Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Subaru Legacy owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My airbag light had been turning on intermittently as is described by many 2008 Subaru Legacy and outback owners about a year prior to my accident. On October 15th, 2014, I lost consciousness while driving and went off the road and struck two trees. My vehicle was totaled with a cracked frame and it took two tow trucks and a winch to pull my car off of the trees. In this accident my airbags did not deploy and I suffered a fractured vertebra, a traumatic brain injury, knee injuries, and shoulder injuries. This is beyond wrong and Subaru know there are defective parts in these Legacy's and outback's as is outlined by all of the complaints out there online and with the NHTSA. I will not stop pursuing this until Subaru is held accountable ethically, as well as financially for the problems I have suffered as a result of their defective product.
Red airbag indicator in instrument cluster begun coming on/off once or twice a week then became constant. Observed passenger airbag indicator had no lights on(no illumination at all) searched forums and found multiple similar cases with no resolve from the dealership. As a mechanic myself I began my own diagnosis, cause: removed overhead control panel and performed electrical testing on passenger airbag circuit. Found open circuits between component contacts. Correction: retinned contacts and added solder. Haven't had an airbag light since the repair.. I have heard the dealer wants 300+$ to repair. This is such a common and serious issue that it should be considered for a recall... I have seen and performed far more trivial recalls. That said; if you take your car to a decent Subaru or independent shop they should be able to diagnose this and fix it for alot less than the dealer
Airbag warning light on the dashboard comes on intermittently , but now stays on the majority of the time. Took car to dealer for passenger airbag recall and they told me the airbag light on the dash is fault code 26. Many other Subaru owners reporting this exact same issue, which is related to faulty soldering of components in the overhead map light console. As this is a critical safety issue (passenger airbag May not deploy in an accident), Subaru should issue a recall to repair or replace the faulty component(s). Beware- serious safety issue.
Dash warning light has come on and gone off on a regular basis since I purchased the car a little over 2 years ago. It seems to happen more in the winter. If I look online it appears as if there are many complaints about this part and the average cost seems to be 300-400 dollars to fix it. If an airbag is not working because of a faulty part I believe this to be a huge safety risk to anyone in the vehicle. With the recall on the brake lines in my car failing what would I do if I lost my brakes while driving and the air bag was not working?
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Suburban Subaru (14 hartford turnpike, vernon, ct) diagnosed that an air bag sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and provided case number: 1-27240483127. The failure mileage was 110,099.
Airbag warning light on the dashboard comes on intermittently when starting the vehicle (fault code 26 - passenger air bag indicator failure) many other Subaru owners reporting this exact same issue, which is related to faulty soldering of components in the overhead map light console. As this is a critical safety issue (passenger airbag May not deploy in an accident), Subaru should issue a recall to repair or replace the faulty component(s).
Air bag problem light is on constantly whenever it's cool and humid, or cold outside. I've scanned for trouble codes, but no codes are present. A non-Subaru garage did troubleshooting but was unable to find any cause. Given other complaints, I'm distressed that this is a pervasive issue with the potential for serious injury or death. Subaru needs to do the right thing and fix these issues before anyone loses their lives.
Air bag dashboard light lights up intermittently when starting and driving. Problem has been occurring since 2013. Subaru dealer said problem is faulty soldering in the overhead console that controls airbag operation. Many internet complaints about this Subaru problem. Airbags won't work when dash airbag light is on. Subaru won't take responsibility for this safety issue. Charges $300+ to replace defective console.
On June 17 airbag light went on at startup and stayed on until I arrived at work. When leaving after 9hrs the light was off at startup. Since then the light comes on at least twice a week and stays on for two or three days then goes off. I am extremely concerned about their deployment in the event of an accident. I do plan on taking the vehicle to the dealer .
I own an 08 Subaru Legacy 2.5i sedan with approximately 77000 miles on it. At approx. 76000 miles, the "airbag" warning light came on in the main dash cluster. Referring to the owner's manual, all it said was that this light indicates a problem with the airbag system and that the system May not allow the airbags to deploy at all during a collision, or May deploy with even a light collision. It recommended to take the vehicle to the dealer immediately. I took the car to the Subaru dealer I have always had service done, and they told me the "lamp assembly - map" had an electrical short in it and needed replaced. An "electrical short"? That sounds very serious. With parts and labor, the cost came in at $389.30, which seemed quite excessive. …
Related recalls
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 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.
Airbag complaints in other Legacy years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2008 Subaru Legacy?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the air bags of the 2008 Subaru Legacy, 38% of the model year's 65 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2008 Subaru Legacy airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-001 (inflator module, Jan 2, 2020); NHTSA recall 20V-003 (inflator module, Jan 2, 2020); NHTSA recall 20V-002 (inflator module, Jan 2, 2020). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Subaru Legacy airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.