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The 2015 Subaru Legacy has 159 NHTSA owner complaints and 3 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2015 Subaru Legacy has 159 NHTSA owner complaints and 3 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). The most-reported system is visibility at 37 complaints, typically surfacing around 20,629 miles (~$350 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 Legacy | 90 | 16 |
| 2013 Legacy | 66 | 12 |
| 2014 Legacy | 53 | 10 |
| 2015 Legacy (this page) | 159 | 3 |
| 2016 Legacy | 145 | 3 |
| 2017 Legacy | 118 | 2 |
| 2018 Legacy | 116 | 3 |
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Driver-assist features on the tested model: Electronic stability control: Standard · Forward collision warning: Optional · Lane departure warning: Optional
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program — tested configuration: 2015 Subaru Legacy 4 DR AWD. Stars rate crash protection in NHTSA's tests, not overall reliability — see the owner-complaint data below for what actually goes wrong.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: electrical is flagged severe on this model , showing up around 25,981 mi. Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 3 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 7.0/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
When owners report each system failing, in actual miles — so you can see what's likely behind you, what's due around now, and what to budget for next. Enter your mileage to mark where you are.
"Typical" = median owner-reported failure mileage from the NHTSA complaint record for this exact year and model. Not a maintenance schedule — a heads-up on where this model's failures cluster.
Bought my vehicle and was driving it home, had the defrost on cause the window kept fogging up when I heard a crack and the windshield cracked from the bottom up where the defroster is and they wont replace it, on top of the where u put gas in the car it stuck shut and they told…
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…
Driving on freeway with cruise set at 72mph, reached down to the center council to grab an item, and pulled up on the electronic parking brake button. The button is located too close to reachable places. The car came to a scratching halt, lucky the vehicles behind me were able…
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Subaru legacy. The contacted stated while the vehicle was parked at his residence. He saw smoke illumniated inside of the vehicle. No one was injured. The contact stated the fire started around the front passenger side door. The fire was put out by…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
Poor performance of the electronic stability control system when it is activated may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
If the transmission oil leaks onto the exhaust pipe, there is a possible risk of fire.
If the automatic pre-collision braking system does not function as intended, the vehicle will not react to an obstacle in its path, increasing the risk of a crash.
NHTSA has an open defect investigation covering this vehicle — the step that can precede a recall, not a finding of fault. EA21002 on NHTSA →
How NHTSA investigations work, and what's open now →
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.0 out of 10 based on 159 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2015 Subaru Legacy is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2015 Subaru Legacy is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Electrical system: 35 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 7,000–39,000 mi; Reliability score 7.0/10 — around the segment average; 3 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the visibility first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 37 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 20,629 miles. Average repair cost runs about $350 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 7.0 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 159 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is visibility. Typical failure occurs around 20,629 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is visibility, with 37 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 20,629 miles. Average repair cost runs about $350 at an independent shop.
The visibility is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $350 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 20,629 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 159 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $350, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.