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The 2020 Subaru Legacy has 121 NHTSA owner complaints and 6 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2020 Subaru Legacy has 121 NHTSA owner complaints and 6 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). The most-reported system is visibility at 61 complaints, typically surfacing around 8,702 miles (~$350 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Legacy | 118 | 2 |
| 2018 Legacy | 116 | 3 |
| 2019 Legacy | 123 | 3 |
| 2020 Legacy (this page) | 121 | 6 |
| 2021 Legacy | 31 | 3 |
| 2022 Legacy | 32 | 2 |
| 2023 Legacy | 10 | 2 |
Average for the segment. Some recurring trouble spots worth knowing about.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Driver-assist features on the tested model: Electronic stability control: Standard · Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Standard
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program — tested configuration: 2020 Subaru Legacy 4 DR AWD. Stars rate crash protection in NHTSA's tests, not overall reliability — see the owner-complaint data below for what actually goes wrong.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: electrical is flagged severe on this model , showing up around 7,814 mi. Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 6 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 6.6/10 model. The priciest documented failure is powertrain (~$2,500) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
Tl* the contact owns a 2020 Subaru legacy. The contact stated that the windshield fractured without impact. The contact stated that the windshield was fractured on the driver's side. The windshield was replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage…
Very small stone struck window of car and crack appeared from where stone hit all the way to end of windshield. Next day, noticed that crack is growing toward middle of window. I've had to replace my wife's 2017 outback windshields 2 times. Something is definitely wrong with…
A crack appeared in the windshield overnight while parked in the driveway with no sign of impact or other causes. This seems to be an ongoing problem with Subaru since they changed to acoustic glass for their windshields.
At approximately 30k miles we had noticed the vehicle sounded loud, like a Turbo. It got worse and after returning from our vacation trip to Maine, it was noticeable louder but couldn’t place a finger on the problem. We brought the vehicle in to Victory Subaru in Morristown…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
It's got known weak points. With a reliability score of 6.6 out of 10 based on 121 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2020 Subaru Legacy has a higher-than-average rate of reported issues. The areas to watch are listed above. Whether it's worth owning depends on price, condition, and how much repair exposure you can absorb.
The 2020 Subaru Legacy is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Reliability score 6.6/10 — around the segment average; 6 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the visibility first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 61 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 8,702 miles. Average repair cost runs about $350 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 6.6 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 121 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is visibility. Typical failure occurs around 8,702 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is visibility, with 61 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 8,702 miles. Average repair cost runs about $350 at an independent shop.
The visibility is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $350 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 8,702 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 121 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $350, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.