290 of the
4,165 complaints filed about the Subaru Legacy
are about the other systems —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2016.
While traveling approximately 70 mph, my 2016 Subaru Legacy experienced a sudden drivetrain failure. The vehicle made a loud bang, immediately lost acceleration/power, and approximately five seconds later the front drivetrain locked, causing the tires to skid and leaving a long skid mark. The engine remained running. After stopping, the vehicle would not move forward and felt as if it was stuck in Park, but it could roll backward. This occurred without warning and created a dangerous highway situation
NHTSA complaint #11754212 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The subframe rotted through broke as I was driving on Thruway. My mechanic confirmed it needs to be replaced and is very common in heavy winter states.
NHTSA complaint #11748911 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving there is a loss of power, the battery fails, electronic components shut down and car stops. Has happened intermittently. Replaced battery. This is a significant safety issue happened on freeway near exit ramp, in parking lot in driveway, everything cuts out. Opened hood and seems to be battery terminal connector. Recall was issued for certain Subaru models but not legacy. No warning, just cuts off. Is not a standard battery terminal connector. Had to secure battery down with cable ties.
NHTSA complaint #11745403 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The computer screen has an issue where there is bubbling in the lamination causing the screen to go nuts and become a distracting hazard that you can not shut off. It's a known Subaru Legacy issue and should be a recall. A new screen is $2000 plus, which is not feasable for the average person to pay and it's become a safety hazard, ect.
NHTSA complaint #11745102 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car 2018 Subaru Legacy 2018, has touch screen delamination on thecentral information/ entertainment screen, which leads to screen freezing, unresponsiveness, and erratic "phantom" inputs. These malfunctions disable vital safety features, like backup cameras, etc.. Subaru has settled claims on this issue, for this vehicle/model, but I do not believe there is an official recall, even though there is obviously a safety issue.
NHTSA complaint #11742800 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Battery dies all the time. Parasitic drain from the Starlink program in the car. There is/was a lawsuit. It involves some DCW fuse or something. Ive had to prematurely replace my battery. It also seems to be affecting the radio. It switches stations randomly.
NHTSA complaint #11741718 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Full screen ads inhibiting, stopping, and blockingfunctionality unless interacted with from a third party service that was forcibly installed by dealership/manufacturer
NHTSA complaint #11739355 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Multimedia component is not working correctly and it could cause an accident due to trying to change/control the component over and over again. It has a mind of its own. I turn it off and it turns on by itself. It switches radio stations by itself. The screen changes apps all by itself. I can't correctly use any of it anymore. I try using my phone and even though I don't want it sent to audio on the car it switches to it and then the conversation cuts in and out. I've tried resetting it a million times but it's useless anymore to even do that. I haven't brought it to a dealer as of yet. I looked it up and seen there are other complaints with this same issue. I received a letter for reimbursement if I changed it out but I didn't do that because I was able to reset the system at the time. I feel Subaru should be responsible for this as they know it's happening to vehicles and they've reimbursed for it.
NHTSA complaint #11730262 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When the vehicle is off the windows will come down on their own! This has occurred on 4 difference instances. One dealership indicated the "fix" the situation; however, they never replaced the parts which were required for the fix. A second dealership would not perform a diagnostic. A third dealership indicated that that cleaned and lubricated the necessary parts. Less than a week after leaving the dealership it occurred again. This is an extreme safety risk as the vehicle becomes easily accessible to others and it also allows easy access to the Homelink garage door system. This also causes extreme damage because during one of these window occasions it was also raining outside. Date provided is the 1st occurrence continuing to occur through 2/8/2026. I can provide documentation if further needed - manufacture is aware of occurrences
NHTSA complaint #11716534 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Incident ~ 5:40 pm, Geneva NY Weather ~ 10 F, not snowing. Background. On or shortly after being started, the vehicle had exhibited prior incidents of extremely rapid engine acceleration not initiated by the operator. Most recently the day before. The incident: I was in the process of very slowly parking the vehicle in a narrow laneway, and positioning the vehicle behind and in line of one other, both parallel to the laneway, in a small area that had been cleared of snow, leaving the laneway open. First, I stopped the vehicle opposite of the parked vehicle's driver side door. Second, I reversed and backed up and positioned the vehicle behind that vehicle. This involved firmly stepping on the brake to stop the vehicle once well behind the parked vehicle. Third, while keeping my foot firmly pressed on the brake pedal, I moved the shift from reverse to forward. At that time, the front wheels were still fully turned to the left. Immediately on completing the shift to forward, my vehicle made a very rapid acceleration. My foot had remained firmly on the brake and had not touched the accelerator pedal. Despite my foot being firmly pressed on the brake pedal, my car surged forward, retracing the path that I had followed while backing up. I could hear the noise of the accelerated engine, and feel the fighting of the brake as the car surged uncontrolled for about four feet and then finally stopped. My foot had been fully depressed as hard as possible on the brake the entire time and did not touch the gas pedal at all. The owner of the parked vehicle observed the incident and expressed concern since the surge was dramatic, and stopped with the right corner of the front bumper of my car within a couple of inches of the left corner of the parked vehicle. The driver's car mat was in the correct position and did not interfere in any way with the operation of the vehicle. I did not inadvertently step on the accelerator. No warning lamps or messages. Cause Unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11714652 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Description of the Safety Defect: The front subframe on my 2011 Subaru Legacy exhibits advanced structural corrosion with measurable material loss, concentrated primarily on the driver-side subframe. The corrosion affects a primary load-bearing structural member responsible for supporting suspension mounting points and maintaining chassis integrity. The deterioration is asymmetric, with the driver side showing severe degradation while the passenger side remains comparatively intact. This non-uniform corrosion pattern is not consistent with normal environmental exposure, age-related wear, or routine vehicle operation, and indicates a localized failure of corrosion protection or material integrity. The extent of corrosion compromises the subframe’s ability to safely support suspension loads and maintain alignment geometry. This presents a progressive structural safety risk, as continued operation may lead to sudden loss of suspension mounting integrity, steering instability, or loss of vehicle control without prior warning. Safety Risk Description: The front subframe is a critical safety component designed to: Support engine and transmission loads Secure lower control arms and suspension geometry Maintain steering stability and predictable handling Absorb and distribute crash forces Structural degradation of this component increases the risk of: Suspension separation or displacement under normal driving loads Alignment instability during braking or cornering Reduced crash energy management capability Failure of this component could result in loss of directional control, increasing the risk of a crash. Subaru of America has acknowledged prior subframe corrosion issues on other Subaru models through recalls, service campaigns, or goodwill repairs. However, Subaru has declined assistance for this vehicle based solely on time and mileage, without addressing whether the observed structural deterioration constitutes a safety defect.
NHTSA complaint #11706641 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Legacy (my third one) was about a month old and had about 30 miles on the odometer. I had no warning of any problem with the car. On or about 5:45 PM on Oct 22, 2025 I was driving my Subaru Legacy when the engine stalled. I was in the HOV lane of an interstate highway. Multiple times the starter failed to restart the engine. Traffic was blocked in my lane and diverting around me. It was dusk with a misty rain. My wife and I were felt we were at high risk of being rearended at any moment. After about 5-10 minutes, during which we called 911, the engine restarted. Seeing no help from the police available, I judged it was best. to get off the highspeed road. I was able to get off the highway and make it home, about 5 miles away. I have not tried to drive the car ever since this terrifying episode.
NHTSA complaint #11706406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Notice significant rust or corrosion on my 2010 Subaru Legacy, especially on the subframe. Had it professional inspected and confirmed on December 6, 2025 because it was making a squeaky noise when I applied the brakes. I purchased this vehicle 02/15/20 used, was not told about corrosion. Bought vehicle at Maxon Buick GMC in Union, New Jersey. Also,my headlight bulbs keeps going out every year since I purchased my Legacy.
NHTSA complaint #11703856 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving home after work on the interstate, I was quite startled to see a large popup on the vehicle's main screen; initially I thought it might be some sort of vehicle-problem, but it was a large advertisement for free access to SiriusXM for a limited time. The ad covered the screen and was quite jarring while driving in traffic. In order to close it, I pressed a red X in the upper corner. Such in-vehicle advertisements should NOT be presented while driving (actually, at any time).
NHTSA complaint #11703160 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I experienced an incident of spontaneous acceleration of my vehicle on November 21, 2025. I was driving slowly with my foot on the brake as I was about to make a turn and the engine suddenly accelerated. I slammed down on the brake and the car stopped, but this was extremely frightening.
NHTSA complaint #11700941 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
An issue has surfaced with my car that it turns off while driving. Obviously this is a serious safety hazard and likely to result in an accident. Now that it has happened, it is continuing and frequently happening. I reached out to Subaru as I saw there was a recall for my car's make and model that is causing the same issue. The issue is listed as NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 19V297000, described as "The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. " and affecting many Subarus, including the 2011 legacy. I believe my car is impacted given the behavior it is exhibiting. When I reached out to Subaru, they dismissed it saying it did not apply to my car and they were not willing to investigate. I believe this poses a grave risk to many people given that it will cause an accident and the severity of the defect.
NHTSA complaint #11695074 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have been going back and forth with Subaru of America's Advocacy department for about two weeks now, I purchased my 2018 Subaru legacy back in August of 2023. My head unit in my vehicle has now completely stopped working, I have explained that now my back up camera is now freezing and going black and that it poses a safety risk, but they are not helping me, all they keep telling me was the extended warranty for that specific issue expired in July of 2023. when I checked Subaru's recall website, they have completed out that recall in July of 2025, I have never taken my car in for this issue, I was also never aware of this recall. I have all emails going back and forth with the advocacy department. the recall was for "FMVSS 111" per Subaru advocacy dept. my car has a total of two recalls that have been completed out but it shows they were completed out July 26, 2025, I have had possession of this vehicle since 2023 and was never made aware of any open recalls so I never have taken my car into get anything corrected. this vehicle's star link system is still linked to the previous owner because I can't get it to be linked to me yet.
NHTSA complaint #11691937 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The display screen for my radio navigation phone etc seems to have a “ghost”. Buttons will rapidly be selected switching radio stations or calling someone on my connected phone or switching to different options available on the screen. It is very distracting while driving and annoying when trying to use for navigation with phone. It has been doing this for quite some time and occurs randomly. I’ve researched this issue online and this has happened to several owners.
NHTSA complaint #11691193 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While Driving my car, i was not able to use the power locks for my front driver and passenger windows. The power window switch on the driver and passenger door don't work. I have made numerous calls about problems with my windows since I purchased my car, but always came back as the code was reset, and they fixed it temporarily. now i am looking at about a 1500 fix for the power windows, which has been a known problem for my car for years. I went to another shop and they told me this is a step below a recall, but subaru knows about it. to me it seems like this is a safety issue, since the windows cant roll down or up.
NHTSA complaint #11689396 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.