2010 Subaru Legacy owner complaints

My 2010 Subaru legacy 3.6r has a very noticeable delay when attempting to accelerate the vehicle after a rolling stop. This is very common in everyday traffic, heading towards a red light that turns green, as well as with speed bumps. There is almost a full 2 second delay and the car then thrusts itself when the accelerator actually responds. *tr

My car stalls when I come to a stop. It is an automatic CVT car. He happens all the time. Could cause an accident when I stop and then accelerate. *tr

Vehicle will shudder and stall when coming to a stop most often in the uphill position, it will also stall when coming to a stop after braking hard. This problem is avoided if you place the car in neutral but that is the only way. Engine idle will drop drastically and the vehicle has a hard time reengaging into drive after coming to a complete stop. I assume it is the CVT transmission or the torque convertor.

While driving the car, it frequently jolts, makes a screeching noise and it is scary because it also feels as though it may simply turn off. I have contacted the dealership from which I purchased the vehicle and I was informed that Subaru is aware of the issue and that they would likely take care of repairing the transmission ($7,000). However, Subaru has contacted me with the offer to pay only $2,500 of the total amount of the repair. My major concern is that Subaru recalled these (CVT) transmissions, beginning with 2012 models; however, they are aware that the problem also exists in the 2010 outback and legacy, both of which my husband and I own and drive, respectively.

Issue: when slowing down and then during final braking (such as at a stop sign or traffic light and also when applying the brakes to avoid a dangerous situation at speed on the highway) the car will "shudder" and then the engine will stall and stop running. This is particularly dangerous in traffic if it is necessary to get off the road. The car was brought to brewster, ny Subaru (845 278 8300) and the technician claimed it did not show any codes on the computer. I then asked for a drive with the service manager and then he was able to replicate the issue several times. After never having road tested the car until I asked for it they came back with the guess that it was the torque converter. Cost to fix aprox. $1770.00.I understand that there was a service bulletin issued on this, but I

On night of november 8, 2018 vehicle was on the highway going approximately 55 miles per hour when the vehicle suddenly shut down and was unable to restart. Vehicle towed to Subaru service center who advised "no oil shown on dipstick, drained oil found only about 1/2 quart in engine, oil was contaminated with chunks of metal, added oil and started engine, verified engine had a broken connecting rod and only running on 3 cylinders. Vehicle has 115,437 miles on it, oil change stick shows due at 114,109, 1,328 over due for oil change. Right front headlight assembly has water intrusion. Recommend replace engine". The last time the oil was changed was on august 22, 2018 at a Subaru service center where the vehicle was maintained on a regular basis. It is evident that the oil burned off due

Torque Converter failure - car stalls/shuts off when braking hard. This is a huge safety hazard. Car has 114,852 miles on it and was just recently purchased from a private owner. There should have been a recall for these vehicles from Subaru.

Passenger air bag light indicating air bag is off when a 5'4'' 112 pound adult female is in the seat. The indication light will sometimes flicker from off to on but mainly remains off for the duration of the drive regardless of the speed as well as when the car is in park. This incident has occurred since the purchase of the car in june 2011 and continues to occur each time my wife is in the passenger seat. *kb

The passenger-side air bag in our 2010 legacy is turning off intermittently and spontaneously while the car is in motion, although the passenger seat is occupied by a 120-pound person. The bag is deactivating even though the seat is securely locked into position as far from the dashboard as it will move, and nothing is placed beneath the passengers seat. To reactivate the air bag, it is necessary to stop, then to restart the engine, and that maneuver is frequently not feasible in either heavy freeway traffic, or on remote highways that lack shoulders. The rebooting procedure indicates that the problem is not any sensor for the seat it is a problem with the computer operating the air bag. The dealer is unable to treat this problem. *kb

Frontal driver's airbag did not deploy when automobile struck a utility pole head-on with sufficient force to damage it beyond economic repair. Only occupant was operator, and was using seatbelt but was injured due to force of impact against the steering wheel. Note 1: mileage is unknown. Figure supplied is an estimate. Note 2: photographs of the damage are available and the vehicle is being preserved for further examination. Note 3: this report is being submitted by a professional motor vehicle accident reconstruction. The contact information in this form is that of the engineer who is investigating the accident. *tr

Vehicle was involved in a front-end collision in which the Airbag failed to deploy. The vehicle has been considered totaled by the insurance company. A police report is available.

I’m having an issue with my vehicle stalling when I brake and when I come to a stop slowly or on an incline. I haven’t had it tested at a dealership but I have read about the issue among other Subaru owners stating it is possible the torque converter in the CVT and that Subaru isn’t recalling it. I see this as a major safety concern for myself and others on the road due to its stalling out at a stop or on an incline.

On wednesday, november 19, 2014 my son left for work at his usual time and started the Subaru. Immediately, the engine roared at full throttle, and the vehicle took off down the street, where it jumped the curb and crashed into a tree at 45 MPH. Distance traveled was less than 400 feet from where it started. Based on an eyewitness account, it is presumed that the vehicle suffered an unintended acceleration mechanical issue outside of the driver's control. Emergency service personnel arrived within minutes, and he was taken to the major metro-area 833 bed hospital (level 1 trauma center) where he was admitted to critical care. He died peacefully and without pain on wednesday afternoon, november 26, 2014, at age 37. Subaru of america was notified of this incident on friday, november 21

The 2010 Subaru legacy gt has a defect in the sensor that determines weight in the passenger seat. This sensors function is to turn the airbag on or off depending on the amount of weight in the seat. With a 114 pound woman in the passenger seat, the automatic airbag sensor does not signal for the airbag to be ready to deploy and continues to be in the off mode. After taking the vehicle to multiple Subaru dealerships, I was informed that the needed weight to turn the airbags to the on mode was 17 pounds. My 114 pound wife is far more than 17 pounds but the airbag sensor still does not trip to the on mode. I am worried that a passenger will not be protected in a possible crash. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Subaru legacy. The head rest tilts to far down, which causes pain to her neck. She is only 5'1" tall. A technician from the dealer stated that the vehicles design meets regulations. The failure and current mileages were 500. Updated 2/1/10 *cn updated 02/02/10.*jb

Stalling at stop lights. More often when it's cold and rainy. This happens to me at minimum 4x a day.

Notice significant rust or corrosion on my 2010 Subaru Legacy, especially on the subframe. Had it professional inspected and confirmed on December 6, 2025 because it was making a squeaky noise when I applied the brakes. I purchased this vehicle 02/15/20 used, was not told about corrosion. Bought vehicle at Maxon Buick GMC in Union, New Jersey. Also,my headlight bulbs keeps going out every year since I purchased my Legacy.

I had a major safety issue with my 2010 Subaru legacy while driving on the freeway. The car was doing approximately 50 MPH and I accelerated to change lanes and all of a sudden the car lost all power and eventually came to a complete halt right in the middle of fast moving traffic. I turned on my hazard light, put the car to park and restarted. The car would start but would shut down slowly in the next 2-3 seconds even before I could put it to drive and accelerate. I noticed that all the lights in the dash like traction control, check engine, etc all lit up and the car just slowly died. After trying it one more time (with same results) I shut off the car completely and started calling aaa for towing. After about a minute when I tried to re-start the car, it sprang up to life n

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Subaru legacy. The contact stated that the recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 18v626000 (service brakes) was received in june of 2016. After contacting the manufacturer, the contact was informed that a remedy was not expected until the second quarter of 2019. The local dealer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Vibrations occur when exceeding 50 MPH. These vibrations extend to the steering wheel, floor, and driver and passenger seats and increase as speeds becoming enhanced in speeds over 70mph. No accidents and regular dealer service. Have had multiple balances, alignments and 2 new sets of tires to no avail. Car presently in dealer repair for greater than 8 weeks trying to fix problem. I was informed that the entire front suspension needed to be replaced. *tr