2008 Subaru Legacy Problems

RED AIRBAG INDICATOR IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BEGUN COMING ON/OFF ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK THEN BECAME CONSTANT. OBSERVED PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR HAD NO LIGHTS ON(NO ILLUMINATION AT ALL) SEARCHED FORUMS AND FOUND MULTIPLE SIMILAR CASES WITH NO RESOLVE FROM THE DEALERSHIP. AS A MECHANIC MYSELF I BEGAN MY OWN DIAGNOSIS, CAUSE: REMOVED OVERHEAD CONTROL PANEL AND PERFORMED ELECTRICAL TESTING ON PASSENGER AIRBAG CIRCUIT. FOUND OPEN CIRCUITS BETWEEN COMPONENT CONTACTS. CORRECTION: RETINNED CONTACTS AND ADDED SOLDER. HAVEN'T HAD AN AIRBAG LIGHT SINCE THE REPAIR.. I HAVE HEARD THE DEALER WANTS 300+$ TO REPAIR. THIS IS SUCH A COMMON AND SERIOUS ISSUE THAT IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR A RECALL... I HAVE SEEN AND PERFORMED FAR MORE TRIVIAL RECALLS. THAT SAID; IF YOU TAKE YOUR CAR TO A DECENT SUBARU OR INDEPENDENT SHOP THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THIS AND FIX IT FOR ALOT LESS THAN THE DEALER

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY , BUT NOW STAYS ON THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME. TOOK CAR TO DEALER FOR PASSENGER AIRBAG RECALL AND THEY TOLD ME THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASH IS FAULT CODE 26. MANY OTHER SUBARU OWNERS REPORTING THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE, WHICH IS RELATED TO FAULTY SOLDERING OF COMPONENTS IN THE OVERHEAD MAP LIGHT CONSOLE. AS THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE (PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT), SUBARU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE FAULTY COMPONENT(S). BEWARE- SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO FEEL THAT THE TAKATA INFLATORS IS RELATED TO THEIS ISSUSE. I HAVE HAD THIS AIRBAG ISSUE SINCE I OWENED THE SUBARU COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE FIX WHEN I NO THAT THERE IS FAULT IN THE WAY THE COMPONENTS WERE WELDED.

The issue occurred on a 08 Subaru Legacy GT Limited while the driver was driving the car with their family on a local street around 35-40mph. Initially, while the car was stopped at a traffic light, the driver noticed that the brake pedal seems off where it seems to be depressed much deeper than usual. While coming up on a second red traffic light, the driver noticed that the pedal has to be depressed all the way down to the floor before bringing the car close to a stop while using the emergency brake to complete the stop. The driver knows that this is a major issue given the symptoms and drove to a safe spot to stop the car and inspect the issue. At this time, the brake light has also came on in the dashboard. Upon the driver's preliminary inspection, there was brake fluid leakage coming from the rear passenger wheel area and the brake fluid in the reservoir has reached the minimum line which would confirm why the brake light came on. Given the situation, the vehicle was then brought to the Subaru official dealer immediately to be dropped off for a diagnostic on the next Monday since the dealer was closed when the driver arrived. After the diagnostic by the Subaru mechanic, they confirmed with the driver's suspicious where the brake line has been broken due to corrosion to a bare metal area of the rear brake line that was supposed to be addressed by the brake line corrosion recall, WQK-047. The line was broken at one of the clip point where the brake line has no sleeve over it to protect the line from corrosion. Subaru issued a recall on this area as they know that this was a design flaw where salt used on the road from the winter might get in accelerating the corrosion of the line causing it to leak or break. This is an serious issue since the car could have crashed if the brake fails completely without any brake fluid anymore. NHTSA should intervene on this as many owners have this issue and SOA, who boast about safety, did not address the issue with the recall.

I had the recall done in 2017 and I was recently driving on the highway when my brakes had no pressure, I nearly crashed my car. Pulled over and realized my brake lines were leaking from where they said it had been fixed during the recall. I called the Subaru Stealership that did the recall and they informed me when I brought the vehicle in “it showed no signs of leakage” so they sprayed “anti corrosion” on the lines. I called Subaru of America and they want me to pay $200 to diagnose the issue and pay for the repair since the lines busted from “wear and tear”. Spraying anti-corrosion does nothing when the rust has already ruined the integrity of the brake line. Subaru is trying to pull a fast one and scam their customers by spraying anti-corrosion when the lines need to be replaced instead.

There is a parasitic drain on my car battery. I have replaced the alternator and battery twice, and the car can’t hold a charge.

RED AIRBAG INDICATOR IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BEGUN COMING ON/OFF ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK THEN BECAME CONSTANT. OBSERVED PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR HAD NO LIGHTS ON(NO ILLUMINATION AT ALL) SEARCHED FORUMS AND FOUND MULTIPLE SIMILAR CASES WITH NO RESOLVE FROM THE DEALERSHIP. AS A MECHANIC MYSELF I BEGAN MY OWN DIAGNOSIS, CAUSE: REMOVED OVERHEAD CONTROL PANEL AND PERFORMED ELECTRICAL TESTING ON PASSENGER AIRBAG CIRCUIT. FOUND OPEN CIRCUITS BETWEEN COMPONENT CONTACTS. CORRECTION: RETINNED CONTACTS AND ADDED SOLDER. HAVEN'T HAD AN AIRBAG LIGHT SINCE THE REPAIR.. I HAVE HEARD THE DEALER WANTS 300+$ TO REPAIR. THIS IS SUCH A COMMON AND SERIOUS ISSUE THAT IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR A RECALL... I HAVE SEEN AND PERFORMED FAR MORE TRIVIAL RECALLS. THAT SAID; IF YOU TAKE YOUR CAR TO A DECENT SUBARU OR INDEPENDENT SHOP THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THIS AND FIX IT FOR ALOT LESS THAN THE DEALER

There is a parasitic drain on my car battery. I have replaced the alternator and battery twice, and the car can’t hold a charge.

ALL OF MY DASH LIGHTS ARE ON (STATIONARY & IN MOTION) CRUISE CONTROL LIGHTS BLINKS CONSISTENTLY (STATIONARY & IN MOTION), MY CAR CRUISE CONTROL ALSO FEELS LIKE IT GOES ON AND OFF CONSTANTLY (IN MOTION), AND MY CRUISE CONTROLS ON MY STEERING DO NOT WORK (STATIONARY & IN MOTION) . ALSO MY RADIO IS CONSISTENTLY GOING ON/OFF, CHANGING STATIONS, VOLUME CONTROLS GO IN/OUT (STATIONARY & IN MOTION). ALSO MY REVIEW MIRROR DISPLAYS THE WRONG DIRECTION ON THE COMPASS, AND THE AUTO DIM AND COMPASS FEATURE IT'S SELF GOES ON/OFF CONSISTENTLY (STATIONARY & IN MOTION). UNDER THE HOOD WILL SMOKE AFTER I'VE DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, OR GONE UP STEEP HILLS.I READ ONLINE WHERE OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THESE ISSUES WITH THEIR SUBARU LEGACY'S AND OUTBACKS AS WELL. NOTE: THESE ISSUES HAPPEN CONSISTENTLY WITHOUT REGARD TO THE TYPE OF ROAD ON WITH THE EXCEPTION OF UNDER THE HOOD SMOKING. THAT ONLY HAPPENS AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

I BOUGHT CAR NEW & IT DEVELOPED ISSUE @ 3 1/2 YRS. I ALSO HAVE THE SUBARU EXTENDED WARRANTY.CAR HAS ONLY BEEN SERVICED BY SUBARU, INCLUDING TIRE CHANGES. 10/11 @ 38,000 NOTICED FRONT & REAR PASSENGER TIRES WERE LOSING AIR. I HAVE TPMS W/ METAL VALVE STEMS. BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER, THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I HAVE TWO SETS OF TIRES SO I BROUGHT CAR IN 11/11 TO PUT ON SNOWS. MONITORED TIRE PRESSURE EVERY FEW DAYS AND WAS STILL LOSING AIR. 10/12, I SPRAY SOAP/WATER MIXTURE ON TIRES, BUBBLES FORM AT THE BASE OF THE TIRE VALVE. FOUR VALVES SHOULD NOT BE FAILING PREMATURELY. OVER TIME, THE BOTH DRIVERS SIDE TIRES DEVELOPED SLOW LEAKS AS WELL. 10/12, I CALLED SUBARU WARRANTY DEPARTMENT & EXPLAIN THAT I'M LOSING AIR FROM THE VALVE. I ASK IF TPMS FAILURE IS COVERED & WAS TOLD IT IS. 11/12 45,044 BRING CAR IN TO PUT ON SNOWS. TELL DEALER THAT ALL FOUR VALVES ARE LEAKING. I'M TOLD IT MAY BE CORROSION & THAT'S NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I EXPLAIN THAT FOR ALL FOUR TO BE LEAKING IS PREMATURE. TECH CONFIRMS THAT THREE ARE LEAKING & REPLACES THEM. DEALER STATES THAT THERE ISN'T A WARRANTY CODE FOR AIR LEAKING BUT WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE SURE IT'S COVERED. THE TPMS UNIT IS ONE PIECE SO IF THE VALVE STEM FAILS OR A RUBBER SEALING GASKET THE WHOLE UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND CORROSION CAN CAUSE THE METAL VALVE STEMS TO FAIL PREMATURELY. I CHECK MY TIRE PRESSURE EVERY TWO WEEKS BY RULE & DON'T WAIT TILL THE TPMS LIGHT COMES ON. *TR

VEHICLE HAS A SUBSTANDARD POORLY FUNCTIONING AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. IT HAS A DEFECT WHEREBY IT CYCLES ERRATICALLY AND THEREBY CREATES WARM/COLD/WARM/COLD AIR CYCLES. ON HOT HUMID DAYS, THE PROBLEM IS SO BAD, THE CABIN CANNOT COOL. THE MANUFACTURER, SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS DETERMINED THIS IS A "NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE" ALTHOUGH IT TOOK THEM OVER A MONTH TO COME TO THIS CONCLUSION. MANY OTHER SUBARU LEGACY OWNERS REPORT THIS SAME PROBLEM ONLINE, HOWEVER NO FIX SEEMS TO BE COMING. THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I have a great suspicion that Kia has not only sold bad engined vehicles that are their own make and models but I believe they are selling used cars they buy like that as well. The car I bought has major engine problems that were hid from me at the time of the sales leading to a $5000 repair bill for a 7200$ car. I only had it for a couple weeks before it became un-drivable. Not only did they hide and lie about fact in the sales of their own cars , I have evidence showing that they are doing the same to used cars they're selling. They are barely doing the bare minimum to fix anything. They have lied to AUTOCAP on record about facts as well when I have recordings or them telling me other wise.

VEHICLE DIES. I KNOW THERE IS A RECALL OUT THERE FOR THIS REASON BUT I'M TOLD THAT MY CAR IS NOT PART OF THIS RECALL BUT MY CAR IS DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE RECAL IS TALKING ABOUT

The CV axle on the passenger side caught on fire. It was the rubber boot on the inner side over the catalytic converter. There were no warnings other than the smell of smoke. Fortunately, I caught it early and put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. I had been driving 25 to 40 MPH on city streets for about 5 miles before the incident.

ALL OF MY DASH LIGHTS ARE ON (STATIONARY & IN MOTION) CRUISE CONTROL LIGHTS BLINKS CONSISTENTLY (STATIONARY & IN MOTION), MY CAR CRUISE CONTROL ALSO FEELS LIKE IT GOES ON AND OFF CONSTANTLY (IN MOTION), AND MY CRUISE CONTROLS ON MY STEERING DO NOT WORK (STATIONARY & IN MOTION) . ALSO MY RADIO IS CONSISTENTLY GOING ON/OFF, CHANGING STATIONS, VOLUME CONTROLS GO IN/OUT (STATIONARY & IN MOTION). ALSO MY REVIEW MIRROR DISPLAYS THE WRONG DIRECTION ON THE COMPASS, AND THE AUTO DIM AND COMPASS FEATURE IT'S SELF GOES ON/OFF CONSISTENTLY (STATIONARY & IN MOTION). UNDER THE HOOD WILL SMOKE AFTER I'VE DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, OR GONE UP STEEP HILLS.I READ ONLINE WHERE OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THESE ISSUES WITH THEIR SUBARU LEGACY'S AND OUTBACKS AS WELL. NOTE: THESE ISSUES HAPPEN CONSISTENTLY WITHOUT REGARD TO THE TYPE OF ROAD ON WITH THE EXCEPTION OF UNDER THE HOOD SMOKING. THAT ONLY HAPPENS AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

THE DASH HAS MELTED LEAVING IT HARD TO SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE DASH IS ALSO EXTREMELY STICKY AND SHINY. I THOUGHT IT JUST NEEDED TO BE CLEANED BUT REALIZED SHORTLY AFTER THAT WAS NOT THE CASE AND HAVE SINCE FOUND THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH MY MAKE AND MODEL PER SUBARU.

WHEN THE REAR WINDOW DEFROST IS TURNED ON THE RADIO NO LONGER WORKS. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SAFETY CONCERN IN THE EVENT OF TRYING TO HEAR IMPORTANT BROADCASTS IN POOR WEATHER. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE, BUT HAS BEEN POORLY ADDRESSED BY SUBARU. THIS AFFECTS MANY MODELS IN THIS YEAR RANGE. LEAVING THE CONSUMER TO PAY TO REPLACE A POORLY MADE PART TO REPEATEDLY OCCUR EVEN AFTER REPLACEMENT IN SOME CASES.

2008 SUBARU LEGACY. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUES WITH FUEL PUMP. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD TURN OVER, BUT WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THE THE METAL OF THE PUMP HARNESS WAS SEVERLY BURNED AND MELTED DUE TO EXTREME HEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. *JS

UPON COLD START, VEHICLE ENGINE RAN EXTREMELY ROUGH, PLACED TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE WHILE APPLYING BRAKE, VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD WHILE APPLYING BRAKE WITH BOTH FEET INITIALLY HAD LITTLE EFFECT.

2008 SUBARU LEGACY GT WITH MOISTURE/CONDENSATION BUILDUP IN HEADLIGHT. AUTOMOBILE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR 15K SERVICING AND WAS TOLD THAT CONDENSATION BUILDUP IS NORMAL DURING TRANSITIONAL SEASONS (SPRING/FALL). HOWEVER I PRESUME THAT THE MOISTURE IS CAUSING TEMPORARY DISRUPTION OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AS THE LIGHTS FUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY. OFTEN WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED AND THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON, ONLY ONE OF THE LIGHTS WILL COME ON. AFTER TURNING THE LIGHTS ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES THEY WILL BOTH WORK. I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL BE IN A POSITION WHERE BOTH LIGHTS STAY OFF AND WILL NOT COME ON FORCING ME TO DRIVE WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS. *TR

SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE (THE DAY THE CAR WAS DELIVERED TO ME) BOTH HEADLIGHT ENCLOSURES CONTAIN VISIBLE SIGNS OF MOISTURE THAT NEVER GOES AWAY. DEALERSHIP PROMISED TO REPLACE BOTH HEADLIGHT ENCLOSURES WHEN I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM THE DAY I TOOK DELIVERY OF THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP HANDED ME A TSB THAT DESCRIBES A SIMILAR CONDITION WITH MY CAR THAT DISAPPEARS AFTER 20 MINUTES OF DRIVING WITH THE LIGHTS ON. MY PROBLEM NEVER GOES AWAY AFTER ANY AMOUNT OF DRIVING. ESCALATED TO SUBARU OF AMERICA. THEY REFUSE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM STATING "THIS IS A NORMAL CONDITION" SO, THERE HAS BEEN NO ACTION TAKEN TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM TO DATE BY THE DEALERSHIP OR THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

I BOUGHT CAR NEW & IT DEVELOPED ISSUE @ 3 1/2 YRS. I ALSO HAVE THE SUBARU EXTENDED WARRANTY.CAR HAS ONLY BEEN SERVICED BY SUBARU, INCLUDING TIRE CHANGES. 10/11 @ 38,000 NOTICED FRONT & REAR PASSENGER TIRES WERE LOSING AIR. I HAVE TPMS W/ METAL VALVE STEMS. BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER, THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I HAVE TWO SETS OF TIRES SO I BROUGHT CAR IN 11/11 TO PUT ON SNOWS. MONITORED TIRE PRESSURE EVERY FEW DAYS AND WAS STILL LOSING AIR. 10/12, I SPRAY SOAP/WATER MIXTURE ON TIRES, BUBBLES FORM AT THE BASE OF THE TIRE VALVE. FOUR VALVES SHOULD NOT BE FAILING PREMATURELY. OVER TIME, THE BOTH DRIVERS SIDE TIRES DEVELOPED SLOW LEAKS AS WELL. 10/12, I CALLED SUBARU WARRANTY DEPARTMENT & EXPLAIN THAT I'M LOSING AIR FROM THE VALVE. I ASK IF TPMS FAILURE IS COVERED & WAS TOLD IT IS. 11/12 45,044 BRING CAR IN TO PUT ON SNOWS. TELL DEALER THAT ALL FOUR VALVES ARE LEAKING. I'M TOLD IT MAY BE CORROSION & THAT'S NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I EXPLAIN THAT FOR ALL FOUR TO BE LEAKING IS PREMATURE. TECH CONFIRMS THAT THREE ARE LEAKING & REPLACES THEM. DEALER STATES THAT THERE ISN'T A WARRANTY CODE FOR AIR LEAKING BUT WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE SURE IT'S COVERED. THE TPMS UNIT IS ONE PIECE SO IF THE VALVE STEM FAILS OR A RUBBER SEALING GASKET THE WHOLE UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND CORROSION CAN CAUSE THE METAL VALVE STEMS TO FAIL PREMATURELY. I CHECK MY TIRE PRESSURE EVERY TWO WEEKS BY RULE & DON'T WAIT TILL THE TPMS LIGHT COMES ON. *TR

MY 2008 SUBARU LEGACY HAS NO MANUAL RESET BUTTON FOR THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM. WE CHANGE OUT TIRES UP HERE 2 TIMES A YEAR AND THE DEALER CHARGES US $50.00 EACH TIME TO RESET THIS SYSTEM. WHEN THIS WAS PASSED IN TO LAW,WHY DIDN'T IT HAVE A RESET ON IT FOR THIS TYPE OF THING. I CAN SEE WHERE A LOT OF THE DRIVERS WILL JUST IGNORE IT AND LET THE LIGHT GLOW OR BURN OUT. ALSO THE TIRE VALVE STEMS ARE EXPENSIVE(35.00 EACH) I CAN SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE NOT REPLACING THEM OR TAKING THEM OUT OF THE RIMS IN THE FUTURE. THIS IS A BAD LAW WITH MONETARY LOSS TO THE CONSUMER AS USUAL.... *TR

I GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY ON A SECONDARY ROAD ON MY WAY HOME, WHEN AFTER THE SECOND STOP SIGN TRYING TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION THE CAR STALLED ,LOSING ITS GEARS WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, BUT NO ACCELERATION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON,THE MODE DRIVING LIGHT AND THE CRUISE LIGHTS BLINKING. I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF ,THEN ON AND I PROCEEDED WITH THE ONLY GEAR LEFT TO A SAFE LOCATION. LUCKILY I WAS ON A SECONDARY ROAD OR I COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED AND HURT OR WORSE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO IS TELLING ME THAT IT HAS TO BE REPROGRAMMED DUE TO A SLIPPAGE(TIME GAP BETWEEN THE 2ND & 3RD GEAR) ; HE ALSO TELLS ME THAT THE BRAKES ARE VIBRATING SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT DAMAGE TO MY GEAR BOX? AT THIS POINT I AM WORRIED ABOUT DRIVING THE CAR EVEN WHEN IT'S FIXED *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 35 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED ON ITS OWN FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL. THE RPM'S ALSO REVVED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT BACK INTO DRIVE, BUT IT WAS STUCK IN NEUTRAL. THE ABS, CRUISE CONTROL, OIL, AND SPORT INDICATORS WERE FLASHING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE GEAR DISPLAY ONLY DISPLAYED A WHITE DASHED HORIZONTAL LINE. IT DID NOT DISPLAY A RED BOX AROUND THE GEAR THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLACED. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, BUT THIS ONLY CAUSED THE ENGINE TO REV. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND WAS ABLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. HE SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND, ONCE IT WAS RESTARTED, IT DROVE NORMALLY. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE INDICATORS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL REMAINED LIT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN BACK TO THE SHOP, BUT WILL BE TOWED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY HAD NEVER BEFORE EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 26,542.

REAR PASSENGER (DRIVER SIDE) SEATBELT FAILED TO BUCKLE/LOCK. *TR