Problems · NHTSA complaints
2007 Subaru Legacy problems
Owners filed 33 complaints about the 2007 Subaru Legacy with NHTSA between Sep 2007 and Mar 2024. The most-cited component is air bags (12).
Complaints
33
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
4
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags12
- Engine7
- Electrical system5
- Service brakes3
- Suspension2
- Visibility/wiper2
- Structure2
- Wheels2
- Engine and engine cooling2
- Steering1
- Exterior lighting1
- Visibility1
- Power train1
- Other / unknown3
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
2
0
1
2
2
3
1
2
7
3
1
0
4
3
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Air bags
12 reports1 crash4 related recalls
“I HAVE RECEIVED OVER 40 NOTICES REGARDING MY 2007 SUBARU LEGACY THAT I HAVE NOT OWNED SINCE 2015. THE CAR IS SITTING IN A JUNK YARD AND I HAVE CALLED THE NUMBER ON THESE NOTICES ROUGHLY 15 TIMES AND EACH TIME I AM TOLD SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I DO NOT OWN THIS CAR. PLEASE TAKE ME OFF THIS LIST. I AM BEING HARASSED FOR A VEHICLE I HAVE NOT OWNED IN OVER 5 YEARS. PLEASE WORK ON YOUR PROCESSES SO THAT I AM NOT BEING HARASSED ANYMORE.”
Engine
7 reports2 fires
“VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY AND STREET, THE HEAD GASKET IS LEAKING HEAVILY AND CAUSING THE OIL TO LEAK ONTO THE ENGINE. THE PISTONS WILL SEIZE. THE RODS WILL BREAK AND A BLOWN ENGINE WILL OCCUR.”
Electrical system
5 reports2 fires2 related recalls
“VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT ON FIRE CAUSING WHILE ACCELERATING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. FIRE CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO CV SHAFT BOOT, WIRE HARNESS AND TRANSMISSION. CAUSE OF FIRE IS UNKNOWN.”
Service brakes
3 reports
“Brake line failed unexpectedly and catastrophically while driving 2007 Subaru Legacy. Vehicle would have been covered per recall [XXX]; however, it was registered in Virginia so was not 'included' in the recall despite being exposed to comparable levels of snow and road salt in a rural southwestern part of Virginia less than 50 miles from the original recall region. Car was purchased new from a dealership in West Virginia (part of the recall region) and frequently operated in that region. Failing to include parts of Virginia that receive just as much, if not more, snow and corrosive road treatment in recall [XXX] was an error that resulted in a major safety hazard. The brake line failed at the exact location described in recall [XXX], at the 4-way connector block under the fuel-tank protector. The location of the failure is not visible during normal brake service, leading to corrosion in that location going unnoticed and unrepaired. Other substantial portions of the brake line system are polymer-coated to prevent corrosion; however, the small section at the 4-way connector block is not, permitting hazardous corrosion to the point of failure in this case. The…”
Suspension
2 reports
“Rear driver side wheel bearing is bad at 75,000 miles”
Visibility/wiper
2 reports
“The dash pad has deteriorated, become sticky and shinny. My daughter owns a Mazda 3 with a similar problem, Mazda had a recall and the dash pad was replaced by the dealer. This is a safety issue because the shinny finish that has formed creates glare in the inside windshield in the sunlight. It is very dangerous as it obscures vision. I have not taken the car to the dealer and have not reported it to any other authority. Its a car we recently purchased and my first step was to see if there was a recall. Like I said, the same exact issue happened to another car and it was resolved by the manufacturer.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.