Subaru Legacy
Owners filed 3,183 complaints across 36 model years of the Subaru Legacy. The 2005 drew the most (184).
Which Subaru Legacy years should you avoid?
Going by 3,183 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Subaru Legacy years to avoid are 2005 and 1995.
- 2005184 complaints, 2.1× a typical Legacy year, most often about the engine.
- 1995182 complaints, 2.1× a typical Legacy year, most often about the airbags.
Better bets: among years old enough for a low count to mean something, the 2021 and 2013 drew the fewest complaints without an unusual share of serious ones.
Too new to judge: 2025. Complaints take a few years to arrive, so a new model year looks better than it is.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Subaru Legacy model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Too new | 6 | 0 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2024 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2023 | 10 | 2 | — | 2 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2022 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 4 | Visibility/Wiper | Routine | |
| 2021 | 31 | 3 | — | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2020 | 121 | 6 | 1 | 1 | Visibility/Wiper | Routine | |
| 2019 | 123 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Visibility/Wiper | Routine | |
| 2018 | 117 | 3 | 1 | 7 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2017 | 119 | 2 | 1 | 10 | Visibility/Wiper | Do not drive | |
| 2016 | 147 | 3 | — | 9 | Electrical System | Do not drive | |
| 2015 | 160 | 3 | 3 | 15 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2014 | 53 | 10 | 2 | 4 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2013 | 66 | 12 | — | 6 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2012 | 90 | 16 | — | 7 | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2011 | 167 | 16 | 2 | 7 | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2010 | 151 | 18 | 1 | 10 | Power Train | Fatalities reported | |
| 2009 | 65 | 13 | 1 | 3 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2008 | 65 | 9 | 1 | 3 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2007 | 33 | 9 | 4 | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2006 | 87 | 7 | 1 | 6 | Vehicle Speed Control | Fatalities reported | |
| 2005Avoid | 184 | 9 | 4 | 11 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2004 | 49 | 11 | — | 5 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2003 | 60 | 15 | — | 4 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2002 | 54 | 5 | 1 | 5 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2001 | 77 | 8 | 2 | 11 | Vehicle Speed Control | Routine | |
| 2000 | 94 | 4 | 2 | 8 | Tires | Routine | |
| 1999 | 94 | 3 | 1 | 18 | Vehicle Speed Control | Routine | |
| 1998 | 114 | 5 | 2 | 17 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1997 | 139 | 6 | 2 | 18 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Routine | |
| 1996 | 123 | 4 | 4 | 26 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1995Avoid | 182 | 2 | 3 | 33 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1994 | 60 | 0 | 4 | 5 | Seat Belts | Fatalities reported | |
| 1993 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 9 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1992 | 55 | 2 | — | 6 | Seat Belts | Routine | |
| 1991 | 78 | 3 | — | 3 | Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch | Routine | |
| 1990 | 81 | 4 | 2 | 4 | Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.