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2006 Subaru Legacy problems

The most common problem on the 2006 Subaru Legacy is acceleration and speed control, typically around 107,300 miles. Its complaint count is close to a typical Legacy model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
63/100
Owner complaints
87
Recalls
7
Service bulletins
225
Worst area
Acceleration
Fuel economy
19-23mpg

The worst 2006 Subaru Legacy problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2006 Subaru Legacy

Check engine light 30Adaptive cruise 16Stalling 6

Trouble codes owners of the 2006 Subaru Legacy mention

P2138 12

Recalls 7

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported January 2, 2020 · 258,813 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.

Recall number 20V001000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported January 2, 2020 · 127,547 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.

Recall number 20V002000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported January 2, 2020 · 111,562 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.

Recall number 20V003000 · Recall details

Electrical system: ignition: switchReported April 11, 2019 · 511 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Risk
The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.

Recall number 19V297000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported May 28, 2015 · 432,016 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V‑399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V‑763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed the federal safety agency of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.

Recall number 15V323000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsReported June 10, 2014 · 461,338 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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 Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Risk
Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 2014 and second notifications will run through November 2014. Owners may contact Subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQK-47. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V‑110 which applied to certain 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback vehicles. Vehicles that were remedied under the previous campaign still need additional areas rust-proofed.

Recall number 14V311000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsReported March 27, 2013 · 274,402 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.
Risk
Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
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. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQG-43.

Recall number 13V110000 · Recall details

See all 7 recalls for the 2006 Subaru Legacy

Technical service bulletins for the 2006 Subaru Legacy 225

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 225 bulletins for the 2006 Subaru Legacy

2006 Subaru Legacy fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
2.5L 4‑cyl4WD17-2023-2719-23

What 2006 Subaru Legacy owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 5, 2022 · Wheels · WA

Hub was replaced in June of 2019. Car was driven about 14,000 miles (estimate) since then. While driving down the road, I hard a noise on the front right tire. When I pulled the hub cap off, two bolts were sheared off, one nut was loose. I checked the torque on the remaining two bolts, and it was about 80 ft-lbs, which is what is specified in the manual. Since I torque all 5 in star order (twice) when I change tires, there is no change they were under or over torqued. Tires were changed twice a year by myself, so nuts went on/off four times since installing the hub. No other failures on any other studs, on two subaru cars that I followed the same practices on. I used a press to press out the studs (as pictured), but due to a defective design, the studs can't be removed without pressing out the bearing and separating the halves. Additionally the replacement studs I bought are a larger diameter, and have a shoulder that would have protected against this failure. As such this looks like a defective design. It's not an OEM replacement, it does not last a reasonable time, and presents a real risk of losing a tire at speed on a car. Manufacturer phone number as listed on Amazon is disconnected. Their web site is broken, and does not allow "chat" to work. Their listed phone number refused to allow a connection unless the dialer states their age, which makes it sound like a scam number. They claim a 10 year warranty, but want me to call them to process. Apparently I cannot do so, as they have made it impossible.

Filed Oct 18, 2021 · Brakes · TX

While driving down the highway I had to slam on my brakes to avoid colliding with someone and at that time the brake pedal went soft. Upon further inspection 2 different brake hard lines running to the rear of the vehicle have corroded and failed. This issue was supposed to be remedied under 14V311000 and the vehicle was originally taken in for that recall. Subaru of America was contacted and said because the recall work had already been completed they would not address the issue.

Filed Jul 28, 2020 · 150,000 miles · PA

The dashboard surface is extremely sticky,particles of any type of rag or towel used to clean it adhere to the surface and can not be removed. It also causes an unsafe glare when driving at night.

Filed Feb 3, 2020 · Airbags · 140,000 miles · WI

Our car was recalled due to a safety hazard with the passenger side airbag in 2016, so severe that the letter stated that death could occur should the airbag deploys. After an initial appointment, we were told we had to wait about a month for the replacement to be delivered. During this time, we were not able to have a passenger in the front seat. We had to arrange for other transportation on the day that our car was repaired as well as when it was originally inspected for the replacement part. After the work was done, we had to take the car back a third time because in the course of fixing the airbag, the dealership damaged our keyless remote (which they fixed). We lost valuable time from work. Now, less than 3 years later, the same car is being recalled for the same issue: the passenger side airbag posses a safety hazard, this time due to the replacement airbag. We are taking it to a different dealer, but again, the soonest they can get it into the shop is march 11. Again, we are left with a car that cannot transport a front seat passenger for over a month. This time, the dealership is offering a free loaner car on the day that our car will be in the shop, but we are still losing valuable time due to this. This is the third recall on this vehicle since we owned it. The first was a brake line recall.

Filed Jan 7, 2020 · Acceleration · 125,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru legacy outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard however, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted nor notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Oct 4, 2019 · Acceleration, Electrical · 162,000 miles · NY

Car loss power and went into limp mode with a solid check engine light and blinking cruise on the dash. The RPM jumped high with out the gas pedal being pushed down. Vehicle was in motion driving at 25 MPH before the aforementioned happened.

Filed May 17, 2019 · Brakes · 93,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru legacy. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle did not decelerate when the brake pedal was depressed. In addition, the brake warning indicator illuminated. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the rear brake line was corroded and leaking brake fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 93,000.

Filed May 13, 2019 · Electrical · 136,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru legacy. The contact stated that while driving at different slow speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact called the johnson subaru of cary (919‑238‑6864, located at 5010 old raleigh rd, cary, nc 27511, where it was informed that there was no recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall under the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately. 136,000.

Filed Apr 29, 2019 · Engine, Fuel system · 147,000 miles · IL

This only affect 05-06 legacy gt owners. The up-pipe for the subaru legacy gt in these given years have a catalytic converter in there and after a certain mileage, the debris of the catalytic converter breaking down would shoot back into the turbocharger. That would cause the turbo failure and stall the vehicle unexpectedly. The catalytic converter in the up-pipe does not have any indication of % of wear and most non-car enthusiasts would not know what the issue is caused by except for an expensive turbo replacement and up-pipe replacements. Most of the owners of these issues turn over to catless up-pipe but that would cause the check engine light coming on and overboosting or the engine run rich, further damaging the engine. This can be pretty dangerous if a person is on a road trip and having a long drive as it directly impact the drivability of the vehicle. Subaru has recognize the issue and therefore 07+ turbo models all have a catless up-pipe with the ecu tuned to that specification. I believe it is not fair for 05-06 legacy gt owners to have to suffer from such a critical issue without some sort of compensation or recall. Thank you for your time

Filed Sep 6, 2018 · Transmission · 40,000 miles · PR

Tps malfuntion. Stops acceleration at the highway that almost causes an accident.

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Other model years

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Questions about the 2006 Subaru Legacy

Is the 2006 Subaru Legacy reliable?

Owners have filed 87 complaints about the 2006 Subaru Legacy, close to a typical Legacy model year.

What is the 2006 Subaru Legacy year score?

The 2006 Subaru Legacy scores 63 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Subaru Legacy: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2006 Subaru Legacy?

Acceleration and speed control, with 30 complaints, typically around 107,300 miles. Next is engine (20).

How many recalls does the 2006 Subaru Legacy have?

7 recalls, covering air bags, electrical system and service brakes, hydraulic.

What year does the Subaru Legacy have the most acceleration problems?

The Subaru Legacy model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2006 (30 complaints), 2005 (15 complaints) and 2015 (14 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2006 Subaru Legacy get?

Official estimates for the 2006 Subaru Legacy range from 19 to 23 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 4-cyl, 4WD) gets 17-20 city and 23-27 highway.

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