The Used Car Index

2017 Subaru Legacy problems

NHTSA lists 119 complaints for the 2017 Subaru Legacy, 10 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 6 complaints mention an injury, with 6 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU LEGACY.

At a glance

Complaints
119
With crash
10
With fire
1
With injury (complaints)
6
Injuries
6
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
1
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
48,819
Investigations
1
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
394

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
VISIBILITY/WIPER3327.7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3025.2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2117.6%
STEERING97.6%
AIR BAGS75.9%
STRUCTURE65.0%
ENGINE54.2%
SERVICE BRAKES54.2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM43.4%
POWER TRAIN43.4%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY6
BACK OVER PREVENTIONREARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING1
BACK OVER PREVENTIONWARNINGS1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMIGNITION1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
LANE DEPARTUREBLIND SPOT DETECTION1
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
TIRESBEAD1
TIRESSIDEWALL1
TIRESTREAD/BELT1

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 failure4033.6%0.70
electrical electronic3126.1%0.98
structural or corrosion1714.3%0.48
loss of control1210.1%0.90
restraint or airbag65.0%0.90
visibility or lighting65.0%0.56
noise or comfort32.5%1.00
fire or overheating21.7%0.99
fluid or fuel leak21.7%0.98
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
low6756.3%0.79
moderate4134.5%0.82
high119.2%0.94

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 119 tagged complaints of 119 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.

2 recalls.

16V716000

Date: 2016-10-06. Systems: AIR BAGS, STEERING.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured September 21, 2016, to September 23, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the knee guard bracket may not be properly attached to the steering beam assembly.

Consequence: If the knee guard is not properly attached and the driver is not wearing a seatbelt, the knee guard may not be able to properly restrain the driver's lower body in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the knee guard welding on each vehicle's steering beam, replacing the beam as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTL-72.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V292000

Date: 2016-05-11. Systems: STEERING.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to May 6, 2016. The steering column on the affected vehicles may have been improperly machined, and as a result, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels. (excerpt)

Consequence: The loss of steering ability would increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lot number on the steering column, replacing the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783 or by visiting http://www.wtd65.service-campaign.com. Subaru's number for this recall is WTD-65. Note: Until the vehicles have been inspected, owners ar (excerpt)

Do not drive: Yes. 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

394 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM187
EQUIPMENT141
POWER TRAIN40
STEERING38
UNKNOWN OR OTHER27
ENGINE23
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING22
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY18

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.

11037942

Date: 2026-09-28. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN.

This announcement provides information on an enhancement of the TechShare CVT diagnostic assitance application.

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.

11036804

Date: 2026-08-21. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN.

This Announcement provides diagnostic assistance for CVT issues.

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.

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
LEGACY119

Same model, other years

All model years | All Subaru models

Other Subaru models, 2017

Sources

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