2006 Subaru Legacy problems & reliability
87 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2006 Subaru Legacy, alongside 7 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
4 complaints report injuries (6 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2006 Subaru Legacy vehicles were involved in 8 fatal crashes with 4 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 30 | 34% |
| Electrical System → | 17 | 20% |
| Engine → | 16 | 18% |
| Air Bags → | 13 | 15% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 12 | 14% |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 10% |
| Power Train | 8 | 9% |
| Unknown / Other | 6 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 5% |
| Suspension | 4 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 20 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 72 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 100,000 miles (middle 50% between 63,973 and 138,285 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Hub was replaced in June of 2019. Car was driven about 14,000 miles (estimate) since then. While driving down the road, I hard a noise on the front right tire. When I pulled the hub cap off, two bolts were sheared off, one nut was loose. I checked the torque on the remaining two bolts, and it was about 80 ft-lbs…”
Wheels · filed Oct 5, 2022
“While driving down the highway I had to slam on my brakes to avoid colliding with someone and at that time the brake pedal went soft. Upon further inspection 2 different brake hard lines running to the rear of the vehicle have corroded and failed. This issue was supposed to be remedied under 14V311000 and the vehicle…”
Service Brakes · filed Oct 18, 2021
“The dashboard surface is extremely sticky,particles of any type of rag or towel used to clean it adhere to the surface and can not be removed. It also causes an unsafe glare when driving at night.”
Unknown / Other · filed Jul 28, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
212 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2006 Subaru Legacy. The 10 most recent:
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
This announcement is requesting retailer staff to retain the EyeSight protective hood covers from Generation 4 EyeSight cameras.
SubaruNet Annoucement (E · Other · issued Jun 12, 2026
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 18, 2026
This announcement provides information on the remanufactured CVT transmission program.
SubaruNet Announcement (R · Other · issued May 4, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin was developed to provide interim guidance for vehicles exhibiting DTC B2A20.
07-240-26R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2026
This bulletin announces the service manual correction regarding clutch master cylinder reservoir service procedures.
03-97-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2026
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2006 Subaru Legacy has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2006 Subaru Legacy?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 100,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.