The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists 6 official safety recall campaigns for the 2020 Subaru Outback in AutoUtility's current federal dataset. The primary affected vehicle systems include Powertrain & Transmission, Air Bags & Restraints, Brakes & Traction Control.
Key Recall Findings
- • Official Recall Campaigns: 6 campaigns on file with NHTSA
- • Primary Affected Subsystems: Powertrain & Transmission, Air Bags & Restraints, Brakes & Traction Control
- • Official Remedy: Detailed per campaign in official NHTSA records below
- • Most Recent NHTSA Report: March 22, 2024
VIN-Specific Notice: Safety recall campaigns apply to specific production date ranges and vehicle identification numbers (VINs). A campaign listing on this model-year page does not establish that every vehicle or trim is affected. Check your 17-digit VIN at NHTSA.gov or with an authorized dealer to verify whether a safety repair is needed.
Vehicle Subsystem 2 campaigns
Powertrain & Transmission
NHTSA records also contain 46 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records also contain 19 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Brakes & Traction Control
NHTSA records also contain 17 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
NHTSA records also contain 72 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records also contain 15 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Domain Mapping Methodology: A single NHTSA recall campaign may involve more than one vehicle subsystem (such as electrical wiring affecting fuel delivery), so domain totals can exceed the total number of unique recall campaigns. Complaint and recall counts are grouped by broad vehicle system; component co-occurrence does not establish that an individual owner complaint is related to a specific recall campaign.
NHTSA Campaign #24V227000 Air Bags & Restraints
Affected Component: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
NHTSA Report Date: March 22, 2024
Safety Defect Summary: 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.
Safety Risk / Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: 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.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #22V485000 Powertrain & Transmission
Affected Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
NHTSA Report Date: July 8, 2022
Safety Defect Summary: 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.
Safety Risk / Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: 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.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY
1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #21V955000 Powertrain & Transmission
Affected Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
NHTSA Report Date: December 9, 2021
Safety Defect Summary: 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.
Safety Risk / Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: 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.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #21V587000 Fuel & Propulsion System
Affected Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
NHTSA Report Date: July 29, 2021
Safety Defect Summary: 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.
Safety Risk / Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: 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.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #20V766000 Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Affected Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
NHTSA Report Date: December 10, 2020
Safety Defect Summary: 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."
Safety Risk / Consequence: The intermittent loss of the rearview image reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of crash.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: 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.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #19V664000 Brakes & Traction Control
Affected Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES
NHTSA Report Date: September 18, 2019
Safety Defect Summary: 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.
Safety Risk / Consequence: 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.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: 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.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Source Data Notice: Campaign summaries, safety consequences, and remedy descriptions are direct text extracts published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation.
Historical Reporting Note: Recall campaign counts are shown by model year and should not be interpreted as a vehicle reliability score. Campaigns may cover multiple model years, and newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time for new safety campaigns to be issued.
Safety recall campaigns on this page are associated with this make, model, and model year in NHTSA federal records. A campaign may apply only to certain vehicles based on production date, equipment, manufacturing details, or other campaign-specific criteria.
AutoUtility cannot determine whether a particular VIN is affected or whether a recall remedy has already been completed.
For vehicle-specific recall status, check the 17-digit VIN using NHTSA's official recall lookup or contact an authorized dealer. Campaign-specific remedy information shown above is reproduced from official NHTSA recall records.
Official NHTSA Safety Resources:
NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 711)