I am reporting a safety issue with my 2019 Subaru Legacy that hesitates and nearly stalls when accelerating from a stop and is now undriveable due to stalling and shaking. I bought the car new from AutoNation Subaru Carlsbad in 2019. It has about 65,000 miles and I have driven it less than 2,000 miles since its last dealer visit in August 2025. Since around August 2025, the car has intermittently lost power under light acceleration from a stop or low speed, especially while pulling into or through intersections. Pressing the accelerator sometimes produces very little power, the engine feels like it may stall, and traffic behind me must brake or go around me, creating a risk of a rear‑end collision in intersections. In August 2025 I took the car to AutoNation Subaru Carlsbad and reported that the symptoms seemed like a fuel pump problem (my independent mechanic agreed). The dealer kept the car for about two weeks, experienced the hard‑starting/turn‑over issue, but did not test or replace the fuel pump. They performed other services, charged me $1,956.21, and returned the vehicle without fixing the safety issue, even though they later acknowledged the fuel pump is covered under an extended warranty. One day after picking the car up, the same hesitation and loss of power recurred in an intersection. On November 26, 2025, the car again became disabled: it cranks, briefly starts roughly, shakes, and then stalls, and will not stay running. I believe this is a defective low‑pressure fuel pump or related fuel system component, similar to known Subaru fuel pump defects that can cause stalling and loss of power. No crash or injuries yet, but there have been near‑misses due to unexpected loss of power in traffic.
Subaru Legacy fuel pump problems
17 of the 3,184 owner complaints about the Subaru Legacy describe fuel pump failure, most of them for the 2019 model year.
- owner complaints
- 17
- worst model year
- 2019
- typical mileage
- 85,000
By model year
- 20195
- 20111
- 20081
- 20061
- 20053
- 20021
- 19991
- 19971
- 19961
- 19942
Often reported together
Stalling 3Won't start 2Loss of power 2Hesitation 2Fuel leak 2Premature wear 1Overheating 1Fire or smoke 1
What owners say
Fuel Pump failed. Available for inspection upon request. Vehicle shut down near a busy intersection. There were no warnings, just failed while leaving a restaurant.
Acceleration is uneven/hesitant. I think it’s the fuel pump. 56,000 miles on vehicle.
Battery dies if car not used for a period of time. No telling when this will happen. Problem worse when ambient temperature cold but has happened in summer as well. Sometimes when not driven for a week but other times just a couple days. Has not stranded me yet, but not hard to imagine leaving at an airport and coming back to a dead car in a dark parking structure. Not even enough power to open the doors with fob. Taking it to dealer in a couple weeks for recall(fuel pump) and this problem. They may replace battery but as in other Subarus I figure the problem will persist.
2008 subaru legacy. Consumer writes in regards to issues with fuel pump. The consumer stated that the vehicle would turn over, but would not start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated the the metal of the pump harness was severly burned and melted due to extreme heat. The vehicle was repaired.
Car was sometimes difficult to start, other times it would stall/hesitate when in motion on city street. Discovered to be caused by aged/worn fuel pump causing overcurrent draw that fails to blow fuse causing meltdown in wiring harness connector where pigtail from pump connects to the chassis side of the wiring harness. Heat/spark potential is created in close proximity to fuel tank that has many reported cases of fuel filler neck rusting off and leaking fuel. A quick google search reveals that a number of people, with photos, have experienced this failure. Photo provided is from internet but the result is the same.
Tl* the contact's wife owns a 2019 subaru legacy. The contact stated that his wife received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 20v218000 (fuel system, gasoline). His wife took the vehicle to brown's manassas subaru (9018 liberia ave, manassas, va 20110) where the recall remedy was performed and the vehicle was returned to the contact's wife. About a month later, the contact stated that the vehicle would not start after his wife made multiple attempts to start the vehicle. Due to the failure, his wife had the vehicle towed to faulkner subaru bethlehem (330 stoke park rd, bethlehem, pa 18017) where they discovered that the fuel pump was corroded at the electric connections. They stated the corrosion was caused by a fuel leak that had leaked into the electrical connection. The dealer shipped the fuel pump to japan to have an investigation launched into the failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The original dealer brown's manassas subaru (9018 liberia ave, manassas, va 20110)) was notified of the failure and offered to assist regarding the failure. The vehicle remained in the possession of faulkner subaru bethlehem (330 stoke park rd, bethlehem, pa 18017). The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
Driving vehicle eastbound on hwy-14 in vancouver, wa, approx 60 MPH. Vehicle lost power and would not restart. After we got vehicle home, inspection found high pressure fuel line had blown-off at the fuel pump connection, causing large amount of fuel to leak under the vehicle.
Plastic fuel pump basket/assembly flange that mounts on top of fuel tank structurally deteriorates resulting in multiple cracks that allow fuel to leak out of tank below the rear passenger seat. We own two different 2005 subaru legacy models (one sedan, one station wagon) and upon inspection discovered that the fuel pump basket flange on both cars showed exactly the same structural defect. The fuel basket assembly is only available directly from subaru of america and the repair involves substantial labor to change all parts over. This is clearly a structural or design issue and not a question of maintenance or random quality control.
Drumming noise that appears to be coming from the rear-end of the vehicle, can be heard and vibrations felt inside the vehicle, when the engine is on and the vehicle is at rest or moving. Subaru of america factory and dealership service technicians are not certain that the issue is the fuel pump, but soa factory has instructed the dealership to replace it.
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 pump
Which Subaru Legacy years have fuel pump failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2019 (5 complaints), 2005 (3 complaints) and 1994 (2 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Subaru Legacy?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history