2006 Subaru LEGACY: complaints, problems and recalls

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURNED OFF AFTER 5 HOURS OF USE. THE WIPERS CAME BACK ON AND WENT OFF AGAIN THREE TIMES BEFORE QUITTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP AND LEFT OVER NIGHT BEFORE IT COULD BE INSPECTED THE NEXT MORNING. UPON INSPECTION THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED. ACCORDING TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL THERE IS A SAFETY FEATURE THAT TURNS OFF THE WIPER MOTOR BEFORE IT BECOMES TOO HOT. ALTHOUGH THE CIRCUIT BREAKER DID NOT APPEAR TO BE FAULTY THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED IT. DURING THE RETURN TRIP T…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10149025 at NHTSA ↗

ABOUT A MONTH AGO I PURCHASED A 2006 SUBARU LEGACY 2.5 GT MT. I HAVE TWO MAJOR COMPLAINTS THAT MOST PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT. 1) HESITATION UNDER ACCELERATION. THIS PROBLEM IS KNOWN BY SUBARU. ONE TECH TOLD ME THAT THE ECU NEEDS TO BE REFLASHED, BUT THAT SUBARU HAS NOT COME UP WITH A FLASH TO FIX THE PROBLEM YET. 2) BAD SMELL FROM THE CLUTCH. HAPPENS MOSTLY IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, BUT OCCURS AT OTHER TIMES TOO. I'VE HAD IT HAPPENED WHEN I FIRST START THE CAR, AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A LONG TIME, CRUISING ON THE HIGHWAY AND SHIFTING. IT IS VE…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10151464 at NHTSA ↗

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE PROJECTOR LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS PROVIDE LIMITED VISIBILITY WHEN TRAVELING UP OR DOWNHILL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER'S SERVICE MANAGER DETERMINED THIS WAS A DESIGN ISSUE.

Owner-reported narrative. 650 miles reported. Look up ODI 10153190 at NHTSA ↗

(1) FUEL SYSTEM CEASED TO OPERATE WHILE VEHICLE IN MOTION. THIS WAS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OF THIS PROBLEM (SUPPOSEDLY, SERVICING CORRECTED THE PROBLEM AFTER THE FIRST TIME) (2) CAR WAS STUCK INSIDE A NATURE RESERVE THAT HAS LIMITED ACCESS. ALTHOUGH I HAVE THE FULL WARRANTY PACKAGE, I COULD NOT GET APPROPRIATE SERVICE TO TOW THE CAR OUT FOR 1.5 DAYS, AND SO MISSED 1 DAY OF WORK. (3) THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, THE FUEL PUMP AND RELATED PARTS WERE REPLACED. THIS TIME, I FOUND AND REPLACED A BURNT-OUT FUSE FOR THE FUEL PUMP, AND THE NEW FUS…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10154465 at NHTSA ↗

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS DOWNHILL WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT WAS THE WAY THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS DESIGNED TO FUNCTION. THE DEALER INSTRUCTED THE CONTACT TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHILE DESCENDING DOWNHILL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 9/13/2006 - THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET AT 58 MPH BUT WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 77 MPH *NM

Owner-reported narrative. 4,470 miles reported. Look up ODI 10166775 at NHTSA ↗

CAR HESITATES FOR 1 SECOND BEFORE MOVING. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10175840 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT RENTED A 2006 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT STRUCK A MOOSE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VIN, PURCHASE DATE, ENGINE SIZE, NUMBER OF CYLINDERS, AND MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10219934 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. ONCE SHE PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER, SHE OPENED THE HOOD AND NOTICED FLAMES COMING FROM THE RADIATOR. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO HER LOCAL MECHANIC AND REPAIRED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 36,700.

Owner-reported narrative. 36,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 10230810 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2013-03-27 (March 27, 2013)

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 protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Reported: 2014-06-10 (June 10, 2014)

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 lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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 may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQK-47. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-110 which applied to certain 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback vehicles. Vehicles that were remedied under the previous campaign still need additional areas rust-proofed.

Reported: 2015-05-28 (May 28, 2015)

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 with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.

Reported: 2019-04-11 (April 11, 2019)

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 move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Reported: 2020-01-02 (January 2, 2020)

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 passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: 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.

Reported: 2020-01-02 (January 2, 2020)

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." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: 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.

Reported: 2020-01-02 (January 2, 2020)

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." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: 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.