2017 Subaru Legacy problems and recalls

Owners have filed 118 complaints on the 2017 Subaru Legacy, and NHTSA has issued 2 recalls. The most cited component is the Visibility/Wiper (33 complaints).

118
Complaints
2
Recalls
10
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
6
Injuries
71.1
Severity index

Severity index 71.1 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 71.1p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 52 of 137 by severity index among 2017 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 62% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2017 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 33 complaints (28.0%)33 28%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 29 complaints (24.6%)29 25%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 21 complaints (17.8%)21 18%SteeringSteering: 9 complaints (7.6%)9 8%Air BagsAir Bags: 7 complaints (5.9%)7 6%StructureStructure: 6 complaints (5.1%)6 5%Service BrakesService Brakes: 5 complaints (4.2%)5 4%EngineEngine: 5 complaints (4.2%)5 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
VISIBILITY/WIPER3328.0%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2924.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2117.8%
STEERING97.6%
AIR BAGS75.9%
STRUCTURE65.1%
SERVICE BRAKES54.2%
ENGINE54.2%

Complaints filed per year

014282016: 12017: 82018: 52019: 82020: 222021: 232022: 282023: 142024: 32025: 32026: 3 (partial year)161718192021222823242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20161
20178
20185
20198
202022
202123
202228
202314
20243
20253
2026 (year to date)3
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.3x those in 2020 to 2022 (20 against 73).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
16V71600006/10/2016STEERING:COLUMNSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured September 21, 2016, to September 23, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the knee guard bracket may not be properly attached to the steering beam assembly.
16V29200011/05/2016STEERING:COLUMNSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to May 6, 2016. The steering column on the affected vehicles may have been improperly machined, and as a result, turning the steering wheel may

Other Subaru Legacy model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 12 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.