AutoUtility currently tracks 159 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 Subaru Legacy. Visibility, Wipers & Glass issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 41 complaints (25.8% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 15 filings cite a crash, 3 cite a fire, 7 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 159 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Visibility, Wipers & Glass (41 reports • 25.8% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (37), Engine & Cooling (21)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 15 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 7 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2015 Subaru Legacy
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Visibility, Wipers & Glass
Electrical System
Engine & Cooling
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #15V366000 FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING
Powertrain & Transmission
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #15V502000 POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Subaru Legacy
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i, approximately 48,000 miles. CVT transmission failed suddenly with no prior warning signs. Vehicle was exclusively dealer-serviced for its entire life. While driving, the transmission began shuddering, slipping, and making metallic grinding noises. Vehicle could barely climb..."
"I am reporting a Sudden Unintended Deceleration event in my Subaru. The vehicle grinded to a halt without driver input. The car stopped in the left lane of a major highway. We put on our hazards and called the state police for help. They were unable to get to us in time. We were hit from the rear...."
"Incident ~ 5:40 pm, Geneva NY Weather ~ 10 F, not snowing. Background. On or shortly after being started, the vehicle had exhibited prior incidents of extremely rapid engine acceleration not initiated by the operator. Most recently the day before. The incident: I was in the process of very slowly..."
"The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated while reversing into the driveway, the driver's side air bag unintendedly deployed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The vehicle was scheduled to be towed to the local dealer. The..."
"The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact opened and closed the trunk, triggering the alarm system. The alarm system failed to deactivate immediately. The vehicle then failed to restart as needed, and the "Shift to Park" message was..."
Complaint History for Subaru Legacy
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2025)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Subaru Legacy Current Page | 159 | 15 | 3 | Current |
| 2016 Subaru Legacy | 146 | 9 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Subaru Legacy | 118 | 10 | 2 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Subaru Legacy | 117 | 7 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Subaru Legacy | 123 | 2 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Subaru Legacy | 121 | 1 | 6 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Subaru Legacy | 31 | 0 | 3 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Subaru Legacy | 32 | 3 | 2 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Subaru Legacy | 10 | 2 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Subaru Legacy | 16 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Subaru Legacy | 6 | 0 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 Subaru Legacy
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 59 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEATS,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.