2012 Subaru Legacy: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 117 complaints
117
Total Complaints
93,000mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN
Top Issue
9
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

51,000 25th Percentile
93,000 Median Mileage
119,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN
32
ENGINE
22
AIR BAGS
11
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
11
STEERING
7
SERVICE BRAKES
6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
4
SUSPENSION
4
VISIBILITY/WIPER
3

Severity Assessment

9
Crashes
0
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"PURCHASED BRAND NEW SUBARU LEGACY OCTOBER 31ST OF 2011. AFTER ONLY FIVE MONTHS AND 14,000 MILES BEGINNING IN MARCH OF 2012 I WAS SHOCKED TO DISCOVER THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM(S) WITH MY LEGACY: LOW IDLING, BOGGING DOWN, AT OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND NEARLY STALLING OUT. THIS ISSUE IS STILL CONTINUING ..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT ENTERED HER CAR, AND WHEN SHE STEPPED ON THE BRAKE, WHICH IS REQUIRED TO SHIFT THE GEAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE, THE BRAKE WAS FROZEN AND SUDDENLY THE CAR WENT QUICKLY BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL, THEN IT WENT FASTER AND FASTER AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED BA..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO KEEP ALIGNED, CAUSING IT TO VEER FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHEN ATTEMPTING A TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SEIZE AND WOULD NOT RETURN T..."

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