2005 Subaru Legacy electrical system problems

25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 2005 Subaru Legacy — 14% of all complaints for this model year.

Electrical System complaints

14%

share of all complaints

93,000 mi

median reported incident mileage

1 / 3

crash / fire reports

What owners report

“The cd player turns on by itself when radio is on. Nothing specifically makes it happen like hitting a bump or anything it does it while car is still. Car was takin on to be looked at but they said nothing could be done. Also, gear shift doesn't always lock in place. Which makes the car not able to…”
filed Feb 15, 2020
“I recently noticed that some elements of my rear hatch on my subaru legacy wagon were not working. Specifically, the lights that illuminate the license plate, the rear defroster, center brake light, hatch locking mechanism, and radio antenna were not working. An inspection of the area where the…”
filed Feb 10, 2020

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or…
15-308-23R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
15-304-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2026
Techtips newsletter locator index.
Article Locator · Other · issued Aug 5, 2026
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin
15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2026