2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5 engine. Fuel gauge is inaccurate. My daughter was on the highway when it ran out of fuel. Had car towed to a independent shop. They said that the fuel gauges is a problem for Subaru 's and that they had seen it before on other Subaru's.
Subaru Legacy fuel gauge problems
17 of the 3,184 owner complaints about the Subaru Legacy describe wrong fuel gauge reading, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 17
- worst model year
- 1995
- typical mileage
- 65,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20184
- 20152
- 20031
- 19973
- 19962
- 19955
Often reported together
What owners say
On june 6, 2019, we took our car in for regular maintenance and to perform two outstanding recalls that involved "software reprogramming" -- one for the fuel gauge (which apparently may not properly reflect low gas levels) and one for the head unit (which may fail to initialize and activate the backup camera). We had _zero_ problems with the head unit (or fuel gauge to our knowledge) prior to the recall work. Now the head unit fails to initialize for several minutes every few times we start our car -- the _exact_ issue that the recall was initiated to address. I am also concerned that the fuel gauge reprogramming may not have remedied that sensing error either. I contacted the manufacturer, which has instructed us to return to the same dealer to have them try to fix it again. We scheduled their next available appointment on july 3rd, but now have no confidence that the software reprogramming rolled out by subaru actually remedied the manufacturing defects. Indeed, it appears to have introduced a defect into our head unit system.
Driving on interstate at 70mph & car acted as if it went into neutral. Rpm's were maintained at apx 4000. Low fuel light had just gone moments before indicating 80 miles left in tank. Car acted like it had no gas however RPM was working as I pulled on to shoulder of highway, luckily.once pulled over & braking engine stopped. Tried restarting & engine acted like it had no gas. Was in the process of waiting for aaa when I tried restarting it. It started after about a half hour from incident, although I did not try to start it after the 1st 5 minutes or so. When it restarted low fuel gauge was still on 70 miles to empty & I was able to make it to gas station & refueled to approximately 15 gallons, 3 less than 18 gallon tank so there was approx 3 gallons in tank when this occurred. Car is working fine now but will be taking to nc subaru to see if any codes were set, nothing was alerted on car warning lights other than low fuel warning light. I live in nj & I am concerned this could happen again driving back & I may not be so lucky to be able to pull over on more congested highways. Searched google & there are similar incidents such as subaru forrestor 2014 with same engine & issue where dealer could not find issue. Also subaru issued recall for 2017 imprezza (see 33k cars recalled) with stalling issues. Car has 93k miles & other than replacing 2 batteries, one a few weeks back , it has never had an issue with anything else. I was approximately 2 miles from getting off interstates when this occurred (eg 553 of 550 miles before 30 or so miles remaining on local roads). After refueling in nj only made two quick 5 minute stops along the way before this occurred.
I took the car to the dealer for the recall on the fuel gauge. Supposedly the work was done. The website lists it as incomplete. I don't know what this means or what I should do about it. Please advise.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 subaru legacy. The contact stated that the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v773000 (electrical system) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for repair. The contact received the recall notification in november of 2018. Prestige subaru (4271 e black horse pike, turnersville, nj) stated that the parts were not available for the repair. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated that the fuel gauge displayed that the vehicle had 40 miles left. After the contact drove 10 MPH, it ran out of fuel. Parts distribution disconnect.
Fuel level not properly indicated subaru"s letter indicated they did not know when or if there would be a fix to the problem
Subsequent to filling gas tank, gasoline was observed leaking from the rear undercarriage area, near the rear wheel driver's side. Approximately 1/2 to 1 gallon of gas was observed to leak onto the ground. A slow fuel leak continues in the same area, and a strong smell of gasoline in the passenger compartment persists until the fuel gauge indicates approximately 3/4 full. At this point, no leakage is observed, and a light smell of gasoline persists. This represents a dangerous condition and appears to be a manufacturer's defect.
Fuel tank filler pipe rotted out. Plastic shield over filler neck traps sand. Steel filler pipe rusts where wet sand is trapped against it. Intermittent fuel leak depending on fuel level was the first symptom of problem (marks on driveway). Only fuel in filler pipe leaks. Dealership staff suggested this is a common occurrence.
Dt: the caller says his gas gauge will show empty when it gets down to half a tank. He states that it does not happen all the time. It has been happening for a month. Dealer and manufacturer have not been contacted yet.*ak the consumer did contact the manufacturer and was told to take the vehicle to the dealer, but there would be a charge to inspect the vehicle.
The gas gauge provided an inaccurate fuel reading.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
- Risk
- Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
Recall number 21V587000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.
- Risk
- If the low pressure fuel pump fails, the engine may stall without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-20.
Recall number 20V218000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger or sport utility vehicles may have a loose or out of position fuel filler hose clamp.
- Risk
- This could result in fuel leakage. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and tighten the clamp on the fuel filler hose. Owner notification began august 27, 2003. Owners should contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783.
Recall number 03V303000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Possible fuel leakage of under-hood fuel hoses at low ambient temperatures (-40 degrees c) once the fuel hoses age and become less flexible.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect for under-hood fuel hoses with lot numbers 0804 and 0806 and all fuel hoses with those numbers will be replaced.
Recall number 00V393000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- A misalignment of the rear seat cushion latching bracket reinforcement plate to the floor required a machine tap to clear the opening for a mounting bolt. The top of the fuel tank may have been punctured when the tap was used.
- Risk
- The puncture in the top of the fuel tank could cause fuelto leak, which could result in a vehicle fire when leaks occur near a source ofignition.
- Remedy
- Inspect the fuel tanks; replace them if they are punctured.
Recall number 92V044000 · Recall details
Questions about the Subaru Legacy fuel gauge
Which Subaru Legacy years have wrong fuel gauge reading problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (5 complaints), 2018 (4 complaints) and 1997 (3 complaints).
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