2010 Subaru Legacy: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
65%
73 of 112 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
65% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2010 Subaru Legacy are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 87% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 38 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 49%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
POWER TRAIN09/25/2019CRASH1 INJURED
UPDATE TO COMPLAINT NUMBER 11254310 SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS COMPLAINT: THE SUBARU LEGACY HAS AN ISSUE WHERE THE VEHICLE WILL STALL IF THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED TOO FIRMLY. SUBARU REFUSES TO FIX THIS ISSUE SINCE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. UPDATE: THIS ISSUE HAS CAUSED AN ACC…
STRUCTURE,ENGINE08/24/2014CRASH1 INJURED
I HAD ENTERED A PARKING SPACE, AND WAS SLOWING TO COME TO THE END OF SAID PARKING SPACE. THE CAR RAPIDLY ACCELERATED, AND I COULD NOT STOP IT WITH THE BRAKE. I HIT THE CONCRETE AT THE END OF THE SPACE AT FULL SPEED, WHICH STOPPED THE CAR. I NOTICED THAT THE IMPACT HAD SLIPPED THE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL. WHEN I TURNED THE…
POWER TRAIN09/07/2023
The contact’s wife owns a 2010 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter had failed and…
Three of 73 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (18)
PARKING BRAKE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. The electronic parking brake (EPB…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2010 Subaru Legacy
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
18 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
