While driving there is a loss of power, the battery fails, electronic components shut down and car stops. Has happened intermittently. Replaced battery. This is a significant safety issue happened on freeway near exit ramp, in parking lot in driveway, everything cuts out. Opened hood and seems to be battery terminal connector. Recall was issued for certain Subaru models but not legacy. No warning, just cuts off. Is not a standard battery terminal connector. Had to secure battery down with cable ties.
The worst 2020 Subaru Legacy problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Visibility66
- Electrical15
- Driver assistance7
- Transmission7
- Acceleration4
- Engine4
- Brakes2
- Airbags1
- Body1
- Fuel system1
- Lights1
- Seats1
- Steering1
- Tires1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2020 Subaru Legacy
Recalls 6
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passenger
- What is wrong
- Subaru 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.
- Risk
- An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
Recall number 24V227000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: chain/belt
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-22. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V‑955.
Recall number 22V485000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: chain/belt
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V‑855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V‑855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-21.
Recall number 21V955000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Subaru 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.
- Risk
- Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
Recall number 21V587000 · Recall details
Back over prevention: display function
- What is wrong
- Subaru 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 causing the rearview display to shutoff intermittently. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- The intermittent loss of the rearview image reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the software and, if necessary, replace the Cockpit Control Module, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-20.
Recall number 20V766000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- Subaru 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.
- Risk
- A missing or loose bolt may cause the brake pedal mounting area to deform over time, which can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake pedal mounting bracket hardware and replace the hardware or brake pedal assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUL-97.
Recall number 19V664000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2020 Subaru Legacy 609
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This bulletin announces a change to the troubleshooting tree when diagnosing DTC P2404 EVAP SYSTEM LEAK...
- This bulletin the announces diagnostic procedures and availability of new Engine Control Module (ECM)...
- This is an update announcement regarding the TechShare & NorthStar Integration
- This Service Information Bulletin announces Service Manual updates for the diagnosis of hands-free calling...
- This announcement provides information on the connected services platform for Subaru EVs.
- This bulletin provides a step-by-step diagnostic procedure for resolving Remote Engine Start (RES)...
- This Service Information Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but...
- This announcement provides information on DCM replacememts due to a parasitic draw.
- This announcement provides information on an outage affecting the Subaru Select Monitor 5 application.
- This Service Information Bulletin announces the availability of ThreeBond 1216J (SOA868V9640) designed for...
2020 Subaru Legacy fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4‑cyl | AWD | 27 | 35 | 30 |
| 2.4L 4‑cyl | AWD | 24 | 32 | 27 |
What 2020 Subaru Legacy owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Driver's seat structurally unstable due to factory-installed welded nut shearing off the seat rail anchor at approximately 32,000 miles. Confirmed by Napleton Subaru technician on video. Physical component in owner's possession. Failure is consistent with prior Subaru seat rail weld recalls. This affects seat stability, occupant restraint geometry, and crash protection.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that during inclement weather, the front driver and front passenger’s side power windows failed to automatically roll up as intended. The contact was forced to hold the power window button to slowly roll the windows up. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the contact was informed that there was debris in the slides inside the windows, causing the windows to fail to retract. The contact stated that the driver’s side window retractor was replaced; however, the failure returned soon after the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 29,000.
One hour into traveling on the highway smoke began to come from under the hood so we pulled off to the side of the road. Upon opening the hood, after the smoke cleared, a fire was observed. At that point the passengers exited the vehicle and called 911. There was no warning lights or sounds indicating any problems prior to this. The car burned very quickly and the firefighters extinguished the fire but not before the entire car was burned to ashes. The car is wrapped and in the possession of the insurance company pending investigation.
Power window driver side intermittently fails to function, leaving window partly or completely open. This is an ongoing problem. Often I have to restart the car to get the window to operate properly. Difficult to drive when weather conditions change suddenly and window won’t close.
in inclement weather the windows will not roll up, especially heavy rain events. The window will attempt to go up and then go into the fully open position. You have to wait a minute before the window will allow you to attempt again of reset the windows. This happen to me on the highway in a heavy rain. It has happened several times. Subaru knows of this problem and has a technical bulletin about it to change the motor and window tracks. They all should be changed before a fatality occurs
Defective Cam Carrier Seal
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Legacy. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V227000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I have had two spontaneous window cracks within 6 to 9 months apart. I had a full windshield replacement and the windshield has just cracked again. The second incident, the vehicle was parked overnight so it wasn't caused by a rock or from following a car.
The Thermo control valve is faulty and my friends is too. There is a class action lawsuit concerning this part. I replacement part was designed in 2021 and Subaru is aware of this issue, but refuses to do a recall. So far 2019, 2020 and 2021 models are affected.
Compare the 2020 Subaru Legacy
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2020 Subaru Legacy
Is the 2020 Subaru Legacy reliable?
Owners have filed 121 complaints about the 2020 Subaru Legacy, 1.6 times a typical Legacy model year.
What is the 2020 Subaru Legacy year score?
The 2020 Subaru Legacy scores 55 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Subaru Legacy: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2020 Subaru Legacy?
Windows, wipers and visibility, with 66 complaints, typically around 5,600 miles. Next is electrical (15).
How many recalls does the 2020 Subaru Legacy have?
6 recalls, covering air bags, power train and fuel system, gasoline.
What year does the Subaru Legacy have the most visibility problems?
The Subaru Legacy model years with the most visibility complaints are 2020 (66 complaints), 2019 (51 complaints) and 2015 (41 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2020 Subaru Legacy get?
Official estimates for the 2020 Subaru Legacy range from 27 to 30 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 4-cyl, AWD) gets 27 city and 35 highway.
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