2011 Subaru Legacy problems
Owners have filed 236 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Subaru Legacy. Drivetrain & axles is the most reported problem area, at 19% of complaints. After that come engine (12%) and air bags (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 236 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 68,000 miles 176 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 49 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 18 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 12 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 20 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 16 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 24 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 12 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 15 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 176 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 68,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 114,000 miles (36 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 6 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Subaru Legacy with enough data (134 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 16 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru legacy. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle crashed into the rear end of another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy until 4 or 5 seconds later. Prior to the air bag deploying, burning fumes emitted into the vehicle. The contact did not indicate if a police report was filed or if any injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician was not able to determine why the air bags deployed with a delay.
I had a 2011 subaru legacy2.5;at 1130 am,I was pulling into a parking space at a local convenience store near us that we often go to,when suddenly on turning right into the space I heard the engine "rev"at a fast speed even though I had lifted my foot from the accelerator.(I used to drive a manual shift,and it reminded me of the sound an engine would make when trying to upshift too fast between gears)before I could react the car surged forward into the space,and I was barely able to slam the brake before it…
My 2011 subary legacy 2.5I premium stalls at every intersection while braking. This is a known issue with subaru and they put out TSB 16-90-13r regarding the issue with the torque converter on 1/6/2014. This should be a recall as this issue causes a serious danger of being rear-ended at every intersection, as the car stops abruptly from stalling.the stalling happens whenever applying the brake and coming to a stop, at any time of day and any temperature outside.
The car is just shy of 8 years old. The transmission failed causing the car to suddenly stop, shut off and lose power steering while traveling down the road. Currently the engine is leaking exhaust from the engine compartment that can be smelled in the passenger compartment. It is also leaking hot oil from the cylinder head onto the lower exhaust and leaking hot coolant from the radiator. The exhaust and fluid leaks occur when stationary or in motion.