2006 Subaru Legacy problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (29) · Air Bags (9) · Service Brakes (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Subaru Legacy model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
74 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (7)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-01-02 · campaign 20V001000 · 258,813 vehicles
Defect: 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 passeng
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.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-01-02 · campaign 20V002000 · 127,547 vehicles
Defect: 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."
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.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-01-02 · campaign 20V003000 · 111,562 vehicles
Defect: 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." Thes
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.
Electrical System:ignition:switch 2019-04-11 · campaign 19V297000 · 511 vehicles
Defect: 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 m
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.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2015-05-28 · campaign 15V323000 · 432,016 vehicles
Defect: 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 wit
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-5
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2014-06-10 · campaign 14V311000 · 461,338 vehicles
Defect: 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 l
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
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2013-03-27 · campaign 13V110000 · 274,402 vehicles
Defect: 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 protecto
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.
Service bulletins (217)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-05 · SubaruNet Announcement (M · Other
this announcement provides information on a new software update for the midtronics dss and dca machines.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-18 · 13-109-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other
this announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-14 · 15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Electrical System 2026-09-14 · 15-304-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of infotainment concerns. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Electrical System 2026-08-20 · 15-308-23R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service information bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 217 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2022-10-05 · Wheels:hub“hub was replaced in june of 2019. car was driven about 14,000 miles (estimate) since then. while driving down the road, i hard a noise on the front right tire. when i pulled the hub cap off, two bolts were sheared off, one nut was loose. i checked the torque on the remaining two bolts, and it was about 80 ft-lbs, which is what is specified in the …”
2021-10-18 · Service Brakes“while driving down the highway i had to slam on my brakes to avoid colliding with someone and at that time the brake pedal went soft. upon further inspection 2 different brake hard lines running to the rear of the vehicle have corroded and failed. this issue was supposed to be remedied under 14v311000 and the vehicle was originally taken in for tha…”
2020-07-28 · Unknown Or Other · 150,000 mi“the dashboard surface is extremely sticky,particles of any type of rag or towel used to clean it adhere to the surface and can not be removed. it also causes an unsafe glare when driving at night.…”
2020-02-03 · Air Bags · 140,000 mi“our car was recalled due to a safety hazard with the passenger side airbag in 2016, so severe that the letter stated that death could occur should the airbag deploys. after an initial appointment, we were told we had to wait about a month for the replacement to be delivered. during this time, we were not able to have a passenger in the front seat…”
2020-01-07 · Vehicle Speed Control · 125,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru legacy outback. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard however, the vehicle failed to respond. the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted nor notified of the failure. the a…”
2019-10-04 · Vehicle Speed Control · 162,000 mi“car loss power and went into limp mode with a solid check engine light and blinking cruise on the dash. the rpm jumped high with out the gas pedal being pushed down. vehicle was in motion driving at 25 mph before the aforementioned happened.…”
2019-05-17 · Service Brakes · 93,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru legacy. while driving 25 mph, the vehicle did not decelerate when the brake pedal was depressed. in addition, the brake warning indicator illuminated. an independent mechanic diagnosed that the rear brake line was corroded and leaking brake fluid. the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer was not made aware of the…”
2019-05-13 · Electrical System · 136,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru legacy. the contact stated that while driving at different slow speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact called the johnson subaru of cary (919-238-6864, located at 5010 old raleigh rd, cary, nc 27511, where it was informed that there was no recall. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure a…”
2019-04-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 147,000 mi“this only affect 05-06 legacy gt owners. the up-pipe for the subaru legacy gt in these given years have a catalytic converter in there and after a certain mileage, the debris of the catalytic converter breaking down would shoot back into the turbocharger. that would cause the turbo failure and stall the vehicle unexpectedly. the catalytic converte…”
2018-09-06 · Power Train · 40,000 mi“tps malfuntion. stops acceleration at the highway that almost causes an accident.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.