KnownCarProblems2003 Subaru Legacy Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 60 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Subaru Legacy, most often about the air bags (27% of complaints, typically around 133,000 miles). It is 17th of 26 Legacy model years by number of complaints and has 14 recalls.
Most common 2003 Subaru Legacy problems
Air bags
16 complaints · 27%Half of these problems showed up before 133,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2003 Subaru Legacy. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v358000 (air bags). The vehicle was taken to suburban Subaru (14 hartford turnpike, vernon, ct 06066, [phone]) where the contact stated that the air bag was inspected, but was not replaced. Approximately…
I have an airbag recall on this vehicle and have received a notice to get it serviced. When calling my local Subaru dealership they told me I'd be put on a waiting list and that they are booked out through the end of the year. In the notice it states that this could kill me or my passengers. Waiting till the end of…
Engine
13 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
Noticed the smell of coolant when exiting the car after driving. I investigated this and found a small coolant leak coming from the back of the left cylinder head. The car is a 2003 Subaru Legacy gt w/ the 2.5l engine. I have owned the car since new,and had the first few services performed @ the dealer purchased,and…
Both head gaskets blown on a 2003 Subaru Legacy with about 54,000 miles and regularly maintained by the dealer car just 6 weeks out of warranty.
Fuel system
9 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 122,000 miles.
Fuel smell in car when temp, is below ~20 f. Recall in 2001 and service bulletin in wrx in 2002-03. But not for this model. Smell is overwhelming and fuel leak is very dangerous. Soa says it is not a problem for this part. Car although it matches service bulletin to the dot. Taking to dealership tomorrow to get fuel…
The contact owns a 2003 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that during colder weather, gasoline fuel fumes emitted into the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 113,000.
Wheels and tires
5 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: bead.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Subaru Legacy. Last year the contact had three studs break off on the right rear wheel and now they have three that broke off on the front right wheel. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic who stated that they had never seen this happen before. The contact spoke with a dealer and was told…
I have had several studs break off over the years and had to replace all of the studs on my 2003 Subaru Legacy last summer. The last event occurred last summer 2013. By the time I arrived at my 400 mile destination, I had only one stud holding my tire on. Either this is a huge metal defect with the studs or a…
Transmission
5 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
When accelerating at any speed hesitates for a couple of seconds. The manufacturer indicated that the problem could not be fixed because it was a characteristic of the vehicle. The consumer feels that this problem will cause damage to the engine and transmission over time.
I own a 2003 Subaru Legacy sedan. As I pick up speed you can hear an increasing wind noise coming from around the front 2 windows. At speeds of 65 MPH and above it gets really bad and it starts sounding like a ref blowing his whistle. I take many trips on the interstate and it get really bad and it gets worse if the…
Speed control
5 complaints · 8%For the second time (see my first report), my 2003 Subaru Legacy wagon suddenly accelerated while I was sitting at a stop light. I stood on the brake and put the transmission into neutral until the engine stopped revving.
Brakes
4 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: disc.
Service was done at 60,000 kilometers and brake rotors had to be replaced which in my opinon was premature on a 3 year old vehicle. I have owned jettas and hondas which have gone 5 years and 125,000 kilometers without any major brake work required.
Traveling west on i90 near mentor ohio I attempted to stop my 2003 Subaru Legacy wagon on a snow covered portion of the road. My speed was about 45 MPH. Traffic stopped suddenly, and when I applied the brakes, the car would not stop. Also, the ABS brake system did not activate. Further, upon impact with the truck in…
Body and structure
3 complaints · 5%Parts named most often: body.
I own a 2003 Subaru Legacy sedan. As I pick up speed you can hear an increasing wind noise coming from around the front 2 windows. At speeds of 65 MPH and above it gets really bad and it starts sounding like a ref blowing his whistle. I take many trips on the interstate and it get really bad and it gets worse if the…
Broke tailgate window. Glass shop indicated dealer-only item. Dealer indicated no replacement windows existed in the united states. Dealer also indicated they already had another similar vehicle in their shop that had already been waiting 3 weeks for a window, and they had no idea when one would come in. Vehicle was…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Subaru Legacy recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tkb-20.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 forester, 2003-2006 baja, 2004-2011 impreza, 2004-2014 wrx (including sti), 2003-2014 legacy and outback, and 2006 saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia or "zone b." these vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tka-20.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 forester, 2003-2006 baja, 2004-2011 impreza, 2004-2014 wrx (sti included), 2003-2014 legacy and outback, and 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." these vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tkc-20.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 forester, 2003-2006 baja, 2004-2011 impreza, 2004-2014 wrx (including sti), 2003-2014 legacy and outback, and 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alaska, colorado, connecticut, idaho, iowa, maine, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, oregon, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, washington, wisconsin, and wyoming or "zone c." these vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 26, 2016. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Saab owners may contact gm at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tka-16.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 legacy, outback, 2009-2011 legacy, outback, forester, 2006-2011 impreza, tribeca, 2003-2006 baja, and 2006 saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." these vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 24, 2016. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Subaru's number for this recall is tkb-16. Note: this notice is only for vehicles that were not covered by 16v-358 for zone a.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 legacy, outback, 2006-2008 impreza, tribeca, 2006 saab 9-2x, and 2003-2006 baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia, or "zone b." these vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 24, 2016. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Subaru's number for this recall is tkc-16. Note: this recall covers vehicles that were not previously covered in 16v-358 for zone a or 16v-359 for zone b.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 legacy, outback, and baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in alaska, colorado, connecticut, idaho, iowa, maine, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, oregon, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, washington, wisconsin, and wyoming, or "zone c.". These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners and general motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The subaru recall began on june 17, 2015. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The saab recall began on july 27, 2015. Owners of saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is wqr-53. Note: the recall completely supersedes recall 14v-399 (wql-48) and partially supersedes recall 14v-763 (wqp-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 subaru impreza and model year 2005 saab 9-2x vehicles are now only par
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 subaru baja vehicles manufactured january 22, 2003, to july 21, 2004, 2004-2005 impreza vehicles manufactured january 28, 2003, to may 31, 2005, 2003-2008 subaru legacy vehicles manufactured january 22, 2003, to may 2, 2008, 2003-2008 subaru outback vehicles manufactured february 18, 2003, to may 5, 2008, and 2005 saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured february 11, 2004, to march 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengerâs frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on january 15, 2015. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is wqp-51. Note: this recall supersedes recall 14v-471. This recall has been partially superseded by 15v-323. All 2005 model year subaru legacy and outback vehicles will now be repaired under recall 15v-323.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 legacy and outback vehicles, and 2003-2005 baja vehicles sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in puerto rico, hawaii, the u.s. Virgin islands, guam, saipan, american samoa, florida and adjacent counties in southern georgia, as well as the coastal areas of alabama, louisiana, mississippi and texas. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Speed control: cables
Risk: If this occurs during vehicle operation, the driver could lose control of the vehicle, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install a cruise control cable retaining clip to the cruise control lever tab on the throttle shaft in order to prevent the cruise control cable from coming out of its track. Owner notification began on april 12, 2004. Owners should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger sedans, wagons, and sport utility vehicles, the cruise control cable could come out of its track on the cruise control lever and lodge on the control lever tab when the accelerator pedal is released. If this condition occurs, the throttle will not return to the idle position and will remain in an open position.
Suspension: front
Risk: If the transverse link were to break due to rusting, control of the vehicle could be affected without prior warning, possibly resulting in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will apply anti-rust material to the left front transverse link. Owner notification began august 1, 2003. Owners should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Full defect summary
On some passenger and sport utility vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, certain left-hand front transverse link components were produced with poor paint quality. If the vehicle is operated form an extensive period in a salt-belt area, continued exposure to salt could cause the left front transverse link to rust and eventually break.
Suspension: rear
Risk: If such breakage occurs while the vehicle is being operated, control of the vehicle could be affected, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will clean and rust-proof the rear suspension subframe. Owner notification began july 14, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Full defect summary
This recall applies to certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Certain rear suspension subframe components were produced with poor paint quality which, after continued exposure to corrosive road salts for a period of several years, could result in rust-out of the component and possible breakage of the subframe.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: The vehicle could then move/roll without prior warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the automatic transmission parking rod assembly. Owner notification january 8, 2003. An interim owner notification will be sent during november 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Full defect summary
Certain sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions were produced with an improperly manufactured transmission parking rod. When the transmission selector lever is placed in the "p" (park) position, the transmission park mechanism, that is intended to hold your vehicle, may not engage.
Engine: cooling system
Risk: In some instances, the interference fit between the inner wall of the pulley center hole and the water pump drive shaft was not as tight as specified in the drawing specification. This could result in the water pump pulley dislodging from the water pump shaft, which can cause severe engine damage/seizure during vehicle usage.
Fix: Dealers will replace the water pump. Owner notification began september 12, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines, the water pump pulley center hole was improperly machined.
Wheels and tires: wheels
Risk: This can result in the eventual loosening of the wheel hub-nuts during vehicle usage, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace all 4 aluminum wheels. Owner notification began september 12, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 6-cylinder engines, the aluminum wheels may have an off-center diameter.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Questions about the 2003 Subaru Legacy
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Subaru Legacy?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (16 complaints, typically around 133,000 miles); engine (13 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); fuel system (9 complaints, typically around 122,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Subaru Legacy have?
- 14 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 2, 2020 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Subaru Legacy?
- It is 17th of 26 Legacy model years by number of complaints, with 60 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.