2005 Subaru Legacy problems and complaints

Owners have filed 184 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Subaru Legacy. The most-reported areas: Service Brakes (31), Engine And Engine Cooling (29), Electrical System (25).

Key takeaways

  • 184 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 11 involve a crash, 4 a fire, 10 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Service Brakes3117%
Engine And Engine Cooling2916%
Electrical System2514%
Air Bags2111%
Vehicle Speed Control158%
Fuel/Propulsion System158%
Exterior Lighting137%
Power Train137%
Fuel System127%
Gasoline127%
Visibility/Wiper116%
Hydraulic95%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2005 Subaru Legacy 4-DR. w/SABNot ratedNot ratedNot ratedNot rated

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic - filed 2026-08-12

The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The contact downshifted to slow down, and the vehicle came to a s...

Service Brakes - filed 2026-07-28

While driving to work, my brake pedal went to the floor and I lost 90% of braking power. After managing to get the car back home, and topping up brake fluid, I noticed a puddle of it right in front of the passenger rear wheel. After doing research, found that this was a problem for this car, covered under recall WQK-47...

Service Brakes - filed 2026-05-06

Brake lines were definitely not replaced even though known to be defective and prone to corrosion and leaks. Almost got into a accident because the known recalled area let go on the highway

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More for the 2005 Subaru Legacy

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.