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2023 Subaru Legacy problems

The most common problem on the 2023 Subaru Legacy is airbags. It has fewer complaints than a typical Legacy model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Owner complaints
10
Recalls
2
Service bulletins
339
Worst area
Airbags
Fuel economy
26-30mpg

The worst 2023 Subaru Legacy problems

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

  • Airbags
    2
  • Driver assistance
    2
  • Visibility
    2
  • Electrical
    1

Problems by type

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

  • Airbags
    2
  • Driver assistance
    2
  • Visibility
    2
  • Electrical
    1

Recalls 2

Power train: automatic transmission: park/neutral start interlock switchReported November 9, 2023 · 95,830 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Risk
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

Recall number 23V755000 · Recall details

Power train: driveline: driveshaftReported September 21, 2023 · 4,311 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Outback, Legacy, Ascent, and Impreza vehicles. The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, resulting in the disconnection of the front end of the driveshaft.
Risk
Separation of the front end of the driveshaft increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will clean the bolt mounting surfaces of the center support brace and install new bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRN-23.

Recall number 23V647000 · Recall details

See all 2 recalls for the 2023 Subaru Legacy

Technical service bulletins for the 2023 Subaru Legacy 339

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

See all 339 bulletins for the 2023 Subaru Legacy

2023 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‑cylAWD273530
2.4L 4‑cylAWD233126

What 2023 Subaru Legacy owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed May 21, 2026 · IA

Full screen ads inhibiting, stopping, and blockingfunctionality unless interacted with from a third party service that was forcibly installed by dealership/manufacturer

Filed Apr 24, 2026 · Electrical · IA

All electronic instrument panels failed to power on upon ignition. Vehicle was drive-able, but all key information provided by instrument panel was not available: such as actual speed, gear selection, engine RPMs, backup cameras. Additionally, infotainment system was not available either, so none of vehicle controls that reside on the displays were available. This condition persisted thru the length of drive.

Filed Dec 5, 2025 · VA

While driving home after work on the interstate, I was quite startled to see a large popup on the vehicle's main screen; initially I thought it might be some sort of vehicle-problem, but it was a large advertisement for free access to SiriusXM for a limited time. The ad covered the screen and was quite jarring while driving in traffic. In order to close it, I pressed a red X in the upper corner. Such in-vehicle advertisements should NOT be presented while driving (actually, at any time).

Filed Sep 18, 2025 · NY

Voice command in my 2023 legacy is not working. I can not speak into system to say call a person already entered without taking hands off steering wheel. Already reported to dealer & to corporate Subaru & it is a known issue. Reference # with corporate is 250620-1900992. This was reported to dealer in June 2025 when in for service & no fix has been noted other than Subaru is working on it? Feature built into car at purchase is thus useless & seems like a safety issue if I can’t use hands free when driving.

Filed Mar 2, 2025 · Driver assistance · GA

This issue started on the trip back from Nashville. Upon cold start in the morning the center console display won't start. This affected infotainment, climate, eyesight, cruise etc. The system didn't work during the entire trip of 3 5 hours and inability to operate climate control caused the car to build up fog on all windows reducing visibility significantly at times. Turning ignition off, lock-unlock sequences didn't help the issue. The system booted normally after it sat locked for few hours upon arrival. A visit to dealer didn't find any issues. The usual comment the car needed software update, which I couldn't verify.

Filed Feb 15, 2025 · Airbags · MA · crash

i was traveling into work in Boston and a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup hit me broadside (drivers side wheel, rear door). My air bags (driver front or side) did not deploy and my car was determined to be a total wreck by my insurance company. I was bruised and out of work for a couple of days but was a fortunate to walk away from this accident.

Filed Jan 11, 2025 · Visibility · GA

Accorn fell on windshield. At 14,000 miles windshield cracked. Was driving approximately 35MPH

Filed Mar 15, 2024 · Driver assistance · 50 miles · WV · crash

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the forward collision avoidance warning system would independently be active without an obstacle in front of the vehicle; the "Obstacle Detected" warning message would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the forward collision avoidance feature had failed to operate on two separate occasions in which the contact struck a deer. In both instances, the contact struck a deer while driving at about 30 MPH. No alerts, warning messages, or safety features were activated during either accident. The air bags did not deploy in either accident. A police report was not filed and no injuries occurred during either accident. The vehicle was taken to two separate dealers-Jenkins Subaru(750 Lodgeville Rd, Bridgeport, WV 26330) and Subaru of Morgantown(1730 Mileground Rd, Morgantown, WV 26505), but neither were able to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50.

Filed Jul 21, 2023 · Airbags · RI

My wife is a petite woman, 4 feet 7 inches, 85pounds clothed. We bought the car March 29, 2023 and drove home, and the passenger airbag worked properly thru April 2. Behavior after that became erratic, passenger airbag sometimes on, sometimes not. Became more erratic and brought to dealer (Balise Subaru) April 12. Service technician reported system worked properly, no error codes. I asked Service manager to look at the car with my wife rather than a 180 pound technician sitting in it. He observed that with my wife in the passenger seat he would start and stop the car, and sometime the airbag was on, other times off even though she never moved or change position. He was going to check with Subaru, saying nothing in the system could be adjusted and it had a trigger weight of approximately 80.5 pounds. Erratic behavior became worse such that airbag was off 75% of the time. Tried various seat positions to no effect. Note: My wife sits 23 inches from the dashboard. On April 18 on a round trip to a doctor she weighed 84.6 pounds on a medical scale in normal indoor clothes, and wore a light coat (1.2 pounds) while in the car in both directions. The airbag was on the entire trip to the doctor, and off the entire trip home. Subaru responded she was so small and near trigger weight was the likely cause. Dealer did re zero the passenger seat, no change. Car has been at the dealer 3 times for this problem, and system has become somewhat less erratic such that the airbag is either on immediately or more often within 5 minutes of driving 50-60% of the time, yet my wife's weight has held steady. Two patterns I have found: Temperature sensitivity: more consistent when temp is in the 40s or 60s, worse in the 50s, and variable otherwise. Having the AC on seems to help so I'm wondering if the control unit or seat sensors are overheating, also high lateral forces on on-ramps will turn the airbag on. I also suspect the seat sensors lack precision and weigh my wife erratically.

Filed Feb 23, 2023 · Visibility · 2,000 miles · CT

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that when she entered her vehicle, she noticed that there was a crack in the windshield down by windshield wiper on the driver's side. The contact stated that the crack had begun to expand up the windshield and stopped approximately 4 inches from the where the windshield joins the vehicle subframe. The contact stated that this was the second windshield she had installed. The contact stated that dealer told her the first replacement had been from road debris. The contact stated she never had no windshield strikes in the five weeks she had owned the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local glass shop where it was diagnosed and determined that the windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

Compare the 2023 Subaru Legacy

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Other model years

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Questions about the 2023 Subaru Legacy

Is the 2023 Subaru Legacy reliable?

Owners have filed 10 complaints about the 2023 Subaru Legacy, fewer than a typical Legacy model year.

What is the most common problem with the 2023 Subaru Legacy?

Airbags, with 2 complaints. Next is driver assistance (2).

How many recalls does the 2023 Subaru Legacy have?

2 recalls, covering power train.

What year does the Subaru Legacy have bad airbags?

The Subaru Legacy model years with the most airbags complaints are 1995 (45 complaints), 2009 (31 complaints) and 2010 (28 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2023 Subaru Legacy get?

Official estimates for the 2023 Subaru Legacy range from 26 to 30 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 4-cyl, AWD) gets 27 city and 35 highway.

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