2008 Subaru Legacy: common problems and reliability

The 2008 Subaru Legacy has 65 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 9 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are air bags and service brakes. Owners most often flag poor fuel economy — described as significantly worse than epa estimates and segment competitors, affecting all models. frequency: very frequent.

Safety record for the 2008 model year

65
Owner complaints
9
Recalls
3
Crash reports
1
Fire reports

Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles (US, public record).

Where owners report problems

air bags
25
service brakes
13
electrical system
9
power train
6
vehicle speed control
5

Recalls affecting the 2008 Legacy

air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

Campaign 20V001000

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, o…

air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

Campaign 20V002000

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 ev…

air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

Campaign 20V003000

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, …

electrical system:ignition:switch

Campaign 19V297000

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 …

What owners say across generations

Mixed sentiment with a strong generational divide. Long-term owner reports for older generations (pre-2010) frequently praise the 3.0R and 3.6R flat-six engines for smoothness and potential longevity, with some examples cited as reaching over 200,000 and even

  • Poor fuel economy — described as significantly worse than EPA estimates and segment competitors, affecting all models. Frequency: very frequent.
  • CVT transmission reliability concerns — early failures, especially in models from approximately 2014-2015; jerky behavior when cold; requires diligent fluid service. Frequency: very frequent.
  • Infotainment system problems — laggy, unresponsive touchscreen (particularly in models with large screens); system crashes; screen delamination in 2015-2019 models. Frequency: recurrent.
  • Engine issues (varies by generation) — head gasket failures on older models (pre-2010); oil pan leaks on newer turbo models; isolated catastrophic engine failures. Frequency: recurrent.
  • Excessive corrosion/rust — severe rust on rear wheel arches, strut towers, and sills on older models, especially in regions using road salt. Frequency: recurrent.

Owner insights cover all generations of the Legacy.

Typical used price

Used Legacy listings typically run $11,500–$22,749 across 2003 to 2025 model years.

Other Legacy model years

2022 Legacy2019 Legacy2017 Legacy2014 Legacy2012 Legacy2009 Legacy2007 Legacy2006 Legacy2005 Legacy2004 Legacy2003 Legacy2002 Legacy2001 Legacy1998 Legacy1997 Legacy1996 Legacy
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