2020 Subaru LEGACY

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2020 Subaru LEGACY has 143 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.8x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is visibility problems (46% of all complaints), specifically: tl* the contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. the contact stated while driving at approximately 60 mph, there was an abnormal sound emitting from the windshield. the contact became aware fractures to the windshield in three separate places. the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. a deal. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 1 crash report 1 injury

143

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.8x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

VISIBILITY

66 complaints

46%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SOUND EMITTING FROM THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT BECAME AWARE FRACTURES TO THE WINDSHIELD IN THREE SEPARATE PLACES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEAL
• MY LEGACY HAS A CRACKED WINDSHIELD FOR NO APPARENT REASON
• WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED ON BOTH SIDES INWARD WHEN STATIONARY. THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY ROCK CHIPS OR HIT MARKS. JUST SPLIT AND CHIPPED ON ITS OWN.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SOUND EMITTING FROM THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT BECAME AWARE FRACTURES TO THE WINDSHIELD IN THREE SEPARATE PLACES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEAL”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

26 complaints

18%

• MY LEGACY WAS 4 MONTHS OLD, WHEN A SPONTANEOUS CRACK APPEARED IN THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK IS THINNER THAN A HUMAN HAIR. IT'S NOT ROUND LIKE, THE COMMON ROCK CHIP. JUST A VERY, VERY FINE CRACK.*DT CONSUMER STATED CRACK ON THE WINDSHIELD IS 8 INCHES LONGER NOW.*JB
• I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER PAYING TO HAVE THE SIDE WINDOWS TINTED (THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT ALTERED) THERE WAS A LOUD POP. THE WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY SPLIT IN TWO WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE WERE LESS THAN 300 MILES ON MY CAR AND WHEN I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD M
• 2020 SUBARU LEGACY XT WINDSHIELD CRACKING ON IT OWN WENT TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY REFUSED TO WARRANTY THE DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD I HEARD A POP ONE EVENING AND COULD NOT NOT FIND THE REASON WHY WHILE RETURNING HOME I WOKE UP THE FOLLOWING MORNING TO FIND A HUGE CRACK BELOW MY EYESIGHT TECHNOLOGY! SEVERE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“MY LEGACY WAS 4 MONTHS OLD, WHEN A SPONTANEOUS CRACK APPEARED IN THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK IS THINNER THAN A HUMAN HAIR. IT'S NOT ROUND LIKE, THE COMMON ROCK CHIP. JUST A VERY, VERY FINE CRACK.*DT CONSUMER STATED CRACK ON THE WINDSHIELD IS 8 INCHES LONGER NOW.*JB”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

15 complaints

10%

• RADIO AND CONTROL UNIT RANDOMLY RESTARTS AND FREEZES, AFFECTING THE RADIO FROM WORKING, THE VEHICLE CONTROL AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE OPTIONS, AND THE TWO USB PORTS WHICH ARE THE ONLY POWER SOURCES IN THE VEHICLE FROM WORKING CORRECTLY. I HAVE NO AUDIO AND CANNOT RESET THE RADIO AND CANNOT CHANGE VEHIC
• 1. The infotainment system crashed (happens often), which caused the touchscreen in the center control stack to turn black and become unresponsive. This also caused the EyeSight safety system, adaptive cruise control (with lane keep assist), and reverse auto braking to all shut down (my dashboard li
• The battery for the Subaru Legacy Limited will not keep a charge. As a result the battery dies and the car will not start. On four occasions the car had to be jump started. After each jump start the car was left running for up to an hour. The next day, the battery was completely discharged and start

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“RADIO AND CONTROL UNIT RANDOMLY RESTARTS AND FREEZES, AFFECTING THE RADIO FROM WORKING, THE VEHICLE CONTROL AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE OPTIONS, AND THE TWO USB PORTS WHICH ARE THE ONLY POWER SOURCES IN THE VEHICLE FROM WORKING CORRECTLY. I HAVE NO AUDIO AND CANNOT RESET THE RADIO AND CANNOT CHANGE VEHIC”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

10 complaints

• CRACK APPEARED IN FRONT WINDSHIELD ON PASSENGER SIDE AT APPROXIMATELY MID-HEIGHT ON THE WINDSHIELD. NO SIGN OF IMPACT FROM FOREIGN OBJECT AND VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR 2 DAYS BEFORE THE CRACK WAS NOTICED. CRACK ORIGINATED FROM THE VERY EDGE OF THE SEAL AND SPREAD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS.
• DRIVING HOME WHEN I NOTICE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BIG HIT THE WINDOW. SLOWED TO THE LIGHT AND I NOTICE IT WAS ACTUALLY A SMALL ROUND CRACK IN MY GLASS SO I PULL IN THE WALGREENS LOT TO SEE WHAT COULD OF HAPPEN. BY THE TIME I PARKED AND OPENED MY DOOR I SAW THE CRACK HAD MADE ITS WAY ALL THE WAY DOWN M
• DRIVING HOME WHEN I NOTICE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BIG HIT THE WINDOW. SLOWED TO THE LIGHT AND I NOTICE IT WAS ACTUALLY A SMALL ROUND CRACK IN MY GLASS SO I PULL IN THE WALGREENS LOT TO SEE WHAT COULD OF HAPPEN. BY THE TIME I PARKED AND OPENED MY DOOR I SAW THE CRACK HAD MADE ITS WAY ALL THE WAY DOWN M

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“CRACK APPEARED IN FRONT WINDSHIELD ON PASSENGER SIDE AT APPROXIMATELY MID-HEIGHT ON THE WINDSHIELD. NO SIGN OF IMPACT FROM FOREIGN OBJECT AND VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR 2 DAYS BEFORE THE CRACK WAS NOTICED. CRACK ORIGINATED FROM THE VERY EDGE OF THE SEAL AND SPREAD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

7 complaints

• MY CAR BEGINS TO JERK OR PULSATE, AS IF POWER IS BEING APPLIED AND REMOVED QUICKLY, WHILE THE CAR IS UNDER LOAD. I FIRST NOTICED THIS PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING UP LONG INCLINES ON THE INTERSTATE. THEN, I NOTICED IT WHILE ACCELERATING FROM RELATIVELY SLOW SPEED TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TODAY, WHILE DRIVING ON
• The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while in a parking space with her foot on the brake pedal and the transmission in drive(D), the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle drove over the parking median; however, she managed to
• Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) chain may slip and/or break. NHTSA recall 21V955000 Subaru recall WRK21 A software issue in the transmission control unit (TCU) may allow the continuously variable transmission to engage before the drive chain is properly secured, the automaker says. This c

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“MY CAR BEGINS TO JERK OR PULSATE, AS IF POWER IS BEING APPLIED AND REMOVED QUICKLY, WHILE THE CAR IS UNDER LOAD. I FIRST NOTICED THIS PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING UP LONG INCLINES ON THE INTERSTATE. THEN, I NOTICED IT WHILE ACCELERATING FROM RELATIVELY SLOW SPEED TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TODAY, WHILE DRIVING ON ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 143 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
VISIBILITY: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SOUND EMITTING FROM THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT BECAME AWARE FRACTURES TO THE WINDSHIELD IN THREE SEPARATE PLACES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEAL
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: MY LEGACY WAS 4 MONTHS OLD, WHEN A SPONTANEOUS CRACK APPEARED IN THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK IS THINNER THAN A HUMAN HAIR. IT'S NOT ROUND LIKE, THE COMMON ROCK CHIP. JUST A VERY, VERY FINE CRACK.*DT CONSUMER STATED CRACK ON THE WINDSHIELD IS 8 INCHES LONGER NOW.*JB
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: RADIO AND CONTROL UNIT RANDOMLY RESTARTS AND FREEZES, AFFECTING THE RADIO FROM WORKING, THE VEHICLE CONTROL AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE OPTIONS, AND THE TWO USB PORTS WHICH ARE THE ONLY POWER SOURCES IN THE VEHICLE FROM WORKING CORRECTLY. I HAVE NO AUDIO AND CANNOT RESET THE RADIO AND CANNOT CHANGE VEHIC
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: CRACK APPEARED IN FRONT WINDSHIELD ON PASSENGER SIDE AT APPROXIMATELY MID-HEIGHT ON THE WINDSHIELD. NO SIGN OF IMPACT FROM FOREIGN OBJECT AND VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR 2 DAYS BEFORE THE CRACK WAS NOTICED. CRACK ORIGINATED FROM THE VERY EDGE OF THE SEAL AND SPREAD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)