2007 Subaru LEGACY: complaints, problems and recalls

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, OIL LEAKED ON THE EXHAUST AND CAUSED A SMALL ENGINE FIRE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE OIL LINE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,200 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 12,500. UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 10,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10203272 at NHTSA ↗

THE FIRST TIME MY OIL RETURN LINE CRACKED AND LEAKED IT STARTED A SMALL FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. THIS IS BECAUSE MY DEALER TOLD ME TO KEEP DRIVING AND MAKE A APPT. A FEW DAYS DOWN THE LINE. LINE GETS REPLACED AND ABOUT 11 MONTHS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENS. OIL RETURN LINE CRACKS OIL DRIPPING ONTO THE HOT EXHAUST AND MAKING TONS OF SMOKE. LINE IS REPLACED AGAIN. TWO WEEKS LATER SAME PROBLEM SAME OIL LINE AND ITS CRACKED AGAIN. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AMONG THESE PARTS AND A DESIGN FLAW AS WELL. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10227970 at NHTSA ↗

ON AUGUST 2ND, 2008, I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT IN 2007 SUBARU LEGACY, SW, AS A RESULT OF CAR ?FISHTAILING? AFTER EMERGENCY MANEUVER ON A HIGHWAY. NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, EVEN THOUGH I WAS TRAVELING WITH SPEED OF 60+ MPH AND CAR WAS DECLARED TOTAL LOSS. SUBARU IS VERY RELUCTANT WITH FOLLOWING UP ON REASONS WHY AIRBAGS HAVE NOT DEPLOYED. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 11,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10237857 at NHTSA ↗

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TEMP SENSOR LIGHT GOES ON FOR SOME REASON, BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHY. IT COULD BE A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 49,865 miles reported. Look up ODI 10347980 at NHTSA ↗

THE ELECTRONIC DISPLAY FOR THE HVAC CONTROLS AND RADIO GO OFF AND COME ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR NO REASON. WHEN THE DISPLAY IS OFF, YOU CANNOT ENGAGE DEFROST, HEAT, A/C, AND NONE OF THE RADIO CONTROLS AT ALL. THE ONLY CONTROL THAT STILL FUNCTIONS IS THE FAN SPEED OF THE HVAC CONTROLS. THIS OCCURRENCE IS WELL DOCUMENTED AMONG NUMEROUS SUBARU OWNERS, ON THE OWNERS GROUP WWW.LEGACYGT.COM, OF WHICH I AM A MEMBER, FROM 9/29/2004 TO 5/2/2011. HTTP://LEGACYGT.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/LOSS-OFF-POWER-RADIO-AND-CLIMATE-CONTROL-3459.HTML?HIGHLIGHT=RADIO+L…

Owner-reported narrative. 76,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10426843 at NHTSA ↗

FRONT LEFT WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY, SO IT WAS REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. AT APPROXIMATELY 60,000 MILES THE REAR LEFT WHEEL BEARING STARTED TO FAIL. THE CAR IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY AND SUBARU WANTS IN EXCESS OF $400 TO REPLACE (INCLUDING LABOR). I KNOW SUBARU HAS EXTENDED THEIR WARRANTY FOR WHEEL BEARINGS ON 2005-2006 LEGACY/OUTBACK MODELS TO 100,000 MI / 8 YEARS. OBVIOUSLY THE WHEEL BEARING ISSUES HAVE NOT BEEN RESOLVED ON THE 2007 MODELS. SUBARU CLAIMS IT'S A GREAT CAR COMPANY THAT CARES FOR IT'S CUST…

Owner-reported narrative. 17,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10427036 at NHTSA ↗

THE AIR BAG SENSOR DOES NOT WORK IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE PART FAILS MOSTLY IN COLD WEATHER EVEN WHEN THERE'S NO PASSENGER. IT APPEARS THAT AT ABOUT 60 DEGREES IT WORKS OK, THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE DEALER THE SYSTEM WILL NOT WORK AT ALL AS LONG AS THE LIGHTS ON. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 56,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10448314 at NHTSA ↗

IF YOU PRESS ON MY RADIO AND/OR SOMETIMES FOR NO REASON AT ALL, MY DISPLAY LIGHTS ON THE RADIO GO OUT, THE LIGHTS FOR HEATER/AC/TEMP CONTROL GO OUT AND MY FOUR WAY FLASHERS COME ON. WHEN THIS OCCURS, YOU ARE UNABLE TO CONTROL THE RADIO, THE HEATER, DEFROST OR AIR CONDITIONER, WHICH IS DANGEROUS WITH VARIABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION, I HAVE TWO BABIES IN THE BACK SEAT SO REGULATING TEMP IS IMPORTANT TOO. AT FIRST THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO ADDRESS. NOW, IT IS MORE FREQUENT. RECENTLY, I HAD IT TO THE D…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10454942 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2008-09-11 (September 11, 2008)

SUBARU IS RECALLING 16,715 MY 2007-2008 LEGACY SEDANS AND WAGONS, MY 2008 IMPREZA SEDANS AND WAGONS, AND MY 2009 FORESTER VEHICLES. SOME VEHICLES MAY HAVE THE CYLINDER HEAD-SIDE OIL SUPPLY PIPE AND TURBOCHARGER-SIDE PIPE IMPROPERLY ASSEMBLED.

Consequence: VIBRATION WOULD OCCUR WHILE DRIVING AND, OVER TIME, COULD EVENTUALLY RESULT IN CRACKING THE PIPE WHICH WOULD ALLOW OIL TO LEAK. IF LEAKING OIL CONTACTS COMPONENTS OPERATING AT HIGH TEMPERATURES, AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE COULD OCCUR.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR CRACKING OR AN OIL LEAK AT THE OIL SUPPLY PIPE AT THE CYLINDER HEAD-SIDE. AN ADDITIONAL BRACKET WILL BE INSTALLED TO INCREASE RIGIDITY OF THE PIPE AND THE PIPE ASSEMBLY WILL BE REPLACED WITH A MODIFIED PART. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 20, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

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: 2016-10-13 (October 13, 2016)

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.

Consequence: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.

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.