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 bulletin announces the new procedure and Warranty Fail Code for FirstTime air conditioning (A/C) performance concerns possibly resulting from an undetected A/C refrigerant leak.
10-105-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2026
This bulletin contains information to help when attempting to complete the STARLINK Telematics subscription process, an Error Code 202 and / or 204 may occur preventing the process from completing successfully
15-219-18R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 16, 2026