Subaru Legacy stalling problems

Filed Jul 17, 2026 · Engine · 15,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle intermittently stalled. The contact stated that seconds later, the vehicle returned to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched and became aware of an unknown the federal safety agency Campaign Number; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Filed Jun 4, 2026 · Engine · CT

Vehicle: 2021 Subaru Legacy Base 2.5i Mileage:~65,000 miles My engine suddenly began making loud internal knocking/tapping noises with no warning lights, no overheating, and no prior symptoms. The vehicle immediately became unsafe to operate. I had it towed to a Subaru dealership, where technicians confirmed the noise was coming from inside the engine and recommended a full engine replacement. The failure happened without any warning indicators, misfires, overheating, or oil pressure warnings. All diagnostics (including compression and leakdown) were clean, and the vehicle has been properly maintained. Subaru of America acknowledged the internal failure but only offered $1,000 goodwill toward a multi‑thousand‑dollar engine replacement. This appears to be a premature internal engine failure on the FB25 engine, which may indicate a defect. A sudden internal engine failure at highway speeds could lead to loss of power, stalling, or inability to accelerate, creating a safety hazard for the driver and surrounding traffic. I am filing this complaint because this type of unexpected internal engine failure at relatively low mileage may represent a pattern and should be tracked for potential investigation.

Filed Dec 23, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · WA

My 2012 Subaru Legacy experiences involuntary engine stalling when coming to a quick stop, such as in stop-and-go traffic or during sudden braking at intersections. When the engine shuts off without warning, power steering and braking assist are lost, creating a serious risk of collision. This is a known issue documented by Subaru of America in Technical Service Bulletin 16-90-13R, applicable to 2010–2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles with CVT transmissions. Subaru attributes the condition to excessive thrust washer wear inside the torque converter, which prevents proper release of lock-up clutch pressure. Subaru describes the condition as similar to stopping a manual transmission vehicle without depressing the clutch, which inherently results in engine stalling. Subaru later redesigned the torque converter as a countermeasure beginning in October 2013, indicating prior knowledge of a defect. However, Subaru never issued a recall or notified owners and addressed the issue only through a non-customer-facing service bulletin. I contacted Subaru Customer Advocacy to report this safety concern and request assistance with the repair (quoted over $4,000). Subaru acknowledged my concern but declined responsibility, citing the vehicle being out of warranty and stating that TSBs are not customer facing. Subaru did not confirm whether the vehicle is safe to drive with this condition. This issue represents a safety defect, not a warranty dispute. Vehicles that can stall unexpectedly during normal braking events pose a serious safety risk, and many affected vehicles remain on the road today.

Filed Dec 21, 2025 · Engine, Steering · NY

The Legacy (my third one) was about a month old and had about 30 miles on the odometer. I had no warning of any problem with the car. On or about 5:45 PM on Oct 22, 2025 I was driving my Subaru Legacy when the engine stalled. I was in the HOV lane of an interstate highway. Multiple times the starter failed to restart the engine. Traffic was blocked in my lane and diverting around me. It was dusk with a misty rain. My wife and I were felt we were at high risk of being rearended at any moment. After about 5-10 minutes, during which we called 911, the engine restarted. Seeing no help from the police available, I judged it was best. to get off the highspeed road. I was able to get off the highway and make it home, about 5 miles away. I have not tried to drive the car ever since this terrifying episode.

Filed Dec 18, 2025 · Acceleration, Engine · NY

At the end of a drive of 75 mi, 55-65 MPH on an 8 lane highway the engine stalled. Stopped in HOV lane. Restarting failed several attempts. Called police 911. Dusk, with light rain, slick highway. Poor visibility. Wife and I prayed a lot. Scarier than my year in Vietnam. Restarted after about 10 minutes, and prior to police arriving. Made it home 5 min away. Neither dealer nor Subaru can recreate or define the cause. My family and I fear the thought of driving again in that car. Not knowing the cause means no one can fix it.

Filed Nov 26, 2025 · Fuel system · CA

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.

Filed Nov 21, 2025 · Transmission · PA

Car intermittently will studder and not go into first gear or go into second gear dangerously having car bog down and almost stall and then it violently downshifts having car RMP Hague go very high then slip and have no power to wheels and then a few seconds later go into second gear violently taking off again. Have tried taking issue to dealer but won’t even look unless check engine light comes on. Which it sometimes will for this issue and will shut back off before my short drive to dealership. Very frustrated especially being my first new car paying monthly to have this problem

Filed Oct 22, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · CT

An issue has surfaced with my car that it turns off while driving. Obviously this is a serious safety hazard and likely to result in an accident. Now that it has happened, it is continuing and frequently happening. I reached out to Subaru as I saw there was a recall for my car's make and model that is causing the same issue. The issue is listed as the federal safety agency CAMPAIGN ID: 19V297000, described as "The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. " and affecting many Subarus, including the 2011 legacy. I believe my car is impacted given the behavior it is exhibiting. When I reached out to Subaru, they dismissed it saying it did not apply to my car and they were not willing to investigate. I believe this poses a grave risk to many people given that it will cause an accident and the severity of the defect.

Filed Jul 21, 2025 · Transmission · PA

CVT Transmission Failure. Failure occurred at approximately 66,706 miles on 5/16/25. The Check Engine and AT Temp lights appeared in the instrument cluster. The driving conditions when this happened were a safety concern. First, the vehicle would crawl, shutter, and almost stall with high RPMs when attempting to climb a hill. Second, on a level surface at any given time the vehicle would not respond then lunge forward unexpectedly. The vehicle was inspected by a Subaru Dealership and the diagnosis was "Internal failure of transmission". The transmission needs to be replaced. The same driving conditions and error codes were experienced by an AAMCO Transmission repair facility. The diagnosis was codes P0843 and P0867 present prompting the transmission to be replaced. This repair was completed on 6/4/25. The failed transmission is no longer available.

Filed Feb 6, 2025 · Transmission · WI

Believe the torque converter in the cvt transmission is causing the vehicle to stall. Happened multiple times going through an intersection and was almost side swiped. Was an extended warranty on cvt but no recalls for it yet.