SUBARU LEGACY · model year

2019 SUBARU LEGACY

135 NHTSA complaints, 6 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2019SUBARULEGACY carries 135 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 6 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2019 LEGACY is visibility/wiper with 49 filings, followed by electrical system (33) and unknown or other (19). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 2019 LEGACY. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

135
Complaints
6
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
2019 SUBARU LEGACY - NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2019 SUBARU LEGACY. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 5.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 5.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

135 filings

Crashes Reported

6 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 - Top NCAP rating · Front: 5/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VISIBILITY/WIPER49
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM33
UNKNOWN OR OTHER19
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
STEERING3
ENGINE3
SERVICE BRAKES2
WHEELS1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER1
SEAT BELTS1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1

Recalls (3)

21V58700029/07/2021

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

19V49300026/06/2019

STRUCTURE

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles. Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle's body strength.

20V21800016/04/2020

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.

Recent Complaints

20251126FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I am reporting a safety issue with my 2019 Subaru Legacy that hesitates and nearly stalls when accelerating from a stop and is now undriveable due to stalling and shaking. I bought the car new from AutoNation Subaru Carlsbad in 2019. It has about 65,000 miles and I have driven it less than 2,000 miles since its last dealer visit in August 2025. Since around August 2025, the car has intermittently lost power under light acceleration from a stop or low speed, especially while pulling into or through intersections. Pressing the accelerator sometimes produces very little power, the engine feels like it may stall, and traffic behind me must brake or go around me, creating a risk of a rear‑end collision in intersections. In August 2025 I took the car to AutoNation Subaru Carlsbad and reported that the symptoms seemed like a fuel pump problem (my independent mechanic agreed). The dealer kept the car for about two weeks, experienced the hard‑starting/turn‑over issue, but did not test o

20251104ENGINE

Constant battery issues. I've replaced the car battery 3 times and the car seems to be suffering from "parasitic battery drain". It took a long time to diagnose the issue and I've been to the Rye Subaru dealership 2 times already and they are still trying to fix the issue. This is my daughters car and I'm constantly waiting for a phone call to have the car jump started. She works the night shift and I'm worried about her getting stranded at night.

20250904FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

My vehicle light is on keeps saying oil at temp as well as other lights are currently turn on. I took it to subaru location was informed my transmission was bad. But the car drives well just have a bunch of lights.

20250904UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My vehicle light is on keeps saying oil at temp as well as other lights are currently turn on. I took it to subaru location was informed my transmission was bad. But the car drives well just have a bunch of lights.

20250904LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

My vehicle light is on keeps saying oil at temp as well as other lights are currently turn on. I took it to subaru location was informed my transmission was bad. But the car drives well just have a bunch of lights.

20250709POWER TRAIN

CVT failed at 85,000 miles. It started slipping and squealing and had to be replaced by the dealership. The car was never driven rough, in mountainous terrain, etc. Very disappointing.

20250624ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The entertainment system got bubbles and stopped working only after 50,000 miles.

20250521UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The navigation screen has delaminated and no longer works. You can see where there are layers of screen that are discolored and has a matte finish underneath and the entire screen is erratic and works only 10% of the time. I cannot answer calls through the car any longer and I have to try to navigate long trips from my phone as this function of the car is down. It's a serious problem and puts me and others on the road at risk every time I have to use the car as I travel by myself and I struggle to navigate the roads without this system. The car has a mere 70,000 miles on it and has been well cared for. I bought the car new and this issue is serious. There were no warning signs other than it erratically works less and less. I have researched the issue and see there are so many with this same issue that I wanted to add to the list. I cannot find a second hand part as the demand is too high. The car is available for inspection and I haven't had it to the dealer for this

20250212LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH

My husband was driving on [XXX] and the hood of the Subaru flew up, cracking the entire windshield, damaging the exterior of the roof and interior of the roof, the whole hood and frame where the hood meets the car. The car was driven but escorted by local PD to body shop. Less than 48 hrs before the incident, the car was at Paul Miller Subaru for a routine oil change. They were the last people to touch the hood of the car. Paul Miller Subaru has been an absolute nightmare to work with and is avoiding all contact. We are out of a vehicle entirely and they did not even offer to give us a loaner. They were incredibly defensive and rude and all of our friends and family that have leases or cars with them are pulling out of them for their safety and lives. Subaru Customer Advocacy and their Quality Assurance team went out to do an inspection on the vehicle after I opened up a case with them. Case # [XXX] 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783) Ext.119109. They reported that the the secondary/s

20250204ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

If the car is not driven every day the battery dies due to a parasitic draw. Subaru knows there is a problem with the DCM from these years but refuses to correct the issues which there are 3 that are known. Dcm constantly searches for 3g network that is no longer killing the battery, Subaru changed the recommended cold cranking amperage of the battery well after manufacture, and won't test without a new battery being installed, and they expect the consumer to pay for both the testing and battery, to meet certain epa standards they altered the function of the alternator so it doesn't charge the battery until the engine is warm and won't fully charge the battery.

20250120ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Parasitic Battery Drain due to DCM fuse problem

20250120UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Parasitic Battery Drain due to DCM fuse problem

20250105ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Parasitic drain on battery leaves the car dead and unable to start with out a jump. Battery is only six months old. Replaced old battery because of this same issue.

20241219BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Main infotainment display delamination, this causes a safety concerns, as the screen can become irresponsive, and even black out during reverse making the backup camera, nonfunctioning. The other safety issue at risk is that because of the delamination it causes "ghost-clicking" on the screen, and makes the screen irresponsive, veering the drivers attention away from the road, potentially causing accidents as the main display controls all radio and bluetooth, and navigation. There are no indication or warnings from the manufacturer that the vehicle could be a risk to drive. When I called Subaru of America, I was told by the agent that they could not assist, when I brought up, based on my research this was a known issue, Subaru of America offered to pay $600 towards the replacement of the head unit. The head unit dependant on the dealer and labor time can vary from $1400-2200 for the repair.

20241209ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The Starlink screen becomes uncontrollable and begins changing screens on its own making driving very distracting and losing all control of vital functions such as radio, gps and phone. I have no control over it. I have video of the incident but cannot figure out how to upload it. I k low previous year models were recalled for the same situation and I believe there is a class action lawsuit.

20241121ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Infotainment system touchscreen failed and it became unstable. Bluetooth connected to phone failed, gos failed Yes Yes No

20241117UNKNOWN OR OTHER

On the beginning of a trip the screen, Infotainment system started jumping, and shaking. We had been using the system for guidance while driving in unfamiliar area. The screen then started randomly selecting buttons while we were still trying to use directions from the screen. Then it called a contact on my contact list 8-9 times, and I had to keep hanging up in order so it would stop. Finally I had to shut down the entire screen. We lost control of the Infotainment and then after I had to turn it off, I tried several times again to turn it back on with no luck. The screen would not respond and continues to be completely frozen. As I have discovered this is a common problem that Subaru dealers have heard about from thousands of customers. Subaru needs to issue a recall.

20241108UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The radio/ starlink system begins changing screens on its own thus losing all control of critical functions such as phone and gps. There appears to be marks behind the glass of the screen which are not able to be cleaned. There are recalls for this issue on the 2018 Subaru Legacy and there needs to be one for the 2019 Subaru Legacy and other affected Subaru models.

20240913ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Radio is delaminating and causing random calls and radio changes while driving. Serious safety issue. Subaru covered a portion of the replacement but entire cost should be covered due to it being an obvious manufacturer defect.

20240809ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Battery dies over and over again. I drive every day, I never leave lights on, and I am having to purchase a battery over and over again.

Compare 2019SUBARULEGACY to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2019 SUBARU LEGACY have?
The 2019 SUBARU LEGACY has 135 NHTSA complaints, 6 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2019 SUBARU LEGACY?
The 2019 SUBARU LEGACY received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 5/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2019 SUBARU LEGACY?
Yes, the 2019 SUBARU LEGACY has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2019 SUBARU LEGACY?
The most-complained component for the 2019 SUBARU LEGACY is VISIBILITY/WIPER with 49 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2019 SUBARU LEGACY safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2019 SUBARU LEGACY has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.