SUBARU LEGACY · model year

2025 SUBARU LEGACY

10 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2025SUBARULEGACY carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, 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 2025 LEGACY is engine with 3 filings, followed by service brakes (1) and engine and engine cooling (1). 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.

NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 2025 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.

10
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
2025 SUBARU LEGACY - NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2025 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

10 filings

Crashes Reported

0 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
ENGINE3
SERVICE BRAKES1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
STEERING1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
AIR BAGS1

Recent Complaints

20260214ENGINE

Less than 500 miles cabin fills with engine fumes - smells like exhaust/crank case vapors - especially at idle and with outdoor air damper open on HVAC. If you open hood the engine bay smells like gas fumes. Upon inspection looks like passenger side exhaust manifold is leaking with splatter marks on exhaust manifold - fire and health hazard. Subaru corporate in past has been poor to deal with and makes statements like our dealers are independent and we have no control over our dealers when trying to get them to take action. Now I'll have to battle this out and likely with BBB claim. I have Asthma and cannot drive this vehicle with this smell.

20260119AIR BAGS

I purchased my 2025 Legacy from Brunswick Subaru (Brunswick,OH) on 9/22/25. A few days later, while riding in the passenger seat, the airbag light/icon stayed off. I am a petite female, weighing 100 pounds. I immediately called Brunswick Subaru's service department. The service manager drove me around, and he saw that what I was reporting was true. He said he would order sensors to fix the problem. I was told that the airbags should deploy at 35 pounds from my salesperson and 80 pounds from the service director. The sensors arrived in December, and I made an appointment on 12/30/25 to have them installed. I waited two hours only to learn that they could not be installed since this was a safety issue and Subaru is all about safety. I had to leave my car, and I was provided with a loaner, which was also a 2025 Legacy. The passenger seat's airbag light/icon stayed off when I sat in the passenger seat of the loaner too. I reported this to Mark Harris, a Subaru Advocacy Rep. He told

20251221ENGINE

The Legacy (my third one) was about a month old and had about 30 miles on the odometer. I had no warning of any problem with the car. On or about 5:45 PM on Oct 22, 2025 I was driving my Subaru Legacy when the engine stalled. I was in the HOV lane of an interstate highway. Multiple times the starter failed to restart the engine. Traffic was blocked in my lane and diverting around me. It was dusk with a misty rain. My wife and I were felt we were at high risk of being rearended at any moment. After about 5-10 minutes, during which we called 911, the engine restarted. Seeing no help from the police available, I judged it was best. to get off the highspeed road. I was able to get off the highway and make it home, about 5 miles away. I have not tried to drive the car ever since this terrifying episode.

20251221STEERING

The Legacy (my third one) was about a month old and had about 30 miles on the odometer. I had no warning of any problem with the car. On or about 5:45 PM on Oct 22, 2025 I was driving my Subaru Legacy when the engine stalled. I was in the HOV lane of an interstate highway. Multiple times the starter failed to restart the engine. Traffic was blocked in my lane and diverting around me. It was dusk with a misty rain. My wife and I were felt we were at high risk of being rearended at any moment. After about 5-10 minutes, during which we called 911, the engine restarted. Seeing no help from the police available, I judged it was best. to get off the highspeed road. I was able to get off the highway and make it home, about 5 miles away. I have not tried to drive the car ever since this terrifying episode.

20251221UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The Legacy (my third one) was about a month old and had about 30 miles on the odometer. I had no warning of any problem with the car. On or about 5:45 PM on Oct 22, 2025 I was driving my Subaru Legacy when the engine stalled. I was in the HOV lane of an interstate highway. Multiple times the starter failed to restart the engine. Traffic was blocked in my lane and diverting around me. It was dusk with a misty rain. My wife and I were felt we were at high risk of being rearended at any moment. After about 5-10 minutes, during which we called 911, the engine restarted. Seeing no help from the police available, I judged it was best. to get off the highspeed road. I was able to get off the highway and make it home, about 5 miles away. I have not tried to drive the car ever since this terrifying episode.

20251218ENGINE

At the end of a drive of 75 mi, 55-65 MPH on an 8 lane highway the engine stalled. Stopped in HOV lane. Restarting failed several attempts. Called police 911. Dusk, with light rain, slick highway. Poor visibility. Wife and I prayed a lot. Scarier than my year in Vietnam. Restarted after about 10 minutes, and prior to police arriving. Made it home 5 min away. Neither dealer nor Subaru can recreate or define the cause. My family and I fear the thought of driving again in that car. Not knowing the cause means no one can fix it.

20251218FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

At the end of a drive of 75 mi, 55-65 MPH on an 8 lane highway the engine stalled. Stopped in HOV lane. Restarting failed several attempts. Called police 911. Dusk, with light rain, slick highway. Poor visibility. Wife and I prayed a lot. Scarier than my year in Vietnam. Restarted after about 10 minutes, and prior to police arriving. Made it home 5 min away. Neither dealer nor Subaru can recreate or define the cause. My family and I fear the thought of driving again in that car. Not knowing the cause means no one can fix it.

20251218VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

At the end of a drive of 75 mi, 55-65 MPH on an 8 lane highway the engine stalled. Stopped in HOV lane. Restarting failed several attempts. Called police 911. Dusk, with light rain, slick highway. Poor visibility. Wife and I prayed a lot. Scarier than my year in Vietnam. Restarted after about 10 minutes, and prior to police arriving. Made it home 5 min away. Neither dealer nor Subaru can recreate or define the cause. My family and I fear the thought of driving again in that car. Not knowing the cause means no one can fix it.

20250903ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a misfire with a rattling sound coming from behind the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure persisted, and the vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, and a field tech engineer was sent to inspect the vehicle. The contact was informed that the scavenger pump turbo and catalytic converter were replaced; however, after retrieving the vehicle, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 1,500.

Mileage: 1,500

20250729SERVICE BRAKES

I own a 2025 Subaru Legacy. On at least two occasions during rainy weather, while driving at low speeds (20-30 mph), the brake pedal suddenly became soft and sank to the floor with little braking response. I had to mash the pedal to stop the car to stop the car and there was a "grinding" sensation, possibly from ABS activation. On July 26, I was trying to stop at a stop sign. Fortunately, there was no car in front of me, otherwise I could have rear-ended them. This created a dangerous situation where I wasn't able to stop the vehicle properly.

Compare 2025SUBARULEGACY to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2025 SUBARU LEGACY have?
The 2025 SUBARU LEGACY has 10 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2025 SUBARU LEGACY?
The 2025 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.
What are the most common problems with the 2025 SUBARU LEGACY?
The most-complained component for the 2025 SUBARU LEGACY is ENGINE with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2025 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 2025 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.