Most common 2006 Subaru Legacy problems
Share of the 87 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 →
2006 Subaru Legacy recalls (7)
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.
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019.
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.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks.
Show 1 more recall
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from December 2003, through April 2009 and currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax.
What 2006 Subaru Legacy owners say
Speed control & acceleration all 30 →
I experienced two issues with the electronic throttle position sensor in my 2006 Subaru Legacy. The first time I was traveling at approx. 35 MPH and the RPM's began increasing rapidly. I was in traffic and unable to pull off to the side safely when the engine completely stalled. I sat there thinking that the motor was going to blow up if I attempted to start it again. I called my mechanic and he thought that it could be the throttle position sensor, as he has replaced many of them on subarus. I was able to start the car and move off to the side of the road to make sure that it was not going to do it again. The car was then taken to the mechanic where he cleaned the sensor and said if I have a problem again then I should replace it. …
One morning after starting my car I noticed the check engine light was on. As I decided to drive the car down to a local mechanic, I noticed that I had no acceleration power. The car was on, engine was running, but whenever I pushed the gas pedal nothing happened. The car would idle high and coast when put in drive or reverse, but would not accelerate as I pushed the pedal. There have been numerous counts of this happening to people across the country. Luckily I wasn't on the freeway when this happened.
Engine & cooling all 20 →
I had run into a few small problems this winter, like my steering wheel not turning when the car was cold, but I experienced my first major problem while my vehicle was stationary, but had been running. I was going through a drive through, had to put my car in park, then when I went to shift it back into drive, nothing would happen. It was stuck in park. I don't think the problem was temp. Related, it was about 40 degrees outside. After turning the car on/off four or five times I was able to get it going, but my headlights went out, which I thought was strange. While driving home I noticed that the "brake" light was illuminated. The next day, I started my car before work to defrost my windows. The car started just fine (all the electrics worked and the engine was on and running), and I went inside. About 15 minutes later I came back to my car, and the engine had turned off. …
This only affect 05-06 Legacy gt owners. The up-pipe for the Subaru Legacy gt in these given years have a catalytic converter in there and after a certain mileage, the debris of the catalytic converter breaking down would shoot back into the turbocharger. That would cause the turbo failure and stall the vehicle unexpectedly. The catalytic converter in the up-pipe does not have any indication of % of wear and most non-car enthusiasts would not know what the issue is caused by except for an expensive turbo replacement and up-pipe replacements. Most of the owners of these issues turn over to catless up-pipe but that would cause the check engine light coming on and overboosting or the engine run rich, further damaging the engine. This can be pretty dangerous if a person is on a road trip and having a long drive as it directly impact the drivability of the vehicle. …
Electrical system
Hello, I had bought a 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5 gt limited and I live in the hills of western ma, so my car saw 2 winters. Coming back from boston, ma 14 miles from home (out of 135 miles) as I was entering charlmnt I slowed down to 30 MPH. As I approached a corner with a car coming in my lane. I thought if I went into his lane best case scenario I could make it. But we clipped back bumpers and when I put my brakes on the car started going faster at that time I just said there was puddle with ice underneath. But now with the recall about the brake lines in certain states being recalled, that makes since because when I slammed onto my brakes the car started to go faster not slowing down. I contacted about the accident [redacted] vp of Subaru of America or soa. …
I had run into a few small problems this winter, like my steering wheel not turning when the car was cold, but I experienced my first major problem while my vehicle was stationary, but had been running. I was going through a drive through, had to put my car in park, then when I went to shift it back into drive, nothing would happen. It was stuck in park. I don't think the problem was temp. Related, it was about 40 degrees outside. After turning the car on/off four or five times I was able to get it going, but my headlights went out, which I thought was strange. While driving home I noticed that the "brake" light was illuminated. The next day, I started my car before work to defrost my windows. The car started just fine (all the electrics worked and the engine was on and running), and I went inside. About 15 minutes later I came back to my car, and the engine had turned off. …
2006 Subaru Legacy engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 27 / 22 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Subaru Legacy a good car?
Based on 87 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 Legacy rates average: 37% 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 2006 Subaru Legacy?
The speed control & acceleration — 30 complaints, 34% of all complaints for this model year, most often about cruise control. Next are the engine & cooling (20) and electrical system (17).
How many recalls does the 2006 Subaru Legacy have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2006 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 2006 Subaru Legacy problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 100,000 miles; 20% 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.