Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CONSUMED A LOT OF OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REBUILT OR REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.
TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HIS DAUGHTER WHO OWNS A 2009 SUBARU LEGACY. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V297000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
CAR WAS KEPT UP WITH TIMELY, OIL CHANGES ALWAYS TAKEN CARE OF. WARRANTY STILL ON THE CAR BUT DEALERSHIP REFUSING TO PAY SINCE CAR WASN'T SERVICED THERE. AT 90,000 MILES ON THE FOUR LANE, OUT OF NOWHERE, ROD BROKE AND I HAD CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND SHUT OFF, HAD TO PULL OVER ON SIDE OF FOUR LANE GOING 55 MPH WHEN CAR SHUT OFF, AND CAR REFUSED TO START AGAIN. AT NO TIME WAS I GIVEN ANY FOREWARNING ABOUT THE ENGINE HAVING FAILURE. SINCE THE DEALERSHIP IS NO HELP, I STILL OWE 9,000 ON THE CAR SO I AM GOING TO HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW ENGINE AT ABOUT 4,000 DOLLARS.. ALTHOUGH THE WARRANTY IS STILL GOOD. I'VE READ HOW MULTIPLE OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME EXACT PROBLEM AROUND 90,000 MILES. IS THERE NO RECALL? NO INVESTIGATION? IS THERE A DEFECT IN THE ENGINE? I THINK IT'S TOO "COINCIDENTAL" THAT MINE HAPPENED TO GO AROUND THE SAME TIME THEIRS DID, WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. THERE WAS ALSO TWO OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CAR AT THE TIME. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.
CAR HAS BEEN OWNED FOR 2.5 YEARS AND HAS BEEN DRIVING WELL. THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY CEL OR OTHER WARNING LIGHT PROBLEM INDICATIONS. CAR HAS HAD ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, RECALLS AND LAST SYNTHETIC OIL CHANGE WAS DONE AT VAN BORTEL SUBARU, VICTOR, NY ON 11/28/14 (67,433 MILES). ON 12/23/14 IN THE EVENING, FOLLOWING A 7 HOUR HIGHWAY TRIP, CAR ABRUPTLY DEVELOPED A LOUD ENGINE KNOCK WITH VIBRATIONS AND WAS CHOKING FOR GAS. ON 12/24/14, CAR WAS BROUGHT INTO MY LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THERE WAS A MAJOR INTERNAL ENGINE FAILURE AND THE CAR WAS INOPERABLE. VANBORTEL SUBARU SERVICE DEPT. WAS CONTACTED AND GAVE ME A QUOTE FOR A REBUILT SUBARU SHORT ENGINE BLOCK FOR $6,600. WITH ONLY A TWO YEAR WARRANTY. THEY ALSO SAID THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY SINCE IT HAD 68,000 MILES ON IT. NO " GOODWILL ASSISTANCE" FROM THE DEALERSHIP OR SOA WAS OFFERED EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE SERVICED 7 OF MY FAMILY'S SUBARUS OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS. AND, THE '09 LEGACY HAS A HISTORY OF ENGINE PROBLEMS AS DOCUMENTED IN VARIOUS ONLINE OWNER FORUMS (EG. NASIOC) AND BY CONSUMER REPORTS WHO RATED THE '09 LEGACY AS BEING "WORSE THAN AVERAGE FOR MAJOR AND MINOR ENGINE PROBLEMS" I HAD THE SHORT BLOCK ENGINE SWAP PERFORMED BY MY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND ASKED HIM TO TEAR DOWN THE OLD ENGINE. HE REPORTED THAT: "THE # 1 CONNECTING ROD BEARING COMPLETELY FAILED AND WAS GRINDING INTO THE CRANKSHAFT. RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE." HE FURTHER NOTED THAT THE ENGINE OIL WAS FULL. I HAVE EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS TO VANBORTEL SUBARU AND SOA FOR THE DECLINE IN THEIR QUALITY, INTEGRITY, CUSTOMER SERVICES AND INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, INJURY OR BEING STRANDED ON A HIGHWAY WITHOUT ANY PRIOR SYMPTOMS OR WARNINGS. *TR
TWO WEEKS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT, THE VEHICLE'S OIL WAS CHANGED. THEN, ON SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2014, I WAS TRAVELING ON THE I-465N ONRAMP FROM I-70E IN INDIANAPOLIS AND UPON ACCELERATING EXPERIENCED ENGINE POWER LOSS AND A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND WHEN THE ENGINE RPMS EXCEED 2,500. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DREYER & REINBOLD IN GREENWOOD WHERE I LEARNED THE VEHICLE ONLY HAD 0.7 QUARTS OF OIL IN IT AND NOW NEEDS THE SHORT BLOCK, GASKET SET, AND OIL PUMP REPLACED. UPON SPEAKING WITH THE TECHNICIAN, I LEARNED THAT IN MY VEHICLE, INCLUDING OTHER SUBARU VEHICLES, THE OIL LIGHT DOES NOT ILLUMINATE UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE AND VIRTUALLY OUT OF OIL, THUS CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE COMPONENT FAILURE. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT SOMETIMES ENGINE OIL NUTS OR FILTERS ARE NOT PLACED ON VEHICLES AND THE DASHBOARD'S "ENGINE OIL" LIGHT FAILS TO ILLUMINATE EVEN AFTER ALL THE OIL HAS BEEN DISPLACED. UPDATED 02/25/2015 *JS
AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. NO ACCIDENT. ON SMOOTH ROAD. IT HAS GONE OFF AND THAN COMES BACK ON. WILL GO OFF FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THAN STAY LIT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. INDEPENDENT AUTO SHOP THAT SERVICES SUBARU'S STATES THIS IS COMMON AND CAN SEND IT OUT TO SUBARU FOR SERVICE. CONTACTED SUBARU DEALER AND THEY STATED IT IS COMMON. THEY WILL TEST AND DIAGNOSIS, BUT MAY NEED TO REMOVE AND REPLACE. I HAVE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT WILL NOT COVER DIAGNOSIS, ONLY FAILURE. SUBARU SHOULD REPLACE AT NO CHARGE. 2ND. ITEM. TOOK CAR IN DUE TO EXHAUST SYSTEMS VIBRATION. WAS TOLD IS COMMON PROBLEM. DEALER OFFERED ME TEMPORARY FIX FOR 100.00 TO PUT SCREWS AND ADHESIVE TO CORRECT PROBLEM. OR PAY 700.00 TO REMOVE AND REPLACE WITH NEW. I ELECTED FOR THE 100.00 FIX. AS THIS WAS DIAGNOSED OVER THE PHONE AND IS COMMON, THIS SHOULD BE A MANUFACTURE FIX. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKING BEFORE DECELERATING. THE CONTACT THEN NOTICED FLAMES AND SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER AND A INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO BOTH INDICATED THAT THE DEFECT WAS CAUSED BY AN ENGINE PISTON THAT MALFUNCTIONED AND CREATED A HOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.
WAS DRIVING ON MY ROAD TO GO HOME AND THE DASH BOARD WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND. PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY. FOUND OUT THE ENGINE BLEW A ROD, CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. *TR
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 .