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2008 Subaru Legacy

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Subaru Legacy do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 77.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

47 reports with mileage · 18 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports

Wheels complaints

3 reports
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38,509 miles · Nov 22, 2012
TiresWheels

I BOUGHT CAR NEW & IT DEVELOPED ISSUE @ 3 1/2 YRS. I ALSO HAVE THE SUBARU EXTENDED WARRANTY.CAR HAS ONLY BEEN SERVICED BY SUBARU, INCLUDING TIRE CHANGES. 10/11 @ 38,000 NOTICED FRONT & REAR PASSENGER TIRES WERE LOSING AIR. I HAVE TPMS W/ METAL VALVE STEMS. BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER, THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I HAVE TWO SETS OF TIRE…

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I BOUGHT CAR NEW & IT DEVELOPED ISSUE @ 3 1/2 YRS. I ALSO HAVE THE SUBARU EXTENDED WARRANTY.CAR HAS ONLY BEEN SERVICED BY SUBARU, INCLUDING TIRE CHANGES. 10/11 @ 38,000 NOTICED FRONT & REAR PASSENGER TIRES WERE LOSING AIR. I HAVE TPMS W/ METAL VALVE STEMS. BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER, THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I HAVE TWO SETS OF TIRES SO I BROUGHT CAR IN 11/11 TO PUT ON SNOWS. MONITORED TIRE PRESSURE EVERY FEW DAYS AND WAS STILL LOSING AIR. 10/12, I SPRAY SOAP/WATER MIXTURE ON TIRES, BUBBLES FORM AT THE BASE OF THE TIRE VALVE. FOUR VALVES SHOULD NOT BE FAILING PREMATURELY. OVER TIME, THE BOTH DRIVERS SIDE TIRES DEVELOPED SLOW LEAKS AS WELL. 10/12, I CALLED SUBARU WARRANTY DEPARTMENT & EXPLAIN THAT I'M LOSING AIR FROM THE VALVE. I ASK IF TPMS FAILURE IS COVERED & WAS TOLD IT IS. 11/12 45,044 BRING CAR IN TO PUT ON SNOWS. TELL DEALER THAT ALL FOUR VALVES ARE LEAKING. I'M TOLD IT MAY BE CORROSION & THAT'S NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I EXPLAIN THAT FOR ALL FOUR TO BE LEAKING IS PREMATURE. TECH CONFIRMS THAT THREE ARE LEAKING & REPLACES THEM. DEALER STATES THAT THERE ISN'T A WARRANTY CODE FOR AIR LEAKING BUT WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE SURE IT'S COVERED. THE TPMS UNIT IS ONE PIECE SO IF THE VALVE STEM FAILS OR A RUBBER SEALING GASKET THE WHOLE UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND CORROSION CAN CAUSE THE METAL VALVE STEMS TO FAIL PREMATURELY. I CHECK MY TIRE PRESSURE EVERY TWO WEEKS BY RULE & DON'T WAIT TILL THE TPMS LIGHT COMES ON. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10485792

26,351 miles · Jul 11, 2010
Wheels

ON 3/31/09 @ 13,454 MILES IS WHEN THE DRIVER'S FRONT LEFT TIRE STARTED MAKING A ROTATIONAL METAL CLICKING/SQUEALING SOUND. IT CAN BE HEARD UNDER 25MPH AND THE SOUND WAS INTERMITTENT. I TOLD DEALER I THOUGHT IT WAS THE WHEEL BEARING. SEVERAL TIMES, I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT BECAUSE IT WASN'T MAKING A NOISE T…

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ON 3/31/09 @ 13,454 MILES IS WHEN THE DRIVER'S FRONT LEFT TIRE STARTED MAKING A ROTATIONAL METAL CLICKING/SQUEALING SOUND. IT CAN BE HEARD UNDER 25MPH AND THE SOUND WAS INTERMITTENT. I TOLD DEALER I THOUGHT IT WAS THE WHEEL BEARING. SEVERAL TIMES, I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT BECAUSE IT WASN'T MAKING A NOISE THERE WAS NOTHING TO FIX. THEY CHECKED ALL COMPONENTS, BALL JOINTS, STEERING ETC. AND CHECKED THE BEARINGS SAID CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. I NOTICED THERE WERE OTHER OWNERS W/2005-06 SUBARU ISSUED A RECALL FOR WHEEL BEARING. IF YOU LOOK AT 08 LEGACY A FEW OTHERS HAVE WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. ON 6/21/10 @26,351 A TECH RODE W/ ME TO CONFIRM THE NOISE I HAVE DEALT W/ FOR OVER A YEAR. MY SERVICE INVOICE STATES TECHNICIAN FOUND INTERNAL FAILURE OF LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING ASSEMBLY. REPLACED HUB UNIT. IT'S DANGEROUS TO DRIVE ON A FAILED BEARING, TIRE CAN SEIZE AND LOSE CONTROL OF CAR AND DAMAGE OTHER PARTS OF CAR SUCH AS AXLE. I DROVE FOR A YEAR LIKE THIS AND WAS LUCKY NOTHING HAPPENED. THOUGH, I DON'T KNOW THE LONG TERM DAMAGE DONE TO MY VEHICLE. I CONTACTED SUBARU TO TELL THEM OF MY ISSUE AND EXPLAIN THAT PERHAPS THEY NEED TO LOOK INTO THE MFG. WHO MAKES THE BEARINGS AND STUDY WHY THEIR BEARINGS ARE FAILING PREMATURELY. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND RECALL. I HOPE THAT THIS IS THE LAST TIME I HAVE TO HAVE IT REPLACED, SINCE IT COULD GET QUITE EXPENSIVE TO FIX EACH TIME. I TAKE EXCELLENT CARE OF MY VEHICLE AND WANT IT TO LAST. I DIDN'T PAY $24,000 TO HAVE IT FALL APART. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10342478

30,000 miles · Apr 15, 2010
Wheels

THE FRONT WHEEL BEARING ON MY SUBARU LEGACY 2008 FAILED AT 31,000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10325792

Official recalls

9

20V001000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jan 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 & remedy

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.

20V002000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jan 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 & remedy

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.

20V003000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jan 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 & remedy

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.

19V297000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch

Apr 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 & remedy

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.

16V738000 · Electrical System

Oct 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 & remedy

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.

15V323000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

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 & remedy

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.

14V311000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Jun 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 & remedy

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.

13V110000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Mar 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 & remedy

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.

08V460000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

Sep 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 & remedy

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.