The Used Car Index

2015 Subaru Legacy problems

NHTSA lists 159 complaints for the 2015 Subaru Legacy, 15 of them mention a crash and 3 mention a fire. 7 complaints mention an injury, with 10 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU LEGACY.

At a glance

Complaints
159
With crash
15
With fire
3
With injury (complaints)
7
Injuries
10
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
71,710
Investigations
1
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
527

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3723.3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER3622.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2717.0%
ENGINE2314.5%
POWER TRAIN159.4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM148.8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL148.8%
SERVICE BRAKES127.5%
AIR BAGS106.3%
STRUCTURE106.3%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY9
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL2
VISIBILITYWINDSHIELD2
BACK OVER PREVENTIONREARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGEXHAUST SYSTEM1
EQUIPMENTELECTRICAL1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS1
LANE DEPARTUREBLIND SPOT DETECTION1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROLACCELERATOR PEDAL1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure4125.8%0.65
electrical electronic3924.5%0.90
loss of control3220.1%0.90
structural or corrosion2012.6%0.47
visibility or lighting85.0%0.66
restraint or airbag63.8%0.97
fluid or fuel leak53.1%0.74
noise or comfort42.5%0.75
fire or overheating21.3%0.90
unclear21.3%0.72
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate7748.4%0.80
low6339.6%0.71
high1710.7%0.94
none21.3%0.46

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 159 tagged complaints of 159 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

3 recalls.

16V251000

Date: 2016-04-27. Systems: ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC).

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured on July 20, 2015. The brake fluid used in these vehicles may contain excess moisture which may adversely affect the performance of the electronic stability control system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbe (excerpt)

Consequence: Poor performance of the electronic stability control system when it is activated may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will perform an ABS activation, then flush and replace the brake fluid, free of charge. The recall began on May 20, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTC-64. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V502000

Date: 2015-08-10. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015 and 2016 model year Subaru Legacy 4-Door and Outback vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to July 27, 2015. Transmission oil may leak from a deformed seal cap on the propeller shaft yoke.

Consequence: If the transmission oil leaks onto the exhaust pipe, there is a possible risk of fire.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the propeller shaft, free of charge. The recall began on August 28, 2015. Owners may contact 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQU-56.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V366000

Date: 2015-06-12. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Outback vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Impreza vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to April 14, 2015, XV Crosstrek vehicles manufactured October 16, 2014, to April 15, 2015, and 2016 WRX vehicles manufactured March 23, 2015, and equ (excerpt)

Consequence: If the automatic pre-collision braking system does not function as intended, the vehicle will not react to an obstacle in its path, increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the driver assist system, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQS-54. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 investigations; 1 open.

EA21002

Opened: 2021-09-17. Closed: Not listed.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

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, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupt

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

527 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT225
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM205
POWER TRAIN43
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING39
ENGINE38
UNKNOWN OR OTHER29
STRUCTURE25
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY22

11037943

Date: 2026-10-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.

11037938

Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

"This Bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following DTCs: DTC C1956: RH Actuator Circuit DTC C1957: LH Actuator Circuit"

11037940

Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.

11037930

Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.

11037927

Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11037929

Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11036807

Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11036810

Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11036796

Date: 2026-08-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

11036794

Date: 2026-08-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
LEGACY159

Same model, other years

All model years | All Subaru models

Other Subaru models, 2015

Sources

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