There are 13 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2015 Subaru Legacyin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I am reporting a Sudden Unintended Deceleration event in my Subaru. The vehicle grinded to a halt without driver input. The car stopped in the left lane of a major highway. We put on our hazards and called the state police for help. They were unable to get to us in time. We were hit from the rear. The car's failure created a stationary hazard that led to a high-speed rear-end collision by a Jeep and truck which caused the car to do a 360-degree spin.
Short Block needs to be replaced ($6,500) Yes, Scenic Subaru has the vehicle awaiting status of repairs (who is paying for service) Yes, my safety is at risk as the oil light has come on during the night when I'm alone on a deserted road. Service Department knows what the problem is - they are seeing alot fot this problem. Unknown on Inspections Yes, warning 'low oil' light came on. The oil light kept coming on. All service and maintenance done by Subaru. Now, Subaru Service Department informed that the Short Block needs to be replaced. From my research, it seems that this is a common problem with newer Subaru engines because they use a liquid engine sealant at the factory and when oil sits on the seals when the engine is not running, the sealant degrades and begins to leak. They also said there was nothing we could have done to prevent this and reiterated just how common with Subaru's. Replacing the Short Block on a car with low mileage (<75,000 miles) should be paid for by Subaru as this is a known manufacturing issue. I should not have to pay for this repair. Also, Subaru said trade in value has dropped due to this issue. Please email or call me as soon as possible. [XXX] [XXX] phone [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for service, he was informed that the front exhaust pipe was fractured. The dealer diagnosed that the front exhaust pipe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the front exhaust pipe was previously replaced under Subaru Campaign Number: WUJ-95 due to the failure; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
10/4/21 engine suddenly surges while waiting in line at bank -- thunderous roar, heavy shaking. Assumed it was transmission problem. I put it in park and removed the key to stop it. I got out of car because I was scared. Got back in after a few minutes and started it up again. It shook and roared again. Turned it off and got back out. After about half an hour I tried again, and it seemed to run normally. Afraid to drive it home, I pulled into bank parking lot and called my husband for advice. It is a risk because car could accelerate unexpectedly and hit someone Not yet seen by dealer but I plan to take it in for repair No warning indicators noticed Prior to this for some weeks, car shuddered frequently when braking
WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR SHUT DOWN. THIS OCCURRED MORE THAN ONCE. ON THE HIGHWAY AND ON THE LOCAL ROAD. MY MECHANIC REPLACED THE NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL WITH SENSOR AND REPLACED POSITIVE TERMINAL
GOOD AFTERNOON, I AM THE OWNER OF A 2014 SUBARU LEGACY ([XXX]) WHICH IS LOCATED IN UKRAINE, THERE IS A REVOCABLE COMPANY UNDER WHICH MY CAR FALLS (SERVICE CAMPAIGN: WUJ95), THE IMPORTER AND DEALERS REFUSE ME THIS, WHAT SHOULD I DO? HERE IS THE IMPORTER'S ANSWER: GOOD AFTERNOON, THIS CAMPAIGN IS FOR NORTH AMERICA ONLY. CAMPAIGNING IN OTHER REGIONS IS NOT POSSIBLE. YOURS FAITHFULLY, SERVICE MANAGER [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
STRONG EXHAUST FUME SMELL INVADES CABIN WHILE IDLE, EVERYDAY AND IT'S GETTING STRONGER NO LEAKS DETECTED
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil every 3,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the oil was changed. The contact stated that the oil light illuminated whenever the oil level was extremely low. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNSPECIFIED RATE OF SPEED, AN ANIMAL WENT ACROSS THE DRIVER'S PATH. THE DRIVER VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE VEHICLE ERUPTED INTO FLAMES. WEEKS PRIOR TO THE CRASH, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER DUE TO VARIOUS WARNING LIGHTS RANDOMLY FLASHING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL; HOWEVER, THE REMEDY MAY HAVE BEEN INSUFFICIENT AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITH FORCE. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE ABRASIONS TO THE HEAD, A FRACTURED RIGHT FEMUR, FOUR LATERAL FRACTURES IN THE ARMS, FRACTURES TO THE LEFT ELBOW WITH METAL PLATES, AND BURNS TO THE BACK. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 15V502000 (POWER TRAIN) AND 15V366000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,100.
CAR ENGINE STALLED WHILE IN MOTION ON A CITY STEET. CAR WAS RESTARTED BUT ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. TOOK CAR TO DEALER WHO REPLACED O2 SENSOR. CONCERN IS WHY CAR STALLED WHEN A SENSOR FAILED . ON A FREEWAY THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS.
AT 300 MILES, COMING OFF HIGHWAY, SLOWED DOWN TO 5 MPH AND WENT THRU TOLL BOOTH. I THEN STEPPED ON GAS, HAD HESITATION, NO RESPONSE THEN ACCELERATION. HAPPENED AGAIN ON 5/11/15 WHEN I HAD 900 MILES. CAME OFF HIGHWAY ON TO LOCAL STREETS. THIS TIME HAD 5-7 BIG HESITATIONS OVER 10 MINUTE PERIOD. VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE I WAS MAKING A U-TURN AND CAR HESITATED THEN ACCELERATED AS I WAS MAKING U-TURN !! RETURNED CAR TO DEALER. DO NOT WANT TO DRIVE IT UNTIL FIXED.
I WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN THE ENGINE LOW OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I CHECKED THE OIL IMMEDIATELY AND IT APPEARED TO BE DOWN ABOUT A QUART. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND TOOK IT IN THE NEXT DAY. THEY CONFIRMED THE OIL WAS DOWN ABOUT A QUART AND STARTED AN ENGINE OIL STUDY. I AM TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP IN 1200 TO HAVE THE OIL LEVEL CHECKED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE 2011 AND ABOVE SUBARUS. THIS ALL HAPPENED A MONTH OR SO AFTER I HAD ALREADY TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AFTER HAVING A BURNT OIL SMELL FROM OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. NOTHING WAS FOUND. *JS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE DRIVING IN THE SNOW, WATER STARTED TO LEAK INSIDE THE ENGINE CAUSING A BURNING SMELL. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WORKING UP TO SPECIFICATIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,400. ..UPDATED 06-18-15 *BF UPDATED 10/3/2017*CN
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026