2020 Subaru Legacy: owner complaints and recalls

47% of everything owners report about the 2020 Subaru Legacy points at a single system: visibility/wiper. That is 57 of 121 complaints on file.

121
Complaints
6
Recalls
1
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
1
Injuries
14.9
Severity index

Severity index 14.9 - Low. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 14.9p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2020 Subaru Legacy sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 103 2020 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2020 Subaru Legacy ranks 92 of 103 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 11% of its model-year peers. See the full 2020 ranking.

What actually fails

Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 57 complaints (47.1%)57 47%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 26 complaints (21.5%)26 21%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 15 complaints (12.4%)15 12%VisibilityVisibility: 9 complaints (7.4%)9 7%Power TrainPower Train: 7 complaints (5.8%)7 6%Forward Collision Avoid…Forward Collision Avoidance: 7 complaints (5.8%)7 6%EngineEngine: 4 complaints (3.3%)4 3%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 4 complaints (3.3%)4 3%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
VISIBILITY/WIPER5747.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2621.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1512.4%
VISIBILITY97.4%
POWER TRAIN75.8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE75.8%
ENGINE43.3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL43.3%

Complaints filed per year

021422020: 282021: 422022: 222023: 152024: 72025: 52026: 2 (partial year)2021422223242526
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
202028
202142
202222
202315
20247
20255
2026 (year to date)2
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
20V76600010/12/2020BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTIONSubaru 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
21V95500009/12/2021POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)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.
21V58700029/07/2021FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMPSubaru 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.
19V66400018/09/2019SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGESSubaru 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.
22V48500008/07/2022POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)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.
24V22700022/03/2024AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGERSubaru 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.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.