2017 Subaru Legacy Complaints
Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA
118
Total
10
Crashes
1
Fires
6
Injuries
0
Deaths
Most Reported Components
Recent Complaints
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 02/15/2026
Major fuel leak within engine bay
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 01/25/2026
The battery has died several times and had to be replaced over the years due to a likely slow drain issue that Subaru is well aware of and was part of a class action suit against them.
SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 11/11/2025
I drove into the parking lot of Walgreens, then drove around and pulled into a parking spot facing the south side of the building and put my foot on the brake to stop and park. Instead of stopping, the car suddenly lurched forward violently and slammed into the brick wall of the building. My wife called 911 since I told her my chest really hurt. When the police came, I told them my foot must have slipped off the brake and hit the accelerator, since I had no idea what else might have caused the car to accelerate like that. My wife drove the car home and then drove to the ER where the EMTs had taken me. A CT scan showed that I had a fractured sternum, since my chest hit the steering wheel full force after the air bags failed to deploy. I was in excruciating pain for a few weeks, and after I felt better, we submitted a claim to our insurance company. We then took our 2017 Subaru Legacy to a certified Subaru collision repair center. We were shocked to find that the car was totaled, since it was still drivable. Something kept bothering us about the crash, since EyeSight should have applied the brakes if I had accidentally accelerated and it detected a brick wall in front of our car. After some research, we stumbled on the information about the Class-Action Lawsuit that was just settled by Subaru for reports of Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA). The description of what happens with SUA was exactly what I experienced, but this was the first we had heard of it. We were never notified about the lawsuit, even though our VIN number shows our car was involved. Our Subaru dealership had all our contact information since we bought our Legacy from them and they have done all the maintenance work on it. Unfortunately, we released our car to Copart as part of our insurance settlement, so there’s no way to check the EDR data. PLEASE let others know about this major safety issue before anyone else is seriously injured!
VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 12/01/2025
My 2017 Legacy is on it's 3rd windshield this year. I had impact damage on July 17th, had it replaced the first week of August, and it cracked without impact damage in October. Subaru refused to replace it under warranty and it was replaced through insurance in December. The genuine Subaru replacement windshields for 2015-2019 Legacy and Outback models appear to be defective and this should be investigated.
AIR BAGS — Filed 04/23/2025
The OCS sensor is faulty and doesn’t detect a passanger and may cause the airbag not to deploy, this is common according to other Subaru owners. This is a common problem on many cars and those cars have been recalled
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 01/01/2023
The catalytic converter has been replaced twice and is now needing a third replacement. The car emits gas fumes, unsafe emissions, and the fuel causes the mechanism to be extremely hot and unsafe. Over time, the car has had reduced gas flow and will stop running. The dealer has confirmed the three converters installed have been defective. The manufacturer, Subaru, was contacted to inspect the car but refused. Precious years have recalls of the fuel mechanisms. The check engine light stays on when unsafe emissions are detected.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 10/17/2024
The mirror drivers side mirror wiggles. I. The even of a battery failure the electrical brake may fail
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/16/2021
The key frequently gets stuck in the ignition. It takes several attempts to release the key. Turning the wheel to ensure the wheel isn’t locked and turning the ignition/car on does not help release the key from ignition.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 10/23/2023
The key constantly stuck in ignition. Sometimes 10 minutes to get out. Then won’t start ignition Key broke off in ignition … your stuck with this situation that Subaru is pretending to not know about
STEERING — Filed 09/15/2023
Electric Power Steering failure
About This Data
Complaints are filed by vehicle owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They represent individual consumer experiences and do not necessarily indicate a widespread defect.
View on NHTSA.gov