback based on all problems reported for the 2020 Outback.

1 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/21/2024

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.

2 Body problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2023

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at a low rate of speed, the trim on the front, driver side door began to detach from vehicle. A few days, the front passenger side door also experienced the same failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the trim for both doors were reattached; however, the failure had returned on the front, driver side door. The contact reached out to the manufacturer online and completed a survey. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

3 Body problem

Failure Date: 04/28/2022

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!.

4 Body problem

Failure Date: 01/10/2022

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).

5 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2021

Windshield continously cracks. The windshield is prone to cracking. Within two years I've had two windshield cracks.

6 Body problem

Failure Date: 08/16/2021

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.

7 Body problem

Failure Date: 05/10/2021

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.

8 Body problem

Failure Date: 04/23/2021

A 12 inch crack in the windshield appeared after I heard a loud sharp sound. The vehicle was in motion traveling 55 mph on a four lane highway (briley parkway) in nashville, tennessee.

9 Body problem

Failure Date: 03/16/2021

Bought brand new, in 5 months the windshield had a cracked windshield, not the impact strike spider type, but from the drivers side edge, straight line crack 2 feet long. The second time a crack, straight line type from the passenger edge. The vehicle was in motion both times, 50 miles an hour, no other vehicles around. While driving with the crack, the crack would get longer. Never scene anything like it.

10 Body problem

Failure Date: 01/26/2021

The windshield cracked in the garage while it was stationary. Nothing physically damaged the windshield and it cracked on its own. This happened twice on my 2017 Subaru Outback as well. I see that there is a class action lawsuit in place and I would like to get added as this is the third time this has happened.

11 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/25/2020

I was driving and my windshield just cracked.

12 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/12/2020

While interacting with the rear of the car while it was parked and shut off, I had accidently triggered the "hands-free power rear gate" feature and the gate began to open. Rather than wait for the tail gate to fully open, I gently pushed the rear tail gate against the automatic opening back into the closed position. At this point, the car beeped at me three times and the rear tail gate would no longer latch itself closed, even when closed manually. I was forced to drive the vehicle with the tail gate unsecured, it would open itself while driving because the latch would not engage and hold it closed.

13 Body problem

Failure Date: 07/31/2020

We were driving down hiway 50 near gunnison CO when we heard a sharp sound followed by the windshield cracking. Within a few seconds, this was repeated but the cracking occurred in a different place on the windshield.

14 Body problem

Failure Date: 01/14/2020

Driving on highway, 65 mph. Hear a small "click. " look over and discover a 6" crack in the windshield. I've been driving for 40 year and know what it sounds like when a stone hits the windshield. This wasn't a stone.

15 Body problem

Failure Date: 01/11/2020

Got into the car , shut the door and the rear window shattered. The car is two weeks old.

16 Body problem

Failure Date: 01/07/2020

Tl- the contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph the front driver side glass windshield suddenly began to crack. The crack started from the lower section of the windshield and extended approximately 14 inches. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was repaired at an independent glass repair shop. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3000. Jft.


Other Structure related problems of the 2020 Subaru Outback


Safety Ratings of Outback Cars
Fuel Economy of Outback Vehicles
Outback Service Bulletins
Outback Safety Recalls
Outback Defect Investigations