VehicleVerdict

2005 Subaru Legacy engine problems

The 2005 Subaru Legacy has 34 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 14% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

34

Engine complaints

14%

Share of year

1

Crash-involved

0

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Legacy engine complaints by model year35 complaints1987: 1 complaints1990: 2 complaints1991: 6 complaints1992: 4 complaints1993: 17 complaints1994: 5 complaints1995: 18 complaints1996: 24 complaints1997: 34 complaints1998: 30 complaints1999: 14 complaints2000: 18 complaints2001: 14 complaints2002: 13 complaints2003: 13 complaints2004: 7 complaints2005: 34 complaints2006: 20 complaints2007: 10 complaints2008: 4 complaints2009: 8 complaints2010: 35 complaints2011: 28 complaints2012: 23 complaints2013: 20 complaints2014: 5 complaints2015: 24 complaints2016: 8 complaints2017: 5 complaints2018: 10 complaints2019: 5 complaints2020: 4 complaints2021: 3 complaints2022: 1 complaints2025: 4 complaints
Legacy engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

What owners report

“DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WAS HIT ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE, NEAR THE BUMPER AND WHEEL. THE OTHER VEHICLE IMPACTED THE VEHICLE AT 40 MPH. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE ENGINE DID NOT SHUT OFF. THE MANUFACTURER DETERMINED DUE TO THE ANGLE OF IMPACT THE AIRBAGS SHOULD…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · January 12, 2006 · crash

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2005 Subaru Legacy have?

NHTSA has 34 complaints about the 2005 Subaru Legacy engine — 14% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.