2020 Subaru Outback turbo for towing

VictoriaP

2020 Subaru Outback owners: a rather horrifying thread has cropped up today on Reddit from a 320 owner with a Touring XT. Their car has developed two cracks in the unibody frame from towing.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Subaru_Outback/comments/ip1sxr/cracked_frame_from_towing_2020_outback_touring_xt/?sort=old (explanation of situation is in the comments)

They had a Curt aftermarket hitch installed that may be at fault, or it may be something else. Regardless of what hitch you have, it’s worth checking under your car for cracks.

N7SHG_Ham

That photo looks bad, I am not convinced ANY unibody vehicle can handle towing stresses long term. I know lots of folks do, but this isn't 1st thread in last year or so with a failed unibody sheet metal. IMO, this car is going to be hard to repair to the point I would consider hooking anything to the hitch, you are repairing sheet metal!

A couple months ago I had a VW Atlas as a loaner while my Jetta was in shop for routine maintenance. The Atlas is rated for 5000 pounds (AFAIK) and the loaner had a 2" factory reciever and seven pin. I had previously wondered if the Atlas might be a good replacement for the Jetta when time came and I could pull the 400 with it.

After crawling around and looking, I don't think I personally would pull a 400 with an Atlas based on it being a unibody and what looks like barely more than a car suspension.

While things can go bad with a body on frame construction, I think that is a lot safer bet for towing, especially a 400. I currently tow with a 20 YO Dodge Ram full size and I think a new TV for 400 when time comes would also be a full size pickup.

My brother just bought a new Silverado and highway MPG solo is 22, not bad for a full size truck with a gasoline 6.2l V8. Plenty of power helped by cylinder deactivation, run stop and a 10 speed automatic. I am guessing towing a 400 that might still get 15MPG? These newer full size trucks are as nice as any car and get amazing MPG.

VictoriaP

@N7SHG_Ham I put this up here because we have a lot of people who tow (or want to tow) a 320 with a Subaru Outback, and this is something they should know. Is a truck best for towing? Of course it is. But not everybody wants one. Please, I really don’t want this important information for Subie owners buried under a flood of truck versus SUV or unibody vs frame arguments. Let’s argue all that on another thread.

N7SHG_Ham said:

That photo looks bad, I am not convinced ANY unibody vehicle can handle towing stresses long term. I know lots of folks do, but this isn't 1st thread in last year or so with a failed unibody sheet metal. IMO, this car is going to be hard to repair to the point I would consider hooking anything to the hitch, you are repairing sheet metal!

I‘m not sure whether it gets repaired or totalled or whether Subaru takes it back to study it. This is the first unibody failure due to towing publicly posted for this completely updated model built on a new structural platform. But a quick Google shows you apparently can repair unibody cracks, though it’s an involved process, and I don’t know how safe the result is. I definitely agree I personally would not tow with it once the cracks are repaired.

Following both the original post and the discussion on the Outback forums: The issue here right now appears to be due to some combination of use of an aftermarket hitch, possible poor install of that hitch, and even possibly bad spot welds, which have been observed on other Subarus previously. (The Ascent has had a recall for those.)

One big issue is that, as expected, the dealer denied this as a warranty claim due to the aftermarket hitch. The stock Subaru hitch attaches at different locations from every aftermarket hitch currently on the market. Not everyone knows this—I know I didn’t realize that, and neither did a number of others on both sites following this issue. It’s been suggested that this may turn out to be the key reason for the structural failure while towing at just 60% of the overall towing capacity.

If you have an aftermarket hitch: You should keep an eye on this. Make sure the bolts are torqued to the install specifications, and recheck them periodically. 

brent159

After seeing this situation (especially the warranty denial), I took my one-month old Subaru Outback into the dealership to have a less than two-week old Curt Class III receiver swapped out for the OEM. While it cost me $785 with tax, it will provide some piece of mind should something similar occur later to me (We are picking up a 2014 S Max over the weekend). One interesting development was that if I had gone with the OEM at the start, I still would have had to take it somewhere for the 7-pin connector, as they would have installed a 4-pin (they agreed to leave my existing 7-pin from the previous install, in place). Additionally, they were super excited when I showed them my Curt Bluetooth Electric Brake Controller (hadn’t seen one before and recently installed an aftermarket option for another customer, which was not a pleasant experience). Thanks for those who shared this info, as it may have prevented a warranty issue later on down the road.

VictoriaP

brent159 said:

One interesting development was that if I had gone with the OEM at the start, I still would have had to take it somewhere for the 7-pin connector, as they would have installed a 4-pin (they agreed to leave my existing 7-pin from the previous install, in place). Additionally, they were super excited when I showed them my Curt Bluetooth Electric Brake Controller (hadn’t seen one before and recently installed an aftermarket option for another customer, which was not a pleasant experience). Thanks for those who shared this info, as it may have prevented a warranty issue later on down the road.

Yes, the 4 pin/7 pin issue is a known thing with the Subaru Outback hitch (also with the Ford Escape and Flex, I believe), where the manufacturer requires the use of electric brakes when towing over 1000 pounds, but will not install the wiring for a brake controller. So stupid on their part. 

I have an Onyx XT on order, and had planned on going with the Curt hitch until I understood that the anchor points were different. I’m back on the fence at the moment on moving forward with the deal, but if I do, I will also stick with the stock hitch, which is why I posted this for everyone—maybe it turns out to be a one-off weld failure unrelated to the hitch itself, but I’d rather it not happen to another Tab owner here. I’m sorry it cost you so much, but I would have made the same judgment call as you had this come out a few weeks from now after I’d purchased mine.

All the best on your new trailer!

Denny16

The Jeep Renegade is in the same boat, a 3K class IV receiver, but a 4-pin only trailer light connection, no 7-pin.  So,while the Renegade could tow a 1200 lbs Taxa Cricket, I didn’t have the brake controller on the trailer working, as no 12VDC Charging wire in a 4-pin.  This was one of the major reasons I traded the Renegade in, and got the Jeep Gladiator Truck, to get a better towing setup, that would handle the TaB400.  Getting both turned out to be grand.
cheers

Samrollseyes

Immediately after I read this post, I ran out to my 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx to check. I pull a 2018 T@B 320 with an aftermarket Curt class 3 hitch and the Curt Bluetooth braking system. Everything seems hunky-dory so far. I have had my Subie in for it's first checkup; I stressed repeatedly that it was being used as a tow vehicle as well as my every day driver. As a matter of fact, I had just come back from a trip with, shall we say, less than ideal roads (guessing they haven't been graded in at least 5 years). The shop manager said she'd check underneath for me, along with looking for any undue wear and tear. So far so good, but I will keep watching.
(My aftermarket installation was done by a business here that specializes in RV repairs and service with excellent reviews). Thanks for the scoop!
BTW, I'm very happy with my T@B/Subie combo. I was a bit worried with my older Outback (2017) so I upgraded.

VictoriaP

Samrollseyes said:

Immediately after I read this post, I ran out to my 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx to check. I pull a 2018 T@B 320 with an aftermarket Curt class 3 hitch and the Curt Bluetooth braking system. Everything seems hunky-dory so far. I have had my Subie in for it's first checkup; I stressed repeatedly that it was being used as a tow vehicle as well as my every day driver. As a matter of fact, I had just come back from a trip with, shall we say, less than ideal roads (guessing they haven't been graded in at least 5 years). The shop manager said she'd check underneath for me, along with looking for any undue wear and tear. So far so good, but I will keep watching.
(My aftermarket installation was done by a business here that specializes in RV repairs and service with excellent reviews). Thanks for the scoop!
BTW, I'm very happy with my T@B/Subie combo. I was a bit worried with my older Outback (2017) so I upgraded.

Very glad to hear you’re happy with it for towing! 

The original Reddit post was updated. It looks like the issue may have been triggered by running over a porcupine, both vehicle wheel and trailer wheel, which would torque the coupler and ball in weird ways...how much of the issue was that, versus the bolt positions of the aftermarket hitch is unknown. Subaru of course blames the hitch, Curt insists it can’t be. Go figure.

I just brought home a 2020 Limited XT (was going to go Onyx, but couldn’t give up my Harmon Kardon stereo, LOL) this morning. Much as I prefer the less obtrusive look of the Curt or the Torklift Ecohitch, I’m going stock this time just in case. My 2015 had the Ecohitch, since Subaru wouldn’t install a 2” receiver on that model. I figure at least if something does go wrong, Subaru can’t argue it’s the hitch if I go stock. Just have to find someone to wire up the 7 pin. And like you, I’ll be emphasizing to Service that I want them to keep an eye out for potential cracks.

I already miss my 3.6, but hopefully this will work out well.

BywaysNW

Second the Apache recommendation.  They told us to have our Subaru dealer install a factory hitch on our 2020 Outback XT, but not to let them install the 7-pin. No problems, but someone at NuCamp needs to talk to someone at Subaru.

VictoriaP

BywaysNW said:

Second the Apache recommendation.  They told us to have our Subaru dealer install a factory hitch on our 2020 Outback XT, but not to let them install the 7-pin. No problems, but someone at NuCamp needs to talk to someone at Subaru.

I ended up getting the dealer to install hitch as part of the bargaining at purchase, and then hauled it down to Torklift Central in Kent, WA for the wiring afterwards both because they could get me in the fastest, and because I’ve dealt with them twice before. Highly recommend them, as always! They did an excellent job with the 7 pin, properly torqued the ball onto my new receiver insert for free even though I had bought both pieces elsewhere, and even ended up moving the wiring harness around in the cargo area wheel well on a subsequent visit at no charge when I later discovered it was keeping me from fully seating my new full size spare correctly in that space. 

Speaking of which, for those who may not have read the entire 500 page Outback manual, you cannot tow on a donut spare, so having a full size one is important. And yes, for those without the Onyx, a full spare fits the cargo wheel well just fine, but you’ll need to replace the tool holder foam (or just bag up the tools). Discount Tire can get the OEM tires quickly, Ebay often has brand new OEM wheels for less than the dealer charges for a new wheel, from people who’ve opted to replace theirs. And they aren’t much more than a basic alloy wheel if you find one with free or discounted shipping. You can get the foam Onyx tool holder from any dealer, or online Subaru parts places may charge less than locals, and shipping on that smaller foam piece ran me about $15.

Hitch installed, wiring completed, spare replaced, 1000 mile engine break in period is done. The car is finally ready. Now if the weather would cooperate for a few days...

Cheryl13

We are pulling 2021 T@B with a 2019 Subaru Ascent Limited. No problems at all cross country and back w gas mileage 12-15 pulling

RCB

Regarding the Ascent. We have towed our 2019 - 400 about 13,000 km with absolutely no issues. The hitch tightener is helpful to reduce the hitch of noise. Fuel consumption ranges from 15 - 18 mpg. An anti sway bar or leveller is not required, nor permitted by Subie specs. General specs are 5000 / 500.  I would recommend considering this vehicle. 

Samrollseyes

@wudsy
Sorry about being slow to respond but just found this thread. I have a 2020 Onyx and have taken it out with my 2018 T@bs 5 times. Absolutely no issues! My mileage did suffer some...I need to plan for gas every 175-200 miles. I live at a relatively high altitude (4800 feet) and travel to usually higher altitudes (I live near Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks). I don't push the speed limit- on the interstate I go about 65-69 mph and on highways about 60-65. I use the Curt wireless braking system with no issues. My car has had 2 service checks (routine maintenance) with no issues. I even specifically told the service manager that I used it as a tow vehicle.