This Bulletin announces a correction to the diagnostic procedures for certain CVT related DTCs, including P0730, P0746, P0747, P0841, P0846, P0867, P1867, P1894, and P2723.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2020 Subaru Legacy electrical problems
severe 14 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $850 · see electrical across all vehicles →
Complaints
14
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$850
1fire
What stands out
No new NHTSA electrical complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 4 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering electrical on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
This bulletin announces reprogramming file availability and provides a software update installation procedure to optimize the new Gen 4 Denso CP1 Audio and Navigation head units utilized in the models listed.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This bulletin announces a design change to the TR690 CVT control valve body which features an enhanced line pressure sensor O-ring, designed to prevent abnormal sensor readings caused by O-ring leakage.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This bulletin announces the new procedure and Warranty Fail Code for FirstTime air conditioning (A/C) performance concerns possibly resulting from an undetected A/C refrigerant leak.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This bulletin contains information to help when attempting to complete the STARLINK Telematics subscription process, an Error Code 202 and / or 204 may occur preventing the process from completing successfully
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
Owners of 2020 Legacy vehicles describe recurring electrical and systems-integration failures. The most safety-critical issue is infotainment system crashes that trigger simultaneous shutdown of EyeSight, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and reverse auto braking—all while driving. A dealer touchscreen replacement failed to fix the root cause. Similarly, the radio/control unit randomly freezes and restarts, disabling vehicle controls and power delivery to USB ports.
Battery discharge is widespread and unexplained. Multiple owners report complete discharge despite no lights or doors left open, leaving them stranded—in one case, the vehicle died mid-intersection during stop-and-go traffic. Jump-starts only buy time; the battery dies again within hours or overnight. Dealers found nothing wrong in at least one case.
Window regulators malfunction, particularly in heavy rain—attempting to close then snapping fully open, forcing owners to wait or reset before trying again. Subaru has issued a technical bulletin for replacement.
The Thermo Control Valve failure disables all driver assistance (lane assist, blind spot, RAB, collision braking). Owners report this as a known issue across 2019–2021 models with a TSB available for a replacement part.
One owner reported a complete vehicle fire with no prior warnings. Cause is under investigation.
Same Subaru Legacy electrical reports on nearby years: 2017 · 2018 · 2019
Failure modes owners describe
Infotainment system crashing with safety system shutdown
Touchscreen center control stack crashes and goes black/unresponsive, causing EyeSight, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and reverse auto braking to shut down simultaneously. Warning lights and error messages appear on dashboard. Radio and climate controls also become inaccessible. Issue occurs sporadically; owner reports it happened at least once after dealer touchscreen replacement.
When: 15k miles, 1 year 3 months old; occurred June 6th during highway driving
Symptoms owners cite: Touchscreen turns black and becomes unresponsive; All EyeSight/ADAS systems shut down unexpectedly; Dashboard warning lights illuminate; Radio and climate controls inaccessible; System reboots after a few minutes, functionality returns to normal
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer replaced touchscreen; did not resolve the issue.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Only manufacturer has inspected. Owner emailed Subaru directly on June 7th with no response received.
Premature battery discharge/CAN module failure
Battery drains prematurely and unexpectedly, causing vehicle to stall or fail to start despite recent driving or normal use patterns. In at least one case, vehicle shut off in middle of intersection when auto start/stop engaged, leaving owner stranded. Owner reports Subaru Service Department found nothing wrong. Allegation references defective Controller Area Network (CAN) modules in class action lawsuit context.
When: Varies; incidents included stalling in traffic and failure to start after sitting overnight or short idle periods
Symptoms owners cite: Battery completely discharged with no known cause; Vehicle dies while stopped in traffic despite battery appearing functional; Unable to restart after short periods without driving; Multiple episodes on same vehicle (at least 4 jump-starts reported in one case, 2 stranding incidents in another); Vehicle unable to start after sitting overnight with lights/doors confirmed off
Repairs/costs cited: One owner reported $150 spent on jump starter before Subaru confirmed defect was manufacturer fault. Dealer battery replacement scheduled but no invoice yet. Another owner had car serviced with no resolution found.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: No TSBs or recalls mentioned for this specific issue in these narratives, though class action lawsuit references CAN module defect across multiple models.
Infotainment unit freezing and restarting
Radio and control unit randomly restart and freeze, disabling radio functionality, vehicle control functions, driving assistance options, and USB power ports. Occurs frequently. Buttons become unresponsive when selected.
When: Recurring issue, frequency not specified
Symptoms owners cite: Radio randomly restarts and freezes; No audio output; Vehicle control functions disabled; Driving assistance options disabled; USB power ports non-functional; Button inputs have no response
Window regulator failure
Front door window regulator fails to raise and lower correctly and reliably. In heavy rain, window may attempt to go up then reverse to fully open position unexpectedly. Owner reports Subaru knows of this problem and has issued a technical bulletin for replacement of motor and window tracks.
When: Occurs during inclement weather/heavy rain; happened multiple times during highway driving in one case
Symptoms owners cite: Window fails to roll up completely, especially in heavy rain; Window will attempt to close then automatically open fully; Requires waiting or manual reset before window responds again; Window regulator fails to raise and lower reliably
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer indicates part #61041AN00A requires replacement. Technical bulletin available for replacement of motor and window tracks.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Subaru has issued technical bulletin for motor and window track replacement.
Thermo Control Valve failure
Thermo Control Valve malfunction disables all driver assistance systems including lane assist, blind spot monitoring, reverse auto braking (RAB), and collision avoidance braking. One owner reports valve failure caused a short affecting all electrical components on its circuit, rendering vehicle inoperable in traffic.
When: Known issue reported across 2019–2021 Subaru models
Symptoms owners cite: All driver assistance systems disabled (lane assist, blind spot, RAB, collision braking); Vehicle becomes inoperable in traffic (one case); Electrical short affecting multiple circuits (one case)
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) issued with new/improved part to fix known issue.
Vehicle fire
Smoke emanated from under the hood during highway driving. Upon pulling over, fire was observed. Vehicle burned completely. No prior warning lights or sounds. Cause under investigation by insurance company.
When: One hour into highway travel
Symptoms owners cite: Smoke from under hood; Fire under hood; Complete vehicle burn; No warning indicators prior to event
Repairs/costs cited: Vehicle totaled, pending insurance investigation.
Synthesized from 14 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 4 most recent
This vehicle is equipped with the Subaru "Eyesight" system which is a number of safety features like automatic cruise control, lane keep assist, and others. About once a week on average while driving the entire system will shut down and the screen will go dark. You lose the radio, bluetooth, navigation, and all the Eyesight systems. After about 30 seconds it will reboot and things will come back…
The front door window regulator of our 2020 Subaru Legacy is not working properly. It fails to raise and lower correctly and reliably which can be a safety issue especially in an emergency. The problem occurred without any prior warnings or messages. I am told by the dealership (Bob Moore Subaru of Oklahoma City) that it is part #61041AN00A that requires replacement.
BATTERY ISSUES. maybe stemming from internal components (unsure, but likely). car completely died, when lights and all settings were turned off. bought a jump starter thinking maybe i just left something on, drove around for like an hour to juice it up and power the battery. went to car today and dead again. cannot access trunk (where i put my emergency stuff) because it's completely dead.…
Thermo Control Valve failed. Caused a short which affected all electrical components on its circuit. The car became inoperable in traffic.
Had electrical trouble with your 2020 Subaru Legacy?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the electrical problem on the 2020 Subaru Legacy?
It's a meaningful issue. 14 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $850.
At what mileage does the electrical typically fail?
Based on the 14 complaints filed, electrical issues most often appear around 7,814 miles. Some report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 with no symptoms. Maintenance habits matter — vehicles that received timely fluid services and were not regularly overworked tend to last longer.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $850 for electrical repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to electrical?
No active recalls currently cover electrical issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2020/Subaru/Legacy.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.