Subaru Legacy Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Subaru Legacy model year from 1990 to 2025, benchmarked against each other with 4,162 federal complaints, 83 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 1995–1998, 2005, 2010–2011, 2015. These years top the Legacy's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2004, 2007, 2021–2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Legacy's own worst year — full methodology.

Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 2 open defect investigations on the Subaru Legacy.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture EA21002 opened September 17, 2021 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…

Model years named: 2015, 2016, 2017

Air Bag Inflator Rupture EA15001 opened February 24, 2015 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…

Model years named: 2003, 2004, 2005

An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →

4,162Complaints on file
83Recall campaigns
36Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Electrical tops the Subaru Legacy file with 522 complaints, concentrated in the 1996, 2005, 2011, 2015–2019 model years, most often reported around 60,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2025 Few reports 10 0 — 3
2024 Few reports 29 0 — 7
2023 Few reports 12 2 — 4
2022 Better year 42 2 Visibility & wipers 12
2021 Better year 43 3 — 11
2020 Below average 143 6 Visibility & wipers 35
2019 Below average 143 3 Visibility & wipers 36
2018 Below average 162 3 Electrical 46
2017 Below average 140 2 Visibility & wipers 46
2016 Below average 193 3 Electrical 51
2015 Avoid 232 3 Visibility & wipers 83
2014 Typical 73 10 Electrical 25
2013 Typical 84 12 Engine 25
2012 Typical 119 16 Transmission & drivetrain 34
2011 Avoid 236 16 Transmission & drivetrain 66
2010 Avoid 218 18 Transmission & drivetrain 75
2009 Typical 75 13 Airbags 22
2008 Typical 83 9 Airbags 22
2007 Better year 45 9 Airbags 17
2006 Below average 135 7 Speed control 45
2005 Avoid 250 9 Electrical 81
2004 Better year 55 11 Airbags 17
2003 Typical 69 15 Airbags 21
2002 Typical 71 5 Fuel system 22
2001 Typical 90 8 Fuel system 31
2000 Below average 119 4 Wheels & tires 38
1999 Below average 119 3 Transmission & drivetrain 53
1998 Avoid 155 5 Engine 58
1997 Avoid 179 6 Engine 60
1996 Avoid 161 4 Electrical 67
1995 Avoid 230 2 Airbags 100
1994 Typical 67 0 Seat belts 29
1993 Typical 90 1 Engine 29
1992 Typical 66 2 Seat belts 22
1991 Typical 121 3 Seat belts 34
1990 Typical 103 4 Body & structure 30

Technical service bulletins

Beyond complaints and recalls, 8,158 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Subaru Legacy. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

Browse the Subaru Legacy TSB list by year →

Questions buyers ask

What Subaru Legacy years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 1995–1998, 2005, 2010–2011, 2015 as the Subaru Legacy years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Subaru Legacy problem?

Electrical tops the Subaru Legacy file with 522 complaints, concentrated in the 1996, 2005, 2011, 2015–2019 model years, most often reported around 60,000 miles.

What are the best Subaru Legacy years to buy used?

The quietest Subaru Legacy years in federal records are 2004, 2007, 2021–2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Subaru Legacy only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.