2016 Subaru Legacy problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (34) · Visibility/Wiper (17) · Power Train (10)
🧭 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
81 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Steering:column 2016-05-11 · campaign 16V292000 · 48,819 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to May 6, 2016. The steering column on the affected vehicles may have been improperly machined, and as a result, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels.
Risk: The loss of steering ability would increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lot number on the steering column, replacing the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783 or by visiting http://www.wtd65.service-campaign.com. Subaru's number for this recall is WTD-65. Note: Until the vehicles have been inspected, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles.
Power Train:driveline:differential Unit 2015-11-24 · campaign 15V794000 · 3,251 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016 Legacy vehicles manufactured October 24, 2015, to November 16, 2015, and Outback vehicles manufactured October 24, 2015, to November 17, 2015. Due to the improper tightening of the securing nuts, the drive shaft may separate from the rear differential.
Risk: If the drive shaft detaches from the rear differential, it may strike the fuel tank and result in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the fastening nuts, and tighten or replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 10, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Subaru's number for this recall is WQV-57.
Power Train:driveline:driveshaft 2015-08-10 · campaign 15V502000 · 2,893 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015 and 2016 model year Subaru Legacy 4-Door and Outback vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to July 27, 2015. Transmission oil may leak from a deformed seal cap on the propeller shaft yoke.
Risk: If the transmission oil leaks onto the exhaust pipe, there is a possible risk of fire.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the propeller shaft, free of charge. The recall began on August 28, 2015. Owners may contact 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQU-56.
Service bulletins (468)
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.
Electrical System 2026-09-18 · 18-244-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"this bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following dtcs: dtc c1956: rh actuator circuit dtc c1957: lh actuator circuit"
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 468 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-12 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera“the infotainment screen would do random cycling through source, maps and other functions all without the driver’s input. also the screen would just randomly freeze and become insensitive to touch inputs. the steering wheel controls for the infotainment randomly malfunctions. the most concerting thing is when placed in reverse, the camera display i…”
2026-08-01 · Unknown Or Other“while traveling approximately 70 mph, my 2016 subaru legacy experienced a sudden drivetrain failure. the vehicle made a loud bang, immediately lost acceleration/power, and approximately five seconds later the front drivetrain locked, causing the tires to skid and leaving a long skid mark. the engine remained running. after stopping, the vehicle wou…”
2026-06-08 · Electrical System“the factory touchscreen infotainment system is experiencing severe screen delamination (internal adhesive failure). this defect causes uncontrollable 'ghost touching,' where the screen registers phantom inputs. the system cycles through radio stations, changes audio sources, and changes navigation without driver input, causing an extreme, sudden d…”
2026-06-03 · Unknown Or Other“battery dies all the time. parasitic drain from the starlink program in the car. there is/was a lawsuit. it involves some dcw fuse or something. ive had to prematurely replace my battery. it also seems to be affecting the radio. it switches stations randomly. …”
2026-02-18 · Electrical System“battery continuously dies, likely due to a parasitic drain, and it is extremely hard-taking up to 15 to 20 minutes to open the car door using the the wierd key you slide out of the key fob. as a woman, it is very dangerous when my battery dies and i am in a dark parking lot and i can't even get inside the car and lock the door for safety. been ha…”
2025-09-12 · Vehicle Speed Control“this is the second such experience with this car! on friday, september 12, 2025 at 3:32 p.m., i was driving slowly in a parking lot preparing to park. as i started to turn the car into the parking space, my car surged forward without my pressing on the gas pedal. i pressed on the brake, and the car came to a stop. …”
2025-08-31 · Unknown Or Other“unable to remove key when turning the engine off. eventually works after several tries of turning the engine on and off. …”
2025-08-31 · Engine“sometimes when starting from a stop or slowing down to make a turn the engine revs up like i was pushing the gas pedal. when this happens ( 4 times in the last 6 months) luckily i was covering the break to slow down or going very slow from a stop. each time i was turning left or right. i was able to push the shifter into neural. after applying the …”
2025-08-04 · Service Brakes“parking brake harness is defaulty. …”
2025-07-17 · Electrical System“car battery dies after the vehicle sits for longer periods (approximately 2 weeks or more?). roadside assistance has tested battery twice after jumping the vehicle and stated the battery is still healthy. various subara owners report similar situations in online forums, and the culprit seems to be a design flaw where the dcm module is trying to c…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.