2015 Subaru Legacy problems
Owners have filed 233 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Subaru Legacy. Wipers, windshield & visibility is the most reported problem area, at 18% of complaints. After that come electrical system (16%) and engine (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 233 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 32 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 24 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 16,000 miles 154 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 | 85 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 23 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 14 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 11 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 154 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 16,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 10,000 miles (34 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 32 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 24 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2015 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Subaru Legacy with enough data (171 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 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 owned a 2015 subaru legacy. While driving at an unspecified rate of speed, an animal went across the driver's path. The driver veered to the right and crashed into a tree. The vehicle erupted into flames. Weeks prior to the crash, the vehicle was taken to the dealer due to various warning lights randomly flashing on the instrument panel. The dealer repaired the vehicle according to a manufacturer's recall; however, the remedy may have been insufficient and caused the failure.
I am reporting a Sudden Unintended Deceleration event in my Subaru. The vehicle grinded to a halt without driver input. The car stopped in the left lane of a major highway. We put on our hazards and called the state police for help. They were unable to get to us in time. We were hit from the rear. The car's failure created a stationary hazard that led to a high-speed rear-end collision by a Jeep and truck which caused the car to do a 360-degree spin.
The headlights have dimmed. The lenses have clouded on the inside surface so there is no way to remove the clouding. It is not due to moisture. I have had the dealer look at it twice. It is progressively worse. The dealer said the regional rep said it is a normal finding so the lenses will not be replaced under warranty. He pointed out that new lenses would develop the same clouding.
Since november of 2017 while driving the car it has intermittently jerked and shook excessively, bucking like a mad horse. Car was brought in to dealer for diagnosis. Dealer was not able to identify the cause. After several visits to dealer where I was assured the problem was fixed the same problem continued. It should be noted that the car, while driving started to shut down and I needed to be towed to the dealer. Dealer claimed the problem was a faulty spark plug. Car was then returned to me.