Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2005 Subaru Legacy submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE TURBOCHARGER SIMPLY WENT AT ABOUT 132000 MILES. FROM WHAT I READ ONLINE REGARDING THE FAILED LEGACY TURBO,THE TURBO COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED IF THE UNION ( BANJO) BOLT WITH FILTER WAS CHANGED. SUBARU DOES NOT NOTIFY THE CONSUMER REGARDING THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM; THAT IS IRRESPONSIBLE. IT COST ME $2300 TO REPLACE THE TURBO...I MADE SURE THAT THE UNION BOLT WAS REPLACED AS WELL. *TR
BOOTS CRACK AND YOU MUST REPLACE ENTIRE DRIVE SHAFT. LEFT FRONT DRIVE SHAFT WAS JUST REPLACED @85,000 MILES AS THE BOOT CRACKED ON THE OTHER SIDE AS WELL. THINK THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AS DRIVE SHAFT SITS OVER THE TOP OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WITH NO SHIELD TO BLOCK THE HEAT. *TR
WHEN I ENGAGE THE CLUTCH IN THE MORNING, THE TRANSMISSION MAKES A WHINE SOUND. IT GOES AWAY AFTER TWO TO THREE MINUTES OF DRIVING THE CAR. I REPLACED ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE CLUTCH TWO YEARS AGE AND DRIVE HE CAR GENTLY. I READ ONLINE AND READ THAT PEOPLE WITH CARS SUCH AS THE IMPREZA WRX AND MY MODEL SUFFER FROM THE SAME THING. SINCE THE TRANSMISSION ON MY CAR AND THE WRX ARE THE SAME AND THEIR CARS WERE UNDER 2,500 MILES IT MAKES ME THINK THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE THROWOUT BEARING. *TR
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 IN WHITE BEAR LAKE, MN TO HAVE THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. THEY DID NOT REPLICATE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT PERFORM ANY SERVICE. THE ISSUE AGAIN HAPPENED, THIS TIME OVER 1,000 MILES AWAY IN GEORGIA AND I WAS ALMOST RUN OVER BY MULTIPLE VEHICLES AS I TRIED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD - THE CAR WAS NOT RESPONDING. THEREFORE, THIS ISSUE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. *TR
VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND ENCOUNTERED WET ROAD CONDITIONS. VEHICLE BEGAN TO PULL TO THE LEFT AND THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT BUMPER COLLIDED WITH CENTER CONCRETE MEDIAN. VEHICLE CONTINUES TO SPIN COUNTERCLOCKWISE AND THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR BUMPER COLLIDES WITH THE CENTER CONCRETE MEDIAN BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED IN THE CRASH. HIGHWAY PATROL WRITES UP THE ACCIDENT AND VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN HOME. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE INSURANCE COLLISION REPAIR CENTER AND INSURANCE DETERMINES VEHICLE TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. VEHICLE HAS A TOUTED REPUTATION FOR HAVING A SYMMETRICAL AWD SYSTEM FOR SUPERIOR TRACTION AND CONTROL. BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ACCIDENT, THE VEHICLE LOSS TRACTION AND THE SYMMETRICAL AWD DID NOT PERFORM TO MAINTAIN TRACTION AND CONTROL. *TR
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 60 MILES. I CONSIDER IT IS LIFE THREATENING SITUATION WHERE THE CAR MANUFACTURE SHOULD LOOK INTO IT. *TR
AT 48,000 MILES THE TURBO BLEW. THE CAR HAS HAD REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND NOW WE ARE BEING REQUIRED BY SUBARU OF AMERICA TO PROVIDE RECEIPTS FOR THE OIL FILTER/OIL AS WE DID OUR OWN OIL CHANGES AND MAYBE IT WILL BE COVERED UNDER THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED OF THE BANJO BOLT AND THE NEED TO CLEAN THE SCREEN TO PREVENT OIL STARVATION (SEE SUBARU TECHNICAL BULLETIN 02-103-07) THIS PROCESS HAS TAKEN A MONTH ALREADY AND THE CAR STILL SITS, DEAD, IN THE SUBARU SERVICE DEPT. UPON INVESTIGATION THERE ARE OTHER LEGACY GT OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. SUBARU DID NOT USE THESE SAME TURBOS (VF40) IN THE 2006 MODELS. MAYBE THEY REALIZE THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE 2005'S? *TR
VEHICLE STUDDERS ON ACCELERATION, NOT A CONSTANT PROBLEM THAT WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH TURBO LAG, BUT AN OCCASSIONAL, INFREQUENT PROBLEM, NOT A LAG, BUT A STUDDER OR FLUTTER IN ACCELERATION FROM A DEAD STOP OR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .