CSR

Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2022 Subaru Legacy

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 33 safety complaints about the 2022 Subaru Legacy with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags and the power train.

The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers, named in 16 complaints, 48% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers June 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

33 complaints on file

33

Complaints

4

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
VISIBILITY/WIPER 16 · 48%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 · 24%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 · 12%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 9%
AIR BAGS 2 · 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 6%
ENGINE 1 · 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 3%
STEERING 1 · 3%
STRUCTURE 1 · 3%
TIRES 1 · 3%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 33.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 10.

12 9 6 3
21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2022 Subaru LEGACY, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 10.1%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

24V227000 · March 22, 2024

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 118,723 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH

23V755000 · November 9, 2023

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
The risk
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 95,830 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash

The vehicle engaged the automatic braking system also known as phantom breaking while there was no objects on the roadway at the time of the incident it was 5:15 a.m. dark and light rain when approaching a curve on the road driving approximately 30 mph the system engaged and applied the brakes in the curve which in turn put the t legal into a slide causing a vehicle crash. Furthermore the airbags did not deploy the police officers were very dumbfounded with the amount of damage and also the speed in which occurred I obtained back injuries and also hit my head

NHTSA complaint 11767677. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

While attempting to restart the battery, and upon opening the hood of the vehicle, an explosion occurred, causing a fire under the hood between what we believe to be the AC pipe and the battery/fuse box terminals. The car was not on, but we did notice that there appears to be a hole in the pipe that is leaking what we presume to be Freon. Reporting on behalf of GSA Fleet. Not expecting any actions, just reporting for your records.

NHTSA complaint 11422097. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed · 15,000 miles

The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving into their driveway at unknown speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated forward. The contact placed the vehicle in reverse, however, the vehicle continued to accelerate independently, and the contact's rear bumper crashed into the neighbor's garage. No injuries were sustained. The neighbor's garage was damaged. The vehicle was towed to the tow company's lot. The vehicle was diagnosed as totaled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA complaint 11586322. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

crash

I experienced unintended acceleration while operating my vehicle. I was slowly pulling into a parking space at a gym when, without warning, the vehicle suddenly accelerated rapidly forward. I did not intentionally press the accelerator at that time. The unexpected acceleration caused the vehicle to surge ahead and collide with a light post, resulting in significant damage to the front bumper. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians or other vehicles in front of me, so no injuries occurred. This incident created a serious safety risk, as the sudden and uncontrolled acceleration could have resulted in harm to myself or others if anyone had been in the vehicle’s path. At this time, it is

NHTSA complaint 11730321, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

crash

Driving my car at 39mph and approaching a vehicle stopped at an intersection perpendicular to my left, she accelerated into my path and Subaru eyesight provided no warning and did not attempt to break at all before the collision occurred. I was able to slow to maybe 15 mph but disappointed eyesight did not work as intended.

NHTSA complaint 11748634. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
Safety Hazard: Subaru Sun Visor I own a 2022 Subaru Legacy, the first new car I've ever owned. The visor (to protect eyes from the sun) is too short and not wide enough. The seat is raised as high as it will go. I CAN'T position myself to protect my eyes from the Sun. On 1/8/26, I left my home at 7:45 a.m. Around the corner from my home, local road, I approached an intersection with a Traffic Light. As I approached the intersection to turn left, the Sun (dead ahead) totally blinded me. It was a complete WHITE OUT. The Visor did NOTHING to protect my eyes from the sun. IT'S TOO SMALL and useless. I used one hand to shield my eyes from the Sun. It didn't help. I was helpless. I stopped my

NHTSA complaint 11710841, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I went to lunch today and came out to a crack on my windshield. I've seen several issues online about defects with the legacy windshields.

NHTSA complaint 11641535. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
I have the touring model with defrosters under the windshield. This is the second time I have had my windshield cracked vertically in a year. Both scenarios include a cold snap to about 20 degrees. First one broke in the parking lot after warming up the car (windshield heat and defrosters on) This time was a similar case. Warmed up my car, started driving, and two min later heard a pop and saw the windshield split at the same spot,(windshield defroster element). So basically when it gets cold I can’t use advertised features without causing damage to my car.

NHTSA complaint 11628325. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru Legacy

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2023 10 2 —
2021 31 3 —
2020 121 6 —
2019 123 3 —
2018 117 3 —
2017 119 2 —
2016 147 3 —
2015 159 3 —
2014 53 10 —
2013 66 12 —
2012 90 16 —
2011 167 16 —
2010 150 18 1

Other 2022 Subaru models

Every Subaru on this site — 99 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst