2016 Subaru Legacy problems & reliability
147 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Subaru Legacy, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 23, 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.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Subaru Legacy vehicles were involved in 18 fatal crashes with 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 51 | 35% |
| Unknown / Other | 41 | 28% |
| Visibility/wiper → | 17 | 12% |
| Steering → | 16 | 11% |
| Power Train → | 13 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 8 | 5% |
| Engine | 7 | 5% |
| Structure | 6 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 23 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 74 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 37,000 miles (middle 50% between 24,250 and 58,954 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The infotainment screen would do random cycling through source, maps and other functions all without the driver’s input. Also the screen would just randomly freeze and become insensitive to touch inputs. The steering wheel controls for the infotainment randomly malfunctions. The most concerting thing is when placed in…”
Back Over Prevention · filed Sep 12, 2026
“While traveling approximately 70 mph, my 2016 Subaru Legacy experienced a sudden drivetrain failure. The vehicle made a loud bang, immediately lost acceleration/power, and approximately five seconds later the front drivetrain locked, causing the tires to skid and leaving a long skid mark. The engine remained running…”
Unknown / Other · filed Aug 1, 2026
“The factory touchscreen infotainment system is experiencing severe screen delamination (internal adhesive failure). This defect causes uncontrollable 'ghost touching,' where the screen registers phantom inputs. The system cycles through radio stations, changes audio sources, and changes navigation without driver…”
Back Over Prevention · filed Jun 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
Technical service bulletins
462 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Subaru Legacy. The 10 most recent:
This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
16-156-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
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 announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. (This is an revised version of the orignal bulletin.)
16-156-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 2, 2026
This bulletin announces the availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) for certain vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines.
02-195-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 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 bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability.
16-156-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 13, 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 2016 Subaru Legacy has 3 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 2016 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 37,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.