VehicleVerdict

2012 Subaru Legacy engine problems

The 2012 Subaru Legacy has 23 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 19% of the year's total, and roughly flat versus the prior model year.

23

Engine complaints

19%

Share of year

0

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

“WHEN BRAKING, THE CAR OFTEN STALLS AND ALL REQUIRES A SHIFT INTO PARK, AND A RESTART OF THE ENTIRE ENGINE BEFORE BEING ABLE TO PROCEED. WHEN IT STALLS, STEERING IS ALSO AFFECTED. THIS FREQUENTLY HAPPENS ON CITY STREETS, BUT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN PULLING INTO PARKING SPACES AND WHEN SLOWING FOR TURNING.…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · March 31, 2019

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2012 Subaru Legacy have?

NHTSA has 23 complaints about the 2012 Subaru Legacy engine — 19% 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.