Most common 2004 Subaru Legacy problems
Share of the 49 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Subaru Legacy complaints by model year
Best Legacy years: 2023, 2025, 2021. Years to avoid: 2015, 2016, 2011, 2020, 2019. Compare all years →
2004 Subaru Legacy recalls (10)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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 ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, Forester, 2006-2011 Impreza, Tribeca, 2003-2006 Baja, and 2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, and Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2006-2008 Impreza, Tribeca, 2006 Saab 9-2x, and 2003-2006 Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016.
Show 4 more recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015.
Air bags
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy and Outback vehicles, and 2003-2005 Baja vehicles sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Vehicle speed control › Cables
On certain passenger sedans, wagons, and sport utility vehicles, the cruise control cable could come out of its track on the cruise control lever and lodge on the control lever tab when the accelerator pedal is released.
Remedy: Dealers will install a cruise control cable retaining clip to the cruise control lever tab on the throttle shaft in order to prevent the cruise control cable from coming out of its track.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap
Certain passenger or sport utility vehicles May have a loose or out of position fuel filler hose clamp.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the clamp on the fuel filler hose. Owner notification began August 27, 2003. Owners should contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2004 Subaru Legacy:
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
What 2004 Subaru Legacy owners say
Air bags all 26 →
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the driver passed out and crossed over to oncoming traffic. The vehicle crossed the street and crashed into a light pole. Neither of the frontal air bags deployed. The contact suffered a pulmonary concussion and elevated troponin. The contact had to be hospitalized for three days. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the contact's residence. The police and fire departments were notified and a police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
I keep receiving safety recall letters about the airbag in this vehicle. This vehicle has been scrapped since July 2017. I could no longer get it to pass emissions. I have since then called the number on the letters several times to remove me from the notice list but I keep receiving them. I recently noticed that every recall notice has a different phone number on it and it appears calls are going to a different call center every time. I believe that the us dot and NHTSA is being ripped off by whomever is contracted to send out these letters. Every operator at the call centers states they will update their file and remove me from the list, but like clockwork I still receive the notices.
Engine & cooling
AT 26,469 miles the harmonic balancer separated into two pieces while driving causing sudden loss of power steering. I contacted Subaru for assistance with this know problem. They refused a free repair. I have been a Master ASE mechanic for over 25 years at a dealership and know repairs of this type are usually done in house under a goodwill policy, otherwise swept under the rug so there is no recall. I went to the local dealer here and the tech there said he use to do the repair almost everyday. the same thing happened to my housemates at some time and he doesn't remember the details. This is a serious problem and there should be a recall as it could result in death given the circumstances the driver is driving in.
While operating the 2004 Subaru Legacy lt at a speed of 30 MPH a loud noise was heard from under the hood. Immediately the power steering was lost, causing sever lack of control, the battery trouble light and brake warning light came on in the instrument panel. Luckily no accident or injury occurred. Upon inspection (under the hood), it was noted that one of the two drive belts had been ripped apart and the second belt had been dislodged from it's pulleys , leaving the power steering, alternator, air conditioner etc without drive belts. It was further found and noted that the pulley mounted on the end of the crankshaft had in fact separated from its mounting hub and was easily removed by hand without effort. …
Speed control & acceleration
Tl contact owns a 2004 Subaru Legacy. While driving at 2 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and went through the garage wall. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership but it had not been inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 9,800.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Subaru Legacy. The contact was driving approximately 30 MPH when the vehicle decelerated independently. The check engine warning light was illuminated as the cruise control warning light began flashing. In addition, the vehicle would not accelerate over 10 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician advised that the throttle position sensor would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred six times. The throttle was replaced twice. The electronic control module was replaced and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000. The consumer stated the throttle ceased to function normally and the check engine light illuminated. …
2004 Subaru Legacy engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 19 / 25 / 21 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 19 / 25 / 21 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Subaru Legacy a good car?
Based on 49 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 Legacy rates better than average: 80% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Legacy at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Subaru Legacy?
The air bags — 26 complaints, 53% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the engine & cooling (7) and speed control & acceleration (5).
How many recalls does the 2004 Subaru Legacy have?
There are 10 recalls for the 2004 Subaru Legacy, the most recent from January 2, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Subaru Legacy?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2023, 2025 and 2021. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2015, 2016, 2011, 2020 and 2019. See the full Subaru Legacy years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Subaru Legacy problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 85,000 miles; 36% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.