KnownCarProblems2005 Subaru Legacy Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 184 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Subaru Legacy, most often about the engine (18% of complaints, typically around 47,500 miles). It is the most complained-about Legacy model year since 2000 and has 9 recalls.
Most common 2005 Subaru Legacy problems
Engine
33 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 47,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
Wife was driving the car on the freeway and the power steering went out. We thought that a belt had broken or something. She was on her way to the mechanic when it seemed as though the car would not accelerate and was making a loud clunking noise in the engine bay, all of the gauges stopped working. The ABS, sport…
Subaru Legacy gt wagon - turbo failure due to oil starvation at 51,000 miles. Oil always changed at 3,000 miles/ 3 months. Explanation from mechanic is that Subaru installed oil screen in line leading to turbo, but this is not checked or changed according to manufacturer maintenance recommendations. Over time, screen…
Brakes
31 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 130,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
Dealer (suburban Subaru vernon, ct) performed brake like recall wqk-47r in september 2014 and "applied anti corrosion wax" in january 2019, the rear brake lines rusted through at the junction box next to the fuel tank which is a known failure location in the recall. This resulted in a fluid leak, I was able to notice…
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the brake pedal failed and depressed to the floorboard. The contact continued to drive with the parking brake applied. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called an independent mechanic and was informed about…
Fuel system
27 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 81,500 miles.
The last few mornings I've smelled a strong odor of fuel as my car warms up. A very, very strong odor of raw fuel is inside the car, and it seems to be coming out of the dashboard vents, and strangely enough, only on very cold morning/starts. The smell eventually goes away after 15 to 20 minutes of highway driving. I…
The vehicles turbo failed and destroyed the engine. The turbo and engine were all factory original. I replaced the part that I thought was causing problems with the engine and turned the car on and black smoke came out off the exhaust. According to the mechanic shop I took it to the oil union bolts are the cause of…
Electrical
25 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 93,000 miles.
For the second time my check engine light has come on and my car has gone into a fail safe mode while driving (eliminating the ability to accelerate). The code the computer provides is p2138, which refers to the throttle position sensors (there are two) not being in agreement. I took the car to white bear lake Subaru…
My tailgate will no longer lock or unlock. After a lot of reading online it seems that this is a very common problem. I took it to the dealer and was told that the rear gate harness is frayed and needs to be replaced. If any of the other wires in this harness fail I could potentially lose tail lights and license plate…
Air bags
21 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 81,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Subaru Legacy gt purchased in 2009. The passenger side air bag would not operate with an occupant in the passenger's side seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they were unable to make repairs to correct failure. There were no recalls on the year, make and model for frontal airbags, only…
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Legacy outback. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, he attempted to avoid a crash and haphazardly traveled over an ice patch. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into an embankment. The front and side curtain air bags failed to deploy. The front passenger…
Visibility and wipers
17 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 97,000 miles. Parts named most often: windshield, windshield wiper/washer, defroster/defogger/hvac system.
Rear windshield wiper stopped working causing very limited visibility out of rear window during inclement weather. I discovered the connecting harness on the passenger side rear that controls the rear wiper and brake lights damaged where it passes from the car body to rear tailgate. The grommett does not seem to be…
My car door power door locks stopped working, rear wiper stopped working, rear brake lights and running lights stopped working, also radio stopped working. Upon investigation I found that the wiring harness on both sides of my rear lift gate had torn and shorted out. This is a dangerous shortcoming on this car, the…
Speed control
15 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 87,000 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control.
I have 2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5i, base model. First the rattling noise by the driver side dash board and the cruise control failed, which it is already on recall status (cruise control only). Now, the clutch is failing by engine cutting off in the middle of driving when the clutch is engaged-- I mean while driving over…
Car has been very slow to reduce rpms when shifting gears or when stopped (and in neutral) for the past few weeks. Today, when pulling into a starbucks, the car surged forward. Luckily I have a stick shift and just pushed the clutch in. After surging, the check engine light came on. Using a diagnostic tool, I found…
Lights
14 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles. Parts named most often: tail lights, headlights.
Rear wiper stopped working. The problem was due to a broken wire inside the passenger's side accordion boot for the rear hatch of the wagon. Other wires within the harness (which supplies power to the rear hatch lights, hatch lock, and wiper motor/sprayer) were also cracked. In researching this problem, I have found…
This 2005 Subaru Legacy is a station wagon with power door locks, the back lift gate wiring harness on the passenger side has torn the electrical wires within the flexible boot mounted on the top of the car between the body and the rear hatch. As a result it is no longer possible to lock and secure the rear hatch back…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2005 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.
Electrical: switch
Risk: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began may 10, 2019. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is wuf-91.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 forester vehicles, 2008-2011 impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 wrx vehicles, 2005-2014 legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 outback vehicles and 2006-2008 tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
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.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began july 2014 and second notifications will run through november 2014. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is wqk-47. Note: this recall super
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 outback and legacy, 2008-2011 impreza and 2008-2014 impreza wrx/sti, and 2009-2013 forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began on may 30, 2013. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is wqg-43.
Full defect summary
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 outback and legacy vehicles manufactured from december 2003, through april 2009 and currently, or formerly, registered in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.
Air bags: side/window
Risk: This may result in failure to provide the intended head protection, increasing the risk of injury to a seat occupant.
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right side curtain air bag modules. The recall began on june 11, 2004. Owners should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. .
Full defect summary
The left and right side curtain air bags in certain vehicles involved in this campaign may not fully deploy rapidly enough when activated in a side impact collision. During a side impact test conducted by the insurance institute for highway safety (iihs), the test results indicated that there was a difference between the iihs test results and the result of side impact tests conducted by fhi.
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 2005 Subaru Legacy
- What are the most common problems with the 2005 Subaru Legacy?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (33 complaints, typically around 47,500 miles); brakes (31 complaints, typically around 130,000 miles); fuel system (27 complaints, typically around 81,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2005 Subaru Legacy have?
- 9 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 2005 a bad year for the Subaru Legacy?
- It is the most complained-about Legacy model year since 2000, with 184 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.