10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
17,147 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #17

Oct 022022

Legacy

  • miles
Feb 2020 dead battery April 2020 dead battery April bought new battery 2020 April 2022 dead battery Oct 2022 dead battery

- Chesterfield , MO, USA

problem #16

Aug 132022

Legacy

  • miles
This vehicle has had two batteries replaced since it was bought in 5/2016. I believe is the same issue with the other newer models already in a lawsuit. I has left me stranded by failing to start without any warning, over four times because the car will charge work fine and then it died.

- Pittsburg, CA, USA

problem #15

Jul 012022

Legacy

  • miles
Driving on the highway all of a sudden my windshield cracked. It was due to stress nothing hit the window

- Puyallup , WA, USA

problem #14

Oct 022021

Legacy

  • miles
Vehicle has not release the key three times so I had to figure things out in 30 minutes each time

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

problem #13

Jul 152021

Legacy

  • miles
I do not know what caused the fire, but maybe the battery or something electrical. The car stalled and the. I re-started the car and no warning lights came on the dashboard. I then parked the car. Upon exiting I noticed the front driver-€™s hood smoking. I went into the bank was parked at and within minutes my car was in flames. The entire engine burned and my car is totaled. A fire marshal was coincidentally on scene and documented the entire event. Currently, this car is under investigation by both my insurance company Liberty Mutual and also Subaru. No warning lights were lit on the car. A fire and police report have been filed, and I have many pictures. If this car had gone on fire in my garage my house would also have burned.

- Danbury , CT, USA

problem #12

Jul 262021

Legacy

  • miles
In 4 1/2 years of ownership I have had to replace the battery three times and the front window twice. My other car travels more miles over similar roads and has had no issues. The Subaru has been in the shop for window replacement and the recalibration of the safety system twice. It has been in the shop at least four times for battery issues.

- Maple Grove, MN, USA

problem #11

Mar 272021

Legacy

  • 53,000 miles
Lock is not aligned properly where it will sometimes jam. This means that person cannot open door. In a fire or accident could become trapped

- West Babylon, NY, USA

problem #10

Jan 302021

Legacy

  • 31,000 miles
The key gets stuck in the ignition and it is impossible to remove once the car is placed in park. I can not turn the car off because the key can not be moved to the lock position. This happens all the time, but I had to pick a date so I picked the most recent occurrence. I know from online searches that other Subaru owners are having the same problem

- Pikesville, MD, USA

problem #9

Oct 012020

Legacy

  • 60,000 miles
I have reviewed multiple threads on the internet talking about issues with the key being stuck in the ignition after putting the vehicle in park. They all suggested contacting Subaru America and that there would be a free fix since it impacts safety of the vehicle (seems easy to steal when the key is stuck in the car for example). Subaru did not respond as anticipated and instead responded with a 'go talk to a dealer' which also is quoted to cost hundreds of dollars to fix a widespread problem. My feeling is that the key being literally stuck in the ignition could lead to theft, further mechanical damage, and other risks to the person. This happens when the car is in park and the car cannot acknowledge it is indeed in park so it retains the car key lock, not releasing it to the owner.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #8

Aug 212020

Legacy

  • 24,000 miles
The ignition key will not come out when shutting off.

- Coeur D Alene, ID, USA

problem #7

Aug 032020

Legacy

  • miles
The key gets stuck in the ignition of my 2017 Subaru Legacy. I start the car again, I twist the steering wheel left and right, and the key still does not come out. My car was parked every time this occurred. So I googled the issue and there were a ton of videos and forums discussing this exact issue! apparently this is a known issue at Subaru. Because of all the complaints, Subaru fixed the issue starting with their 2018 models. Subaru released a service bulletin dated 3/15/18 with the subject line: "ignition key sticking / design change to cvt shifter / selector lever components". that is my exact problem! I purchased the Legacy used in 2020 and it is no longer under warranty. The dealership gave us a quote of $512.92 to fix the "shifter assembly". we are disgusted that Subaru will not cover this cost, as it is a known issue. I've owned many cars in my life and I have never heard of a key getting stuck in a 3 year old car! this is an issue with the manufacturing, yet they did not issue a recall. It looks like we are going to need a new "select lever assembly" and Subaru is too cheap to pay for this fix.... an issue I did not cause!

- Jenkintown, PA, USA

problem #6

Apr 222020

Legacy

  • 33,245 miles
Unable to get key out of ignition in P position. Have to put it either back in D or R, move a bit, put it back in P, try again, sometimes multiple times.

- Liberty Twp, OH, USA

problem #5

Jan 312019

Legacy

  • 20,000 miles
The windshield cracked while driving last winter. The crack is across the bottom from the driver side almost clear crossed.

- Rose Hill, KS, USA

problem #4

Mar 262019

Legacy

  • 3,500 miles
In a parking lot in a stationary position I shifted into park and was not able to remove the key from the ignition; it happened again the same day in my garage.

- Portland, ME, USA

problem #3

Jan 142019

Legacy

  • 27,000 miles
Pre-collision system activated on highway with no imminent threat of a collision. This caused by to abruptly stop with me bieng rear ended.

- Weston, FL, USA

problem #2

Dec 032018

Legacy

  • 31,000 miles
I have had 3 broken windshields on my 2017 Subaru Legacy in the 20 months that I have owned the vehicle. When it happened this past time I realized this is not just "bad luck" on my part. I started researching the issue online and found that Subaru has a class action lawsuit against them for 2015 and 2016. I believe the 2017 model is also an issue but that model year has yet to be included in the lawsuit. What I have also found online from various automotive websites is that Subaru Legacy and outback owners are experiencing broken windshields from the smallest debris hitting the windshield. If the smallest piece of debris is causing a crack in the windshield what can a consumer expect to happen if there was a full collision? I'm not sure if this is a design flaw in the automobile or faulty glass, or maybe both. I spoke with my state farm representative and he indicated he never heard of a new passenger vehicle having 3 broken windshields in a span of less than two years. If you need any other information from me, please let me know. I would be more than happy to help. Thank you.

- Shorewood, IL, USA

problem #1

Oct 122017

Legacy

  • 8,750 miles
Windsheild- the materials used for the windshield in this vehicle are substandard. I leased the vehicle on 4/18/2017 and it is now 10/24/2017 and my windsheild has cracked twice. The first time it cracked I had it replaced right away. This time I decided to wait a week or so to see if it would continue to have issues the windshield has now cracked in three different places. I have not changed my driving habits and my previous vehicles have never had this issue. I did some online research and spoke to some other Subaru owners and this is a known issue with newer outbacks and Legacy models. It is unacceptable for Subaru to sell these obviously faulty windshields to the public I have made complaints to the Subaru dealer and I just get the response that there is nothing they can do except replace the windshield at full retail cost.

- Walnut Creek, CA, USA