There are 19 owner-reported driver assist & adas complaints for the 2020 Subaru Outbackin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I was parking my car slowly until it suddenly accelerated. I hit a wall and car got totaled.
Gas cap was not secured overnight. The next day every ADAS function both safety and convenience was disabled and their lights were on. Users guide said car should recover after a few miles of driving. 100 miles and multiple restarts later it did not. It was taken to the dealer where they cleared the error for free. Poor design that a loose gas cap could cause a collision due to lack of ADAS. Dealer said it is a known condition with all Subaru models.
The Subaru front camera incorrectly detected a hazard. The automatic braking system engaged and locked the steering. I skidded off the pavement, causing damage to the car. At the time of the accident, the blind sight warning lights flashed on the dash signaling that they were disabled. I was going very slow in a driveway. No personal damage just property damage and damage to the car. I have let the insurance company know about the issue and the collision center. I have had periodic instances where the warning signals of blind sight disabled have come on the vehicle. I informed Subaru in August 2024 about the issue at my last maintenance appointment. There is also a software update required on the vehicle. I asked Subaru to update the software in August 2024, but I was told by a service technician that it was not possible to update . I had to make a separate appointment for the software update as it took a long time.
After completing an OTA software update the screen would not load and entered continuous buffering disabling all environmental and safety functions.
ACC eye sight is intermittent. It normally fails within 5 minutes of operations and just turning the car on.
After an automatic software download update, the RAB off light came on. The RAB light comes on when the car is put in Reverse and provides the option to turn that function off. After the update, the RAB icon is no longer displayed. It is the only system so far that I noticed that malfunctioned after the software update
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving in reverse the vehicle crashed into a metal dumpster causing severe damage to the rear end of the vehicle. During the incident, the audible backover prevention alert indicating that the vehicle was nearing an object did not activate causing the vehicle to be driven into the dumpster. During the incident, the front passenger sustained neck and back injuries that later required medical treatment. No police report was taken and the vehicle was driven from the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Eyesight System inadvertently deactivated, causing the power steering to fail and the vehicle to go into Limp Mode. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle to correct the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.
Infotainment system went into a continuous boot loop where screen went blank then subaru bootup screen appeared, then menu started to load then process repeated. During this process the Eyesight driver assistance system would produce an error saying all of it's functions were disabled while the infotainment system was rebooting. Also the display in center of the dashboard that shows vehicle info was randomly showing scrambled text while the infotainment system rebooted. This has happened multiple times, appears to happen when the vehicle has been on for several hours and is warm so it is hard to reproduce.
The Automatic Emergency Braking System engaged while driving at 20 MPH in my community's private roads. After it came to a screeching halt, I had to put the car in Park and then in Drive so I could proceed the half mile to my house. If this had happened while driving @ 70 MPH on I 95, I AM CONFIDENT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. I am now afraid to drive my car. I wonder if and when it is going to happen again unexpectedly. Very dangerous situation.
When passing semi’s on highway they are not detected by the blind spot detection (the light on the mirror does not turn on). It does not pick up the semi even when I am only halfway passed the semi. The blind spot detection does work when passing cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles on the highway. I reported this issue to the dealer (CleoBay Subaru, Killeen,TX). They tested the vehicle and told me they did not experience any issues. I immediately left the dealership and went out on the highway and still experienced the same issue. I believe this is a significant safety issue. Thank you for you time
Without warning or repeatable cause the "infotainment" system will reboot causing the Bluetooth, LKAS, forward watching camera, emergency braking, and RAB to also stop working and reboot. This problem has occurred numerous times over the past several months. It happens without any predictability and I have not been able to find a common factor that triggers it. In May it happened once on a 4 hour drive west, but on the return trip it happened 4 times in a 2 hour window. The problem did not occur again until the first week of June and happened multiple times over a 3 day period. The software for the car has been recalled and reinstalled twice and the problem still occurs without warning or explanation. I have reported the issue in mid-August to Subaru's customer service and was told "a software update" was 2 weeks away. I do not believe this report from their customer service because no other documentation was provided other than a call back. I followed-up with a call back and an email to Subaru asking for more details for which I have not gotten an answer. The incidence of it happening on Aug 20, 2021 occurred as I was entering into traffic from Baggage Road to Hwy 220 South in Rockingham County, NC. The system rebooted as I was entering traffic and created a distraction at a crucial moment I was crossing 4 lanes to turn left to proceed south on Hwy 220. Presently the system's issues seem to be limited to a reboot of Bluetooth, radio and all safety related systems. If the system had triggered a shutdown of the car or if the safety systems had caused the car to stop I would have been in the middle of a US Highway with traffic approaching from both directions at 60+mph. I am disappointed by Subaru for not addressing this issue with a formal company statement and promises of an update have not materialized.
Purchased the vehicle new and from the beginning the passenger side blind spot detection has been inconsistent in alerting for vehicles in or approaching the blind spot. Had it checked when new and on 11/2/21 and the dealer reported it was operating according to specifications and no fault codes were shown. The dealer did not test drive the car. In a recent test of about 100 miles, about 20% of the time the BSD FAILED TO EITHER DETECT, or detected too late, a vehicle that was being passed or one approaching from behind on the passenger side. Remarkably it seems to fail more often when passing a semi. It caused a near miss at night when it was difficult to see through the deeply tinted windows and when the BSD failed to recognize a vehicle squarely in the blind spot as I tried to merge into the right lane. An internet search found at least one post which matches the experiences I have had. The driver's side BSD works fine.
On multiple occasions my car has come to a complete stop, due to the automatic emergency breaking, when the car in front of me was in no way near my car or when there was nothing near my car at all. After almost having 2 accidents in the last 2 weeks due to this, I brought my car to Subaru (twice! two different dealerships) where I was informed that Subaru cameras are overly sensitive and "this happens a lot". Both dealerships told me to turn off my safety features and said there was nothing to fix. There is a class action lawsuit in the works for this exact issue and Subaru is continuing to tell me nothing is wrong. I'm hoping filling this out will get the issue further investigated since it's a common enough problem.
The electronic controls black out while driving the entire center screen and electronics shut down disabling the warning lights and I think also the electronic systems that function to control the safety warnings and functionality. This has been a problem on an ongoing basis since the purchase of the vehicle. This has been "repaired" multiple times by the dealer under the direction of Subaru. There was a recall earlier this year that was supposed to correct the problem it added some functionality, but primarily this recall reprogramming of the electronics was supposed to correct the blacking out of electronics and the disabling of the safety systems. The recall reprogramming has not corrected the problem. When I complained to Subaru they suggested that I take a video of the failure when it happened. I explained that this was not possible because I was driving at 70 MPH when it happened and could not just grab my phone and start a video while driving on I-95. Last week I was able to get a video of the failure as it happened while my wife was driving and I was a passenger. The entire panel blacked out and she pulled to the side of the road and I took a video of the 4 minutes the system was out. I will attach this video to this report. In addition there is an additional problem that occurred related to the lane keep assist function. There are four options to configure this function they are: 1> OFF 2> Warning Buzzer Only 3> Lane Keep function Only 4> All Functions. My understanding of the operation of this system has one function that shuts the system Off that is obviously the OFF function. #2 although only a buzzer has the system on, #3 has the functionality working but no warning buzzer (my preferred choice) and #4 that has all functions operating both warning buzzer and lane keep functions. My concern is that if you use #3 the system shows a warning light on the dash that shows the system if OFF. I have video of the electronics but don't know how to upload it.
While driving the car the car's computer/radio/navigation system will randomly shut down. This has been occurring since approx 6500 miles. When this occurs all of the safety systems/HVAC/Rear Camera/Radio/Navigation systems all will fail with the associated warning lights. The car now has approx 9000 miles, this appears to be random occurrences about every 200-250 miles. Dealer states that they are aware of the problem and was told to contact back late June/early July that SOA was going to release a software fix. Well time has passed and nothing has occurred. When driving this car and the failure occurs all of the safety systems are totally inoperable thus the computerized safety systems are not functional. So, far I have been able to maintain full control of the car. The time for the systems to comeback online is highly variable and sometimes I have to stop, and turn the car off for approximately 10 minutes to have the systems return to being functional. For example, the automated cruise control if in operation will fail to operate, the backup camera will be inoperable, the side space warning will fail, lane assist will fail, and so on for all of the safety systems that this particular car has will all fail. Fortunately, I have been able to safely find a safe place to stop, but what happens when this failure occurs and there is not a place to stop/pull over to rest the car/computer. I can't be the only owner/driver that is having this problem(s) they are all interrelated when the master computer shuts down all of the other systems then follow. It is only a matter of time that a potential crash with associated injury and or loss of life can potentially occur. Dealer is unable to replicate and therefore unable to repair/replace parts. Once this failure can be rectified/corrected this is a wonderful car. At this point, I am unable to determine the cause nor am I able to prevent these failures.
EVER SINCE THE RECALL FOR THE COCKPIT CONTROL SYSTEM SOFTWARE WAS UPDATED ON MY 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK TOURING ON MARCH 1, 2021 THE CONSOLE RANDOMLY REBOOTS. IT HAS HAPPENED 6 TIMES IN 3 WEEKS. ON A RECENT TRIP ON THURSDAY MARCH 25, 2021 THE CONSOLE REBOOTED 3 TIMES IN A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR. WHEN THAT HAPPENS THE SAFETY FUNCTIONS ARE DISABLED - PRE-COLLISION BRAKING, ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, PRE-COLLISION THROTTLE MANAGEMENT, LANE DEPARTURE AND SWAY WARNING WITH LANE KEEP ASSIST, ETC.
HAIRLINE CRACK IN WINDSHEILD
THIS 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK TOURING XT RAN WELL FOR THE FIRST 10,000 MILES. WE WERE INFORMED IT HAD A RECALL AND THIS WAS CORRECTED 1/06/2021 BY CARBOONE'S SUBARU IN UTICA, NY. AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR WHEN THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE AND ADAPTIVE STEERING ARE ENGAGED IF THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO LEAVE ITS LANE THE WARNING MESSAGE IS 'PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL'. BEFORE THIS IT WAS 'LANE DEPARTURE'. IF THE ADAPTIVE STEERING IS NOT ENGAGED THE WARNING REMAINS 'LANE DEPARTURE'. THIS BEHAVIOR HAPPENS ON ALL ROADS WHEN THE ADAPTIVE STEERING AND ADAPTIVE CRUISE CAN BE ENGAGED. IT OCCURS AT ALL SPEEDS. THIS WARNING TO PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE WHEEL OCCURS WHEN YOUR HANDS ARE ON THE WHEEL AND IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING (LANE DEPARTURE) NOR WHAT THE VEHICLE WARNINGS ARE WHEN NOT USING THE ADAPTIVE STEERING. THIS PRESENTS A CONFUSING PICTURE TO THE DRIVER AND COULD LEAD TO AN INAPPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO WHAT IS HAPPENING AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. SUBARU'S RESPONSE TO THE CHANGE OF WARNINGS IS 'THIS IS NORMAL BEHAVIOR'.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026