Brake complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 17% | — |
| 2024 | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2022 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2021 | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2020 | 2 | 2% | 4,000 miles |
| 2019 | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2018 | 6 | 5% | 23,000 miles |
| 2017 | 5 | 4% | 33,000 miles |
| 2016 | 8 | 5% | 8,000 miles |
| 2015 | 13 | 8% | 60,000 miles |
| 2014 | 2 | 4% | — |
| 2013 | 4 | 6% | 105,000 miles |
| 2012 | 7 | 8% | 87,000 miles |
| 2011 | 18 | 11% | 105,000 miles |
| 2010 | 13 | 9% | 91,000 miles |
| 2009 | 9 | 14% | 131,000 miles |
| 2008 | 13 | 20% | 149,000 miles |
| 2007 | 3 | 9% | 135,000 miles |
| 2006 | 10 | 11% | 93,000 miles |
| 2005 | 31 | 17% | 130,000 miles |
| 2004 | 3 | 6% | 130,000 miles |
| 2003 | 4 | 7% | 116,000 miles |
| 2002 | 7 | 13% | 50,000 miles |
| 2001 | 7 | 9% | 105,000 miles |
| 2000 | 7 | 7% | — |
| 1999 | 12 | 13% | — |
| 1998 | 14 | 12% | 150,000 miles |
| 1997 | 27 | 19% | 70,000 miles |
| 1996 | 18 | 15% | 158,000 miles |
| 1995 | 29 | 16% | 150,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
My wife experienced an unintended acceleration in her 2018 Subaru Legacy. My wife had begun to slowly back out of a parking space in a school parking lot when her 2018 Legacy went into an unintended rapid acceleration in reverse. The car took off in reverse and did not respond to her applying the brakes. Somehow she managed to steer the car which was rapidly acceleration in reverse, virtually uncontrollable, and guide the car down a row of parked cars until she clipped the front of another car at the end of the row and her car came to a stop. Thank God there were no students in the parking lot at the time! The floor mats in our Legacy are Subaru mats that lie flat and in no way would affect the accelerator pedal. As the car was accelerating in reverse, and she had removed her foot from the accelerator onto the brake, the brakes did not slow the car. …
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the headlights failed to illuminate, and the rearview camera was intermittently flashing and displaying a blank image. The contact stated that on various occasions when the vehicle was parked, the parking brake failed to activate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head unit software needed to be updated; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired and occasionally failed to start. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V935000 (Visibility) or Number: 18V626000 (Parking Brake). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,191.
I drove into the parking lot of Walgreens, then drove around and pulled into a parking spot facing the south side of the building and put my foot on the brake to stop and park. Instead of stopping, the car suddenly lurched forward violently and slammed into the brick wall of the building. My wife called 911 since I told her my chest really hurt. When the police came, I told them my foot must have slipped off the brake and hit the accelerator, since I had no idea what else might have caused the car to accelerate like that. My wife drove the car home and then drove to the ER where the EMTs had taken me. A CT scan showed that I had a fractured sternum, since my chest hit the steering wheel full force after the air bags failed to deploy. I was in excruciating pain for a few weeks, and after I felt better, we submitted a claim to our insurance company. …
The car had been going on several local stops. Car was in the middle of a main thoroughfare ready to turn on to interstate ramp when the car completely stopped functioning. Battery light came on briefly before the vehicle became completely non-responsive. Among other things non-functioning, Emergency lights would not work, electric park brake would not engage. Could not get out of car to flee danger as car would freely roll and no way to stop except to hold brake with foot pressed. Ultimately car was chocked and jumped by AAA tow truck. Technician said battery was dead but alternator was working when he started it up. After 3 days of diagnostics, Subaru dealer cannot find a fault which let the new auto battery simply drain to nothing state and thus make the car non-responsive. Thank the good Lord this did not happen after turning on to the interstate.
I been having issues with my brake When I'm driving out of know where my whole brake goes all the way down and it takes a minute to actually brake. As well when that happens my eyesight goes off. This is a big risk I'm taking when im driving. I took my car to the Subaru dealership and they couldn't find the reason why my car is doing it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 Subaru Legacy. While reversing the vehicle, it suddenly accelerated. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the vehicle drove through the driveway barriers and crashed into a tree. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who repaired the rear driver side panel and trunk. The contact had not called the dealer. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact that they would tow the vehicle to a Subaru dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was 37,000.
The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact opened and closed the trunk, triggering the alarm system. The alarm system failed to deactivate immediately. The vehicle then failed to restart as needed, and the "Shift to Park" message was displayed while the transmission was in park(P). The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the brake fuse was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact replaced the brake fuse for a second time, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, where an unknown repair was performed. The contact later sold the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
As I pulled up behind a car that was stopped at a stop sign, I took my foot off the gas pedal, and put it on the brake pedal. The moment i put my foot on the brake pedal, my car surged forward. I had a moment to think, and I confirmed that my foot was on the brake pedal, I had felt the brakes trying to resist the surge. I put the car into neutral, and it jerked to a stop. No one was hurt, I stopped the car in time, but I wondered if this had happened in other settings, what danger it would have posed. This has previously occurred rarely and intermittently when, starting out on some cold mornings, i shifted from reverse to neutral to drive, when backing out of my driveway in the morning.The car surged forward and I had to be quick on pressing the brake pedal hard to get it to stop before hitting a mailbox post. No warning lights went on, in any of these incidents. …
Related recalls (7)
Service brakes, hydraulic › Pedals and linkages
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Outback and Legacy vehicles. The brake pedal mounting bracket may have a missing or insufficiently tightened bolt.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake pedal mounting bracket hardware and replace the hardware or brake pedal assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2019.
Parking brake
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. The electronic parking brake (EPB) may not engage as intended, allowing the vehicle to rollaway if the transmission is not in the proper gear when parked.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPB actuator assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614.
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.
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.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Pedals and linkages
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2012 impreza sedans and wagons (except wrx/sti models), manufactured from April 21, 2011, through November 15, 2011, and legacy and outback vehicles manufactured from October 17, 2011, through November 23, 2011.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder and if necessary, replace it, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during December 2011.
Show 2 more recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
On certain passenger vehicles, the brake master cylinders May not function properly in ambient temperatures below freezing 32 degrees fahrenheit and lower).
Remedy: Dealers will replace the master cylinders. Owner notification began March 21, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles equipped with anti-lock braking system (ABS). (the 1999 2.2 liter legacy vehicles are excluded). In extremely cold weather, the brake pedal goes to the floor and the vehicle stopping distance is increased.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder.
Frequently asked questions
Which Subaru Legacy years have brake problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (31), 1995 (29), 1997 (27), 1996 (18) and 2011 (18) model years. Brake complaints make up 17% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Subaru Legacy brake problems?
Yes — 7 recalls, including 19V-664 (pedals and linkages, Sep 18, 2019); 18V-626 (parking brake, Sep 13, 2018); 14V-311 (hoses, lines/piping, and fittings, Jun 10, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Subaru Legacy brake problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 102,000 miles; 27% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (67 mentions), followed by the foundation components › disc › rotor (14).
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.