Subaru Legacy Complaints (2008)

65 consumer complaints on file.

#11533570July 21, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
The issue occurred on a 08 Subaru Legacy GT Limited while the driver was driving the car with their family on a local street around 35-40mph. Initially, while the car was stopped at a traffic light, the driver noticed that the brake pedal seems off where it seems to be depressed much deeper than usual. While coming up on a second red traffic light, the driver noticed that the pedal has to be depressed all the way down to the floor before bringing the car close to a stop while using the emergency brake to complete the stop. The driver knows that this is a major issue given the symptoms and drove to a safe spot to stop the car and inspect the issue. At this time, the brake light has also came on in the dashboard. Upon the driver's preliminary inspection, there was brake fluid leakage coming from the rear passenger wheel area and the brake fluid in the reservoir has reached the minimum line which would confirm why the brake light came on. Given the situation, the vehicle was then brought to the Subaru official dealer immediately to be dropped off for a diagnostic on the next Monday since the dealer was closed when the driver arrived. After the diagnostic by the Subaru mechanic, they confirmed with the driver's suspicious where the brake line has been broken due to corrosion to a bare metal area of the rear brake line that was supposed to be addressed by the brake line corrosion recall, WQK-047. The line was broken at one of the clip point where the brake line has no sleeve over it to protect the line from corrosion. Subaru issued a recall on this area as they know that this was a design flaw where salt used on the road from the winter might get in accelerating the corrosion of the line causing it to leak or break. This is an serious issue since the car could have crashed if the brake fails completely without any brake fluid anymore. NHTSA should intervene on this as many owners have this issue and SOA, who boast about safety, did not address the issue with the recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515278April 3, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
I had the recall done in 2017 and I was recently driving on the highway when my brakes had no pressure, I nearly crashed my car. Pulled over and realized my brake lines were leaking from where they said it had been fixed during the recall. I called the Subaru Stealership that did the recall and they informed me when I brought the vehicle in “it showed no signs of leakage” so they sprayed “anti corrosion” on the lines. I called Subaru of America and they want me to pay $200 to diagnose the issue and pay for the repair since the lines busted from “wear and tear”. Spraying anti-corrosion does nothing when the rust has already ruined the integrity of the brake line. Subaru is trying to pull a fast one and scam their customers by spraying anti-corrosion when the lines need to be replaced instead.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475429July 23, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
I received my Subaru legacy from the dealer after an unrelated repair. My wife got in the car and very slowly drove through the lot to exit the dealership. She was going 5-6 mph at most and luckily after putting the car into gear she had her hand resting on the center console literally right above the hand brake. As she approached the stop sign to exit the dealership, she put her foot on the brake pedal and it went immediately straight to the floor with no resistance or application of the brakes. She immediately grabbed and pulled the hand emergency brake to stop the vehicle from entering a busy route 3 (West Chester Pike.) After nursing the car back to service at very low mph she parked the car again using the hand brake. Service looked at the car and found ruptured brake lines. The lines were the subject of a recall in 2015 and were supposedly inspected and an anticorrosive was applied.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11470670June 23, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
DASHBOARD HAS MELTED FROM SUN AND HEAT, HAS BECOME EXTREMELY SHINEY & STICKY, PLUS SUN & HEADLIGHTS REFLECT OFF THE WINDSCREEN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441690November 25, 2021
ENGINE
I have a great suspicion that Kia has not only sold bad engined vehicles that are their own make and models but I believe they are selling used cars they buy like that as well. The car I bought has major engine problems that were hid from me at the time of the sales leading to a $5000 repair bill for a 7200$ car. I only had it for a couple weeks before it became un-drivable. Not only did they hide and lie about fact in the sales of their own cars , I have evidence showing that they are doing the same to used cars they're selling. They are barely doing the bare minimum to fix anything. They have lied to AUTOCAP on record about facts as well when I have recordings or them telling me other wise.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434020September 23, 2021
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
2008 SUBARU LEGACY. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUES WITH FUEL PUMP. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD TURN OVER, BUT WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THE THE METAL OF THE PUMP HARNESS WAS SEVERLY BURNED AND MELTED DUE TO EXTREME HEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. *JS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11430867August 28, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
There is a parasitic drain on my car battery. I have replaced the alternator and battery twice, and the car can’t hold a charge.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11420204June 8, 2021
POWER TRAIN
The CV axle on the passenger side caught on fire. It was the rubber boot on the inner side over the catalytic converter. There were no warnings other than the smell of smoke. Fortunately, I caught it early and put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. I had been driving 25 to 40 MPH on city streets for about 5 miles before the incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11418809May 27, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2008 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated while driving approximately 30-35 mph, the brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. The contact was concerned that the brake was failing with her husband and four-month-old baby in the vehicle. The contact veered to the shoulder and turned off the vehicle. The contact’s husband inspected the vehicle and saw that there was fluid dripping near the rear passenger’s side tire, below the fuel tank. The contact’s husband then drove the vehicle back to the residence. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the dealer had performed a recall repair on the brakes on January 22, 2021. The contact was informed that anti-corrosion wax was sprayed onto the brake line connectors as part of the remedy. The manufacturer referred the contact back to the same dealer where the vehicle was repaired under recall, to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that rodents had chewed the brake line and the brake line was not part of the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not repairable. The manufacturer offered a $ 1,000 voucher for a newer vehicle. The failure mileage was 76,877.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11372899November 3, 2020
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, HE BECAME AWARE OF CORROSION AROUND THE BRAKE LINE. THERE WAS FLUID LEAKING FROM THE BRAKE LINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT SOFT WHEN DEPRESSED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V311000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 183,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11366814October 28, 2020
SERVICE BRAKES
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND TRYING TO BRAKE IT LOST THE ABILITY TO APPLY THE BRAKES ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND THIS WAS A RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE. I CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY SAID IT WAS PERFORMED AND THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING FURTHER. THE EXACT AREA PERTAINING TO THE BRAKE LINES FAILING AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL IS WHERE IT HAS FAILED. THEIR IS NO EVIDENCE OF THE RECALL BEING PERFORMED AS THE REPAIR INDICATED SPRAYING THE VEHICLE WITH ANTI CORROSION SPRAY. IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT WAS EVER DONE. THIS IS FOR THE BRAKE LINES IN THE PASSENGER REAR OF THE VEHICLE NEXT TO THE GAS TANK. RECALL NUMBER THEY SAY WAS COMPLETED IS WQK-47. RESEARCH SHOWS MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THIS ISSUE STILL AND SUBARU HAS NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THANK YOU
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11350930August 24, 2020
SERVICE BRAKES
I SAW THE BRAKE LIGHT COME ON WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREET, I TAPPED THE BRAKES LIGHTLY AND CHECKED IF MY EBRAKE WAS UP A FEW TIMES AND THE LIGHT WENT AWAY FOR A BIT BEFORE IT FINALLY STAYED ON WHILE DRIVING AFTER DOING THAT. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS A SENSOR SINCE LIGHT TAPS AND BRAKING SEEMED FINE. I GUESS WHEN I WAS TAPPING AND TESTING THE BRAKES OVER AND OVER, I WAS JUST PUMPING ALL THE BRAKE FLUID OUT OF THE CORRODED BRAKE LINE IN THE BACK AND COULD BARELY STOP WHEN I ACTUALLY HAD TO USE THE BRAKES TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR AND I HAD TO ASSIST IN BRAKING WITH MY E-BRAKE AND ENGINE BRAKING INTO 1ST GEAR. WHEN I GOT UNDER THE CAR AND HAD SOMEONE PUMP THE BRAKES, I CAN SEE FLUID COME OUT OF A CORRODED HARD BRAKE LINE NEXT TO THE GAS TANK. LOOKING ONLINE THIS IS ONE OF THE SPOTS WHERE 2 PREVIOUS RECALLS WERE ISSUED FOR BRAKE LINE CORROSION. THE RECALLS WERE TAKEN CARE OF IN 11/2013 @~89K MILES AND 09/2014 @~97K MILES BY THE DEALER. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY AT ~125K MILES AND HAS ONLY BEEN DRIVEN IN THE SUMMER FOR PAST FEW YEARS. IT LOOKS LIKE THE RECALL DOES NOT FIX THE ISSUE AND STILL CREATES A DANGEROUS DRIVING SITUATION.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11331442June 29, 2020
SERVICE BRAKES
DRIVING CAR AND HAD COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKES. VEHICLE HAS HAD ISSUES OR RANDOM CONSUMPTION OF BRAKE FLUID. PASSENGER REAR BRAKE PIPE BURST OPEN AND FAILED DUE TO CORROSION NOT ADDRESSED BY PREVIOUS RECALLS. SUBARU OF AMERICA WILL NOT HONOR REPLACEMENT AND SERVICES COST BECAUSE THE LEGACY MODEL IS NOT SPECIFIC TO THE RECALL AND OUT OF WARRANTY. SOA DID HONOR $350 CREDIT FOR REPAIRS THAT COST $1100. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11298303January 9, 2020
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
RED AIRBAG INDICATOR IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BEGUN COMING ON/OFF ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK THEN BECAME CONSTANT. OBSERVED PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR HAD NO LIGHTS ON(NO ILLUMINATION AT ALL) SEARCHED FORUMS AND FOUND MULTIPLE SIMILAR CASES WITH NO RESOLVE FROM THE DEALERSHIP. AS A MECHANIC MYSELF I BEGAN MY OWN DIAGNOSIS, CAUSE: REMOVED OVERHEAD CONTROL PANEL AND PERFORMED ELECTRICAL TESTING ON PASSENGER AIRBAG CIRCUIT. FOUND OPEN CIRCUITS BETWEEN COMPONENT CONTACTS. CORRECTION: RETINNED CONTACTS AND ADDED SOLDER. HAVEN'T HAD AN AIRBAG LIGHT SINCE THE REPAIR.. I HAVE HEARD THE DEALER WANTS 300+$ TO REPAIR. THIS IS SUCH A COMMON AND SERIOUS ISSUE THAT IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR A RECALL... I HAVE SEEN AND PERFORMED FAR MORE TRIVIAL RECALLS. THAT SAID; IF YOU TAKE YOUR CAR TO A DECENT SUBARU OR INDEPENDENT SHOP THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THIS AND FIX IT FOR ALOT LESS THAN THE DEALER
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11297718January 7, 2020
SERVICE BRAKES
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, BRAKE FLUID BEGAN TO LEAK FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THEY WERE ABLE TO PARK THE VEHICLE SAFELY. THE CONTACT REFERRED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V311000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC OR A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11290436December 20, 2019
VISIBILITY/WIPER
THE DASH HAS MELTED LEAVING IT HARD TO SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE DASH IS ALSO EXTREMELY STICKY AND SHINY. I THOUGHT IT JUST NEEDED TO BE CLEANED BUT REALIZED SHORTLY AFTER THAT WAS NOT THE CASE AND HAVE SINCE FOUND THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH MY MAKE AND MODEL PER SUBARU.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11289575December 17, 2019
SERVICE BRAKES
THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO SUBARU RECALL WQK-47: WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, BRAKE INDICATOR ON DASHBOARD ILLUMINATED AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF DRIVING, I COULD FEEL SOMETHING WAS A BIT DIFFERENT WITH THE BRAKE PRESSURE. WITHIN A FEW MOMENTS OF THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP, I NOTICED THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND ON SUBSEQUENT PUMPS OF THE BRAKES I GOT SOME PRESSURE. ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE FURTHER (SLOWLY), RESULTED IN VERY LITTLE, IF ANY, BRAKING POWER. I CHECKED BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR AND NOTICED IT WAS BELOW THE MIN MARK. I HAD SOME BRAKE FLUID IN THE TRUNK AND FILLED IT. I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE A BIT FURTHER AND WAS ABLE TO RECOVER BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES BEFORE THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRED. THANKFULLY THIS WAS DONE WHILE ON A ROAD THAT HAD A LOW SPEED LIMIT AND THERE WEREN'T MANY VEHICLES AROUND. LOSING BRAKE POWER WHILE ON A HIGHWAY FOR INSTANCE ON A TURN WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AS GOOD. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY FOUND THAT THE RIGHT REAR LINE WAS LEAKING. I WENT IN TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND INSPECTED THE FOUR-WAY CONNECTOR MENTIONED IN THE RECALL AS WELL AS THE LINE THAT RUNS NEAR THE FUEL TANK WHERE THE CLIP HOLDS ON TO IT. THIS PART OF THE LINE IS EXPOSED JUST AS THE RECALL MENTIONS. I NOTICED THAT THE 4-WAY CONNECTOR WAS COVERED SUFFICIENTLY IN THE WAX COMPONENT THAT THE RECALL MENTIONED SHOULD BE USED BUT THE AREA WHERE THE LEAK WAS DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY WAX AT ALL THE WORK FOR THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED IN OCTOBER 2018, SO A LITTLE OVER A YEAR LATER AND THE BRAKE LINE CORRODED THROUGH WHERE THE RECALL WORDING INDICATED IT COULD. IF THE LINES HAD BEEN SEALED AS INDICATED, PERHAPS THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. THE DEALERSHIP QUOTED $1300 TO REPLACE A SINGLE BRAKE LINE. ANOTHER CONCERN IS THAT IF THAT ONE LINE WAS CORRODED ENOUGH TO LEAK, THEN THE OTHERS COULD TOO.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11232581July 16, 2019
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
VEHICLE DIES. I KNOW THERE IS A RECALL OUT THERE FOR THIS REASON BUT I'M TOLD THAT MY CAR IS NOT PART OF THIS RECALL BUT MY CAR IS DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE RECAL IS TALKING ABOUT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11190972March 22, 2019
AIR BAGS
AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY , BUT NOW STAYS ON THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME. TOOK CAR TO DEALER FOR PASSENGER AIRBAG RECALL AND THEY TOLD ME THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASH IS FAULT CODE 26. MANY OTHER SUBARU OWNERS REPORTING THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE, WHICH IS RELATED TO FAULTY SOLDERING OF COMPONENTS IN THE OVERHEAD MAP LIGHT CONSOLE. AS THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE (PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT), SUBARU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE FAULTY COMPONENT(S). BEWARE- SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO FEEL THAT THE TAKATA INFLATORS IS RELATED TO THEIS ISSUSE. I HAVE HAD THIS AIRBAG ISSUE SINCE I OWENED THE SUBARU COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE FIX WHEN I NO THAT THERE IS FAULT IN THE WAY THE COMPONENTS WERE WELDED.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11183796March 3, 2019
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
HAD THE RECALL FOR BRAKES DONE & RECALL FOR AIR BAG, & CATALYTIC CONVERTER. NEVER RECIEVED POST CARD FOR ELECTRICL RECALL , HAD ALL KINDS OF WORK DONE & THE ENGINE LIGHT, CRUISE CONTROL,ETC WILL NOT TURN OFF. WHY HAVENT I RECIEVED RECALL NOTICE SO THAT I CAN BRING IT TO SUBARU DEALER, THANK YOU [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *PM
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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