2002 Subaru Legacy: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 71 complaints
71
Total Complaints
68,000mi
Median Mileage
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Top Issue
5
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

38,731 25th Percentile
68,000 Median Mileage
161,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
SUSPENSION
5
ENGINE
4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2

Severity Assessment

5
Crashes
1
Fires
2
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE IDLING IN PARK VEHICLE JUMPED INTO DRIVE, RESULTING IN A COLLISION. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK"
"WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH TREAD ON RIGHT FRONT TIRE SEPARATED, ORIGINAL MANUFACTURED EQUIPMENT ON A 2002, SUBARU, LEGACY, TIRE SIZE P225560R16, AND 1,200 MILEAGE. *AK *YD"
"WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK VEHICLE, SLOWED DOWN TO APPROX 5 MPH WITH FOOT ON BRAKE, ENGINE RACED AND CAR SURGED AHEAD SUDDENLY, HITTING PARKED TRUCK WITH TAILGATE LOWERED, CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE.*AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28