2020 Subaru Outback · symptom sheet

Battery dies or the car will not start

210owner reports
7,500median miles
1involved a crash

Newest report Sep 20, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

260 of the 899 complaints on this car are about the electrical system. 210 of those describe dead battery. Only windshield is reported more often on this car.

Narrower sheets: Car won't start (58 reports)

No recall on this systemas of Oct 2, 2026

1 crashin 210 reports

Tick what matches of 210 reports

dead after sitting a day or two

needed a jump start

104

battery replaced more than once

warning lights or messages

the dealer found a drain

the dealer found nothing

Dead battery on other Outback years

201587 reports 2016238 reports 2017336 reports 2018170 reports 2019283 reports 2020210 reports 202143 reports 202229 reports

Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.

What this problem usually is

These owners walk out to a car that's dead. Some find it drained after sitting only a day or two, some need a jump start every week, and some have had the battery replaced more than once without the problem going away. A good number describe the dealer testing the battery, calling it fine, and sending them home.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the battery (206 reports), the starter (11 reports), the alternator (7 reports) and the module (6 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the electrical system covers the 2020 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 3,600 and 10,663 miles, from the 110 reports that gave a mileage.

Is this a known problem?

The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 4 service bulletins or notices for the 2020 Subaru Outback that deal with this problem. Newest first.

Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.

Service bulletin15-308-23RAug 20, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.This is an revised ...
Service bulletin07-207-22RFeb 3, 2023
Subaru Battery Drain Product Liability Litigation.
Service bulletinSubaruNet AnnounSep 1, 2022
Battery Drain Class Action Settlement- Warranty Extension Training.
Service bulletinSubaruNet AnnounAug 30, 2022
Announcement to Subaru Retailers regarding the preliminary settlement in a class action lawsuit regarding battery drain in certain Subaru vehicles.

What owners wrote

“I have a 2020 Subaru outback that I purchased brand new one and a half years ago. It has 31,472 miles on it on December 28, 2021 and then again on January 31, 2021 my car would not start on the battery had to be replaced.”
Filed Jan 31, 2022 · 31,472 miles

“Battery inexplicably drains overnight. 1st occurrence was on 21 December 2021 and second occurrence on 25 December 2021. Car is stored in garage, located in Ponte Vedra, FL and is used daily. Mileage is 31,000 miles.”
Filed Dec 25, 2021 · 31,000 miles

“Parked car, engine fan stated (very fast) and did not stop running until battery died. Could not start the car. One other Outback 2020 owner told me she had the same problem. Jumped battery. Subraru could not find any reason for the fan to go on and drain the battery. Car had under 9,000 miles, under 15 months old.”
Filed Dec 9, 2021 · 9,000 miles

“This is a new car and recently seemed to be having some mid software issues. However, when I went to start it this morning, it is completely dead with no battery power. It has been driven less than 12k miles and should not encounter this issues. I am aware there is a class action lawsuit related to faulty electrical systems in a range of years of this Subaru and I want to note this issue”
Filed Oct 11, 2021 · 12,000 miles

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 1 of 210 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.

Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found