FaultScore

Subaru Legacy tire problems

103 of the 4,165 complaints filed about the Subaru Legacy are about the tires — 2% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2000.

103

Complaints

2%

Share of all complaints

8

Crashes

1

Fires

Tires complaints by model year

1990 Legacy 3 2.9%
1991 Legacy 1 1.0%
1992 Legacy 5 4.9%

Median failure at 124,900 miles

1993 Legacy 9 8.7%

Median failure at 114,385 miles

1994 Legacy 2 1.9%
1995 Legacy 6 5.8%

Median failure at 178,000 miles

1996 Legacy 3 2.9%
1997 Legacy 1 1.0%
1998 Legacy 6 5.8%
1999 Legacy 5 4.9%

Median failure at 75,000 miles

2000 Legacy 18 17.5%

Median failure at 96,869 miles

2001 Legacy 8 7.8%

Median failure at 67,665 miles

2002 Legacy 5 4.9%

Median failure at 40,237 miles

2003 Legacy 4 3.9%

Median failure at 107,009 miles

2004 Legacy 1 1.0%

Median failure at 80,600 miles

2005 Legacy 6 5.8%

Median failure at 19,750 miles

2008 Legacy 2 1.9%

Median failure at 38,509 miles

2009 Legacy 2 1.9%

Median failure at 58,300 miles

2010 Legacy 1 1.0%

Median failure at 6,000 miles

2011 Legacy 1 1.0%

Median failure at 11,400 miles

2012 Legacy 2 1.9%

Median failure at 31,547 miles

2015 Legacy 2 1.9%

Median failure at 55,634 miles

2016 Legacy 2 1.9%

Median failure at 36,000 miles

2017 Legacy 3 2.9%
2018 Legacy 2 1.9%
2019 Legacy 1 1.0%
2020 Legacy 1 1.0%
2022 Legacy 1 1.0%

What owners said

2001 Subaru Legacy Twin Falls, ID

TIRES

Headed home from a vet appointment in mountain home. Was driving on the freeway at 80mph when the tire blew at the Wendell exit. Checked the tire to find that the inside wall had failed and had a blowout. The tire was installed June 8th 2025 and had less than 1,000 miles on it. I have never in 26 years of being around vehicles had a brand new tire fail in less than 1,000 miles. Tire was a good year reliant all season 195/65/R15. That tire blowout could have killed me and my family. I stopped at the Walmart that I bought the tire from with the receipt and was told "oh that sucks. We can replace it for you if you want to buy a new one a full price." How can a company sell a tire from a brand like good year that isn't even covered for a 1,000 miles? That's absolutely mind blowing. Had anyone gotten injured from the accident I would filling charges against Walmart for selling me a faulty tire

NHTSA complaint #11673162 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Subaru Legacy Carmel, NY

TIRES

The first tire had an air bubble and I brought it in. They said it was a manufacturer error. In September 2023 I had a blowout and Subaru declared that it was a manufacturer defect. I asked him to check all the tires and they kept the original set on. This month a third tire from the original set blew while being driven. Three tires out of four have had manufacturer defects.

NHTSA complaint #11603654 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Subaru Legacy Henderson, NV

TIRES:SIDEWALL

While driving on freeway the tire pressure warning light came on. I started to slow down and pull over and I felt the car wobble. I pulled to the side of the road and the tire had completely failed. The sidewalls, inside and out, had square chunks completely gone along the complete sidewall.

NHTSA complaint #11557557 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Subaru Legacy Morgantown, WV

TIRES

After my 2019 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited sat outside on a level blacktop parking lot for one week (05-03-23 to 05-10-23) without moving, both passenger side tires were discovered completely deflated. The tires were Goodyear Eagle LS-2 size 225/50R18 95H (front passenger DOT M678 JR2R 1819 and rear passenger DOT M678 JR2R 1719). The tires were original to the car when purchased new by myself at Jenkins Subaru in Bridgeport WV on 09-23-19 with 26 miles on the odometer. The tires had 32,515 miles on them and were rotated 6 times. Sever dry rot on the tires sidewalls was the reason given by the Goodyear technician, Goodyear Service Center, 149 Green Bag Rd, Morgantown, WV, 304296-1748, for complete deflation. It was also recommended that the remaining divers side tires be replaced as they were also displaying sidewall dry rot (front drivers DOT M678 JR2R 1719 and rear drivers DOT M678 JR2R 1819). All four tires were replaced with new Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires (2 on 05-10-23 and 2 on 05-12-23).

NHTSA complaint #11521859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Subaru Legacy Staten Island, NY

TIRES:BEAD

TIRE SIZE - 225/50R19. MY 2017 SUBARU LEGACY HAS APPROXIMATELY 17,000 MILES. AS I HAND WASH MY CAR I NOTICED THAT ALL 4 TIRES HAVE SIGNIFICANT CRACKS ON THE SIDEWALL. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND I OFTEN PICK-UP OUR 3 GRANDCHILDREN FROM SCHOOL WHICH ALSO CONCERNS ME. THESE ARE MY OBSERVATIONS BUT I'VE ALSO READ A FEW SIMILAR ISSUES ON THE GOODYEAR WEBSITE BUT THEY REFERRED TO THE PROBLEM AS DRY ROT? THANK GOD NO ACCIDENTS OR FLATS BUT I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES LOSING AIR. I JUST WANT PIECE OF MIND AND I WILL GO TO A GOODYEAR TIRE DEALER SOON TO GET THEIR OPINION. HOPE TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU SHORTLY. THANK YOU!

NHTSA complaint #11463740 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Subaru Legacy Staten Island, NY

TIRES:SIDEWALL

TIRE SIZE - 225/50R19. MY 2017 SUBARU LEGACY HAS APPROXIMATELY 17,000 MILES. AS I HAND WASH MY CAR I NOTICED THAT ALL 4 TIRES HAVE SIGNIFICANT CRACKS ON THE SIDEWALL. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND I OFTEN PICK-UP OUR 3 GRANDCHILDREN FROM SCHOOL WHICH ALSO CONCERNS ME. THESE ARE MY OBSERVATIONS BUT I'VE ALSO READ A FEW SIMILAR ISSUES ON THE GOODYEAR WEBSITE BUT THEY REFERRED TO THE PROBLEM AS DRY ROT? THANK GOD NO ACCIDENTS OR FLATS BUT I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES LOSING AIR. I JUST WANT PIECE OF MIND AND I WILL GO TO A GOODYEAR TIRE DEALER SOON TO GET THEIR OPINION. HOPE TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU SHORTLY. THANK YOU!

NHTSA complaint #11463740 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Subaru Legacy Staten Island, NY

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

TIRE SIZE - 225/50R19. MY 2017 SUBARU LEGACY HAS APPROXIMATELY 17,000 MILES. AS I HAND WASH MY CAR I NOTICED THAT ALL 4 TIRES HAVE SIGNIFICANT CRACKS ON THE SIDEWALL. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND I OFTEN PICK-UP OUR 3 GRANDCHILDREN FROM SCHOOL WHICH ALSO CONCERNS ME. THESE ARE MY OBSERVATIONS BUT I'VE ALSO READ A FEW SIMILAR ISSUES ON THE GOODYEAR WEBSITE BUT THEY REFERRED TO THE PROBLEM AS DRY ROT? THANK GOD NO ACCIDENTS OR FLATS BUT I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES LOSING AIR. I JUST WANT PIECE OF MIND AND I WILL GO TO A GOODYEAR TIRE DEALER SOON TO GET THEIR OPINION. HOPE TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU SHORTLY. THANK YOU!

NHTSA complaint #11463740 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2018 Subaru Legacy Henderson, NV

TIRES:SIDEWALL

225/50R18. Factory OEM, serious dry-rot necessitating replacement due to safety concerns. Tires are slightly older than 3.5 years (2018 model year purchased 04/18) with less than 40k miles. All four tires exhibit the dry rot, but the photo is representative of the most serious case of concern. No concerns related to tread wear depth.

NHTSA complaint #11435634 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2018 Subaru Legacy Jacksonville, FL

TIRES:SIDEWALL

P225 / 50 R 18 On 8/28/2021, I noticed my front drivers tired looked weird. Upon inspection, it looked like dry rot. I do have a picture of the tire. I immediately went to Tire Kingdom and purchased a set of of 4 new tires. Tire Kingdom confirmed that the tire looked defective. Still plenty of tread, but the side was separating causing it to not be safe. There was no warning on the car system as the tire had not yet completely separated.

NHTSA complaint #11431524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Subaru Legacy at 37,000 miles Fairhaven, MA

TIRES

NEED TO REPLACE GOODYEAR EAGLE LS2 225/50R18 TIRES. 4 OF THEM HAVE DRY ROT ON THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE CLOSEST TO THE RIM. ONE HAS A BUBBLE ON THE INSIDE. CAR JUST TURNED 37 THOUSAND MILES YESTERDAY. THIS IS A POTENTIAL ISSUE TO CONTINUE DRIVING ON THESE TIRES. I AM AFRAID OF A BLOWOUT

NHTSA complaint #11221393 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Subaru Legacy at 14,595 miles Rochester, NY

TIRES

CPSC: OUR 2012 SUBARU LEGACY WHILE PARKED IN OUR GARAGE WAS FOUND WITH TWO FLAT TIRES AT SAME TIME. ONE TIRE ON PASSENGER FRONT WAS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AS 2 MAJOR HOLES WERE IN SIDEWALL FROM HUGE BLOWOUT AND REAR PASSENGER TIRE HAD BULGE IN SIDEWALL LEAKING AIR. *DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAND OF TIRES WERE PIRELLI P4 SEASON P215/60R16 95T SL BSW. *JS *TR

NHTSA complaint #11217959 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Subaru Legacy at 35,000 miles Baldwinsville, NY Crash

TIRES

OUCH!! MARCH 20, 2019!!!

NHTSA complaint #11203026 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Subaru Legacy at 18,751 miles Yorktown, NY

TIRES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU LEGACY EQUIPPED WITH THREE GOODYEAR EAGLE LS-2 TIRES, SIZE: 225/50R18. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL THREE TIRES WERE DRY ROTTED AROUND THE RIMS ON BOTH SIDES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BECAUSE IT RODE ROUGHLY. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO THE TIRE MANUFACTURER TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD PRORATE THE COST OF THE TIRES, BUT DID NOT ADDRESS WHAT CAUSED THE CONDITION. THE CONTACT HAD NOT YET HEARD BACK FROM THE MANUFACTURER BECAUSE THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE STILL WORKING ON THE CLAIM. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,751. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. *BF.

NHTSA complaint #11193312 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Subaru Legacy at 48,500 miles Pittsburgh, PA

TIRES

FOUR NEW CONTINENTAL PURE CONTACT 215-50 R17 95V TIRES WERE INSTALLED IN APRIL 2016. THE VEHICLE'S ORIGINAL TIRES (NOT CONTINENTAL) HAD LASTED 38,000 MILES. ONE MONTH LATER A SIDEWALL BLOWOUT OCCURRED IN ONE OF THE NEW CONTINENTAL TIRES AFTER BEING DRIVEN LESS THAN 500 MILES. IT WAS REPLACED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THEN, AFTER DRIVING LESS THAN 7000 MILES, TWO OF FOUR TIRES WERE FOUND TO HAVE SIDE WALL BUBBLES. BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERN, ALL FOUR TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH ANOTHER BRAND.

NHTSA complaint #11006433 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Subaru Legacy at 92,518 miles Ogden, UT

TIRES

THE TIRES I HAD ON MY VEHICLE WERE PRIMEWELL VALERA TOURING 2. THE ISSUE WITH THESE TIRES WAS THE SIDEWALLS WERE SHREDDING. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS SAME ISSUE BUT THE TIRES I HAVE ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND THEY SHOULD BE. ...UPDATED 03/29/17 *BF

NHTSA complaint #10959615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 Subaru Legacy at 58,300 miles Galax, VA

TIRES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU LEGACY EQUIPPED WITH YOKOHAMA AVID ENVIGOR TIRES, SIZE: P205/50R17. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED CRACKS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AND REAR TIRES BETWEEN THE TREAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE NOT REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,300 AND THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,800. MA 10/23/15

NHTSA complaint #10735744 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Subaru Legacy at 84,233 miles Trafford, PA

TIRES

MICHELIN DEFENDER TIRES; ALL 4 TIRES ARE DRY ROTTING WHERE THE TREAD MEETS THE CASING AND BELTS . DEGRADATION OF THE TIRES OVER A LITTLE OVER 2 YEARS IS EXTREMELY PREMATURE CONSIDERING THESE TIRES ARE ADVERTISED TO GIVE 90,000 MILES AND WE PROBABLY ONLY PUT ON AROUND 8,000 MILES A YEAR . WE LIVE IN THE PITTSBURGH, PA AREA WHERE THEY USE SEVERAL DIFFERENT ICE MELTING CHEMICALS INCLUDING ROCK SALT THAT CAN ENTER THE LARGE CRACKS IN THE RUBBER AND EAT AWAY AT IT . I'M AFRAID TO TAKE THE CAR ON LONG TRIPS USING INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS AT HIGH SPEED FOR FEAR OF THE TREAD SEPARATING FROM THE CASING OF THE TIRE . WHAT'S IRONIC IS THAT LOOKING ON-LINE THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE ALSO COMPLAINING ABOUT MICHELIN TIRES DRY ROTTING PREMATURELY . I HAVE SEVERAL EXCELLENT CLOSE-UP PICTURES THAT I CAN EMAIL UPON REQUEST .

NHTSA complaint #10725175 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 Subaru Legacy at 107,009 miles Spokane, WA

TIRES

I HAVE HAD SEVERAL STUDS BREAK OFF OVER THE YEARS AND HAD TO REPLACE ALL OF THE STUDS ON MY 2003 SUBARU LEGACY LAST SUMMER. THE LAST EVENT OCCURRED LAST SUMMER 2013. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT MY 400 MILE DESTINATION, I HAD ONLY ONE STUD HOLDING MY TIRE ON. EITHER THIS IS A HUGE METAL DEFECT WITH THE STUDS OR A POTENTIAL CRIMINAL EVENT AGAINST OUR FAMILY. I HAVE KEPT ALL RECORDS FROM VARIOUS GARAGES WHICH HAVE REPLACED THE STUDS OVER THE YEARS.

NHTSA complaint #10609855 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2000 Subaru Legacy at 135,904 miles NEW York, NY

TIRES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A CONTINENTAL EXTREME CONTACT TIRE, SIZE: 205/55R16. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE SUSTAINED A BLOW OUT. THE CONTACT ALSO DISCOVERED A BLISTER ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED IN REFERENCE TO THE DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE OF THE TIRE WAS 155. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,904.

NHTSA complaint #10572770 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

1995 Subaru Legacy at 201,000 miles CA, CA

TIRES

VEE RUBBER VITRON TIRES PURCHASED NEW 12/23/2011. ONE TIRES STEEL BELT SEPARATED, POPPED THROUGH THE TIRE IN TWO PLACES ON 09/07/2013. TIRE HAS LESS THAN 5K MILES ON IT. TWO SERVICE STATIONS (PEP BOYS, AND VINCE'S AUTO IN RESEDA, CA) INSPECTED THE TIRE AND ADVISED IT IS A DEFECTIVE TIRE. NEITHER COULD ADVISE OF ANY SCENARIO TO JUSTIFY WHAT HAPPENED. VINCE'S AUTO IS REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE TIRE FOR "NO CHARGE"; HOWEVER, THERE ARE 3 REMAINING TIRES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I BELIEVE YOU SHOULD INVESTIGATE. I'M SURPRISED THERE IS NO MENTION OF VEERUBBER NOR VITRON ON YOUR DROPDOWN LIST FOR RECALL SEARCH. TIRES ARE VEE RUBBER VITRON 195/60 R15 88H DOT 6MSJ 4910. PLEASE HELP. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #10542773 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Subaru Legacy problems