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
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags12
  2. Engine7
  3. Electrical system5
  4. Service brakes3
  5. Suspension2
  6. Visibility/wiper2
  7. Structure2
  8. Wheels2
  9. Engine and engine cooling2
  10. Steering1
  11. Exterior lighting1
  12. Visibility1
  13. Power train1
  14. 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
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20071
20082
20090
20101
20112
20122
20133
20141
20152
20167
20173
20181
20190
20204
20213
20220
20230
20241

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.

03 —Owner reports

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 11, 2020Air bags, Unknown or otherODI 11374096

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 20, 2021EngineODI 11413090

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 25, 2020Electrical system, Unknown or other, EngineFire reportedODI 11351123

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…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 21, 2024Service brakesODI 11578758

Suspension

2 reports
“Rear driver side wheel bearing is bad at 75,000 miles”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 25, 2021SuspensionODI 11438076

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 22, 2021Unknown or other, Visibility/wiperODI 11421853
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.