Buyer Research

2020 Subaru WRX — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $21,000–$28,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 10 Subaru WRX years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Sixth year of the VA-generation WRX, the same 2.0L direct-injection turbo, and a record of just 17 complaints — one of them a crash, none a fire. That is too thin to rate the car on; it tells you the 2020 sold in smaller numbers and has had less time on the road than the 2017–2019 cars, whose records are dominated by rod-bearing engine failures on this identical engine. So we have written the engine up as a conditional risk rather than a documented pattern for this year, and said why. What the 2020's own file shows is small stuff that costs real money: batteries that drain in a day, windshields that crack on their own, and the reverse-switch recall. A compression and leak-down test, a parasitic-draw test and a VIN check on the recall are the whole pre-purchase job.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 17 owner complaints for the 2020 Subaru WRX, and 1 recall campaign.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under electrics and electronics (5), the engine (3), glass, wipers and mirrors (3). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

One recall campaign covers this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2020 Subaru WRX

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Battery drains after a day parked; telematics module blamed by an independent shopMedium

Five of 17 complaints, all the same shape: the car sits a day, it needs a jump, the dealer tests the battery and says drive it more. One owner had four batteries under warranty in 15 months and 2,500 miles; another's independent mechanic pointed at the telematics control module as the draw. The factory battery is small for a car with this much electronics, and Subaru has faced this complaint across its lineup in these years. Ask for a parasitic-draw test with the number written down — under 50 milliamps at rest is healthy — and treat a fresh battery with no test as a symptom, not a fix.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$400 for a battery; $150–$600 to trace and fix the drain

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (5).

FA20DIT rod-bearing failure — one report this year, a pattern on the same engine in 2017–2019Medium

Only three engine complaints, and one of them is really the reverse switch, but the one that counts is familiar: bought used at 33,800 miles, stalled and knocked severely at 34,100. The 2.0L turbo in this car is the same engine that produces eleven engine-failure complaints on each of the 2018 and 2019 pages, and nothing changed in it for 2020. We rate it medium here because this year's record does not yet show it recurring, not because the risk is different. Do what you would do on any VA WRX: compression and leak-down test, cold-start listen for a knock, oil receipts on a short interval, and a straight answer about whether the ECU has ever been tuned.

Repair cost (estimate): $5,000–$12,000 for a short block or replacement engine — about 49% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (3).

Windshield or rear glass cracks with nothing hitting itMedium

Three complaints, and each describes glass failing on a parked or stopped car: a front windshield cracking overnight, a loud pop at a stoplight leaving a hole in the rear glass. Cracking windshields were a Subaru-wide complaint of this era, and on a CVT car with EyeSight a replacement windshield also needs the camera recalibrated, which is where the bill grows. Look closely at the glass edges for chips and at the top of the windshield for a repaired crack, and ask whether the glass has been replaced and by whom.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,200 including EyeSight recalibration where fitted

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under glass, wipers and mirrors (3).

Backup light switch corrodes — reverse lights and camera fail, or show reverse in neutral (recall)Low

Recall 22V522 covers 2015–2021 manual WRXs: the reverse switch on the transmission corrodes, so the backup lights and rear camera stop working — or, as one owner here found, the dash shows R and the camera comes on with the car in neutral, along with a check-engine light. The fix is a free inspection and switch. Check it on the lot: engine running, select reverse, confirm lights and camera; back in neutral, confirm they go off. Then look the VIN up on the NHTSA recall page.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under back over prevention (1); 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Car needs a jump on the lot or the seller mentions a new battery without a draw test
✗Knock from the engine at cold start or a stall on the test drive
✗Crack starting at a windshield edge or a rear glass that has been replaced without a receipt
✗Reverse indicator or camera coming on in neutral
✗Tune, intake or exhaust changes with no factory parts included

Good Signs

✓Parasitic-draw test on paper under 50 mA at rest
✓Compression and leak-down test within spec, done for this sale
✓Recall 22V522 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Oil changes every 3,000–5,000 miles with receipts
✓Original windshield with the Subaru logo etched in the corner