Subaru Legacy vs Tesla Model S
Owner complaints, worst years and recall history side by side, from official NHTSA data. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Raw complaint counts are not adjusted for sales volume.
Subaru Legacy
- Total complaints
- 3,146
- Avg per model year
- 88
- Recall campaigns (all years)
- 68
- Most complained year
- 2005 (184)
Top problems: Electrical System, Air Bags, Power Train
Tesla Model S
- Total complaints
- 3,381
- Avg per model year
- 226
- Recall campaigns (all years)
- 38
- Most complained year
- 2015 (667)
Top problems: Electrical System, Unknown / Other, Suspension
Complaints by model year
| Year | Subaru Legacy | Tesla Model S | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 2024 | 17 | 38 | ||
| 2023 | 10 | 113 | ||
| 2022 | 32 | 138 | ||
| 2021 | 31 | 178 | ||
| 2020 | 121 | 80 | ||
| 2019 | 123 | 44 | ||
| 2018 | 117 | 168 | ||
| 2017 | 119 | 424 | ||
| 2016 | 147 | 646 | ||
| 2015 | 159 | 667 | ||
| 2014 | 53 | 365 | ||
| 2013 | 66 | 459 | ||
| 2012 | 90 | 61 |
Method. Complaints are unique NHTSA reports per model year. A model that sold more units will naturally accumulate more complaints — compare the shape across years, not just the raw totals, and read the year pages for what actually fails.