Vehicle report
2023 Subaru Legacy
Free recalls, owner complaints, and NHTSA safety ratings for the 2023 Subaru Legacy, plus how to check this specific vehicle before you buy.
The 2023 Subaru Legacy has 2 NHTSA recalls on record and 10 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Its overall NHTSA crash-test rating is 5 out of 5. Below is the full breakdown, plus how to check this specific vehicle by VIN before you buy in Alberta.
2
Open recalls
10
Complaints
5
Overall safety
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2023 Subaru Legacy recalls (2)
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Outback, Legacy, Ascent, and Impreza vehicles. The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, resulting in the disconnection of the front end of the driveshaft.
Remedy: Dealers will clean the bolt mounting surfaces of the center support brace and install new bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRN-23.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
2023 Subaru Legacy safety ratings
5
Overall
5
Front
5
Side
5
Rollover
Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.
2023 Subaru Legacy owner complaints (10)
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Full screen ads inhibiting, stopping, and blockingfunctionality unless interacted with from a third party service that was forcibly installed by dealership/manufacturer
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
All electronic instrument panels failed to power on upon ignition. Vehicle was drive-able, but all key information provided by instrument panel was not available: such as actual speed, gear selection, engine RPMs, backup cameras. Additionally, infotainment system was not available either, so none of vehicle controls that reside on the displays were available. This condition persisted thru the length of drive.
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving home after work on the interstate, I was quite startled to see a large popup on the vehicle's main screen; initially I thought it might be some sort of vehicle-problem, but it was a large advertisement for free access to SiriusXM for a limited time. The ad covered the screen and was quite jarring while driving in traffic. In order to close it, I pressed a red X in the upper corner. Such in-vehicle advertisements should NOT be presented while driving (actually, at any time).
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Voice command in my 2023 legacy is not working. I can not speak into system to say call a person already entered without taking hands off steering wheel. Already reported to dealer & to corporate Subaru & it is a known issue. Reference # with corporate is 250620-1900992. This was reported to dealer in June 2025 when in for service & no fix has been noted other than Subaru is working on it? Feature built into car at purchase is thus useless & seems like a safety issue if I can’t use hands free when driving.
- FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
This issue started on the trip back from Nashville. Upon cold start in the morning the center console display won't start. This affected infotainment, climate, eyesight, cruise etc. The system didn't work during the entire trip of 3 5 hours and inability to operate climate control caused the car to build up fog on all windows reducing visibility significantly at times. Turning ignition off, lock-unlock sequences didn't help the issue. The system booted normally after it sat locked for few hours upon arrival. A visit to dealer didn't find any issues. The usual comment the car needed software update, which I couldn't verify.
- AIR BAGS
i was traveling into work in Boston and a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup hit me broadside (drivers side wheel, rear door). My air bags (driver front or side) did not deploy and my car was determined to be a total wreck by my insurance company. I was bruised and out of work for a couple of days but was a fortunate to walk away from this accident.
- VISIBILITY/WIPER
Accorn fell on windshield. At 14,000 miles windshield cracked. Was driving approximately 35MPH
- FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the forward collision avoidance warning system would independently be active without an obstacle in front of the vehicle; the "Obstacle Detected" warning message would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the forward collision avoidance feature had failed to operate on two separate occasions in which the contact struck a deer. In both instances, the contact struck a deer while driving at about 30 MPH. No alerts, warning messages, or safety features were activated during either accident. The air bags did not deploy in either accident. A police report was not filed and no injuries occurred during either accident. The vehicle was taken to two separate dealers-Jenkins Subaru(750 Lodgeville Rd, Bridgeport, WV 26330) and Subaru of Morgantown(1730 Mileground Rd, Morgantown, WV 26505), but neither were able to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50.
- AIR BAGS
My wife is a petite woman, 4 feet 7 inches, 85pounds clothed. We bought the car March 29, 2023 and drove home, and the passenger airbag worked properly thru April 2. Behavior after that became erratic, passenger airbag sometimes on, sometimes not. Became more erratic and brought to dealer (Balise Subaru) April 12. Service technician reported system worked properly, no error codes. I asked Service manager to look at the car with my wife rather than a 180 pound technician sitting in it. He observed that with my wife in the passenger seat he would start and stop the car, and sometime the airbag was on, other times off even though she never moved or change position. He was going to check with Subaru, saying nothing in the system could be adjusted and it had a trigger weight of approximately 80.5 pounds. Erratic behavior became worse such that airbag was off 75% of the time. Tried various seat positions to no effect. Note: My wife sits 23 inches from the dashboard. On April 18 on a round trip to a doctor she weighed 84.6 pounds on a medical scale in normal indoor clothes, and wore a light coat (1.2 pounds) while in the car in both directions. The airbag was on the entire trip to the doctor, and off the entire trip home. Subaru responded she was so small and near trigger weight was the likely cause. Dealer did re zero the passenger seat, no change. Car has been at the dealer 3 times for this problem, and system has become somewhat less erratic such that the airbag is either on immediately or more often within 5 minutes of driving 50-60% of the time, yet my wife's weight has held steady. Two patterns I have found: Temperature sensitivity: more consistent when temp is in the 40s or 60s, worse in the 50s, and variable otherwise. Having the AC on seems to help so I'm wondering if the control unit or seat sensors are overheating, also high lateral forces on on-ramps will turn the airbag on. I also suspect the seat sensors lack precision and weigh my wife erratically.
- VISIBILITY
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that when she entered her vehicle, she noticed that there was a crack in the windshield down by windshield wiper on the driver's side. The contact stated that the crack had begun to expand up the windshield and stopped approximately 4 inches from the where the windshield joins the vehicle subframe. The contact stated that this was the second windshield she had installed. The contact stated that dealer told her the first replacement had been from road debris. The contact stated she never had no windshield strikes in the five weeks she had owned the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local glass shop where it was diagnosed and determined that the windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
Checking a used Subaru Legacy before you buy
The recall, complaint, and safety data above describes the 2023 Legacy in general. To know the condition and history of the specific vehicle you're looking at, check it by VIN. A VIN check shows whether this particular Legacy's recalls are still outstanding, and a full history report adds accident, title, and ownership records the data above can't show.
Before you buy a 2023 Subaru Legacy in Alberta:
- Run a free VIN check on the exact vehicle for its own recalls and safety data.
- Run an Alberta Personal Property Registry lien search so you don't inherit debt.
- Get an independent pre-purchase inspection.
- If it's a dealer, confirm their AMVIC licence.
See other model years of the Subaru Legacy, or browse more Subaru models.
2023 Subaru Legacy — questions and answers
Does the 2023 Subaru Legacy have any recalls?+
Our check found 2 NHTSA recalls associated with the 2023 Subaru Legacy. Check the specific vehicle by VIN to see which remain outstanding, since some may already have been repaired. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer.
How many complaints does the 2023 Subaru Legacy have?+
NHTSA lists 10 owner complaints for the 2023 Subaru Legacy in our results. Complaints are problems reported by owners and don't always lead to a recall, but a pattern of similar complaints is worth weighing before you buy.
Is the 2023 Subaru Legacy safe?+
The 2023 Subaru Legacy has an overall NHTSA crash-test rating of 5. Review the front-crash, side-crash, and rollover ratings above, and pair safety ratings with a mechanical inspection of the specific vehicle.
How do I check a 2023 Subaru Legacy VIN?+
Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN into our free VIN check to see recalls, complaints, and safety ratings for that exact vehicle, then run an Alberta Personal Property Registry (PPR) lien search before you pay.
Are recall repairs on a Subaru free?+
Yes. Safety recall repairs are performed at no cost by a franchised Subaru dealer, even for a used vehicle and even if you're not the original owner. Confirm the required parts are in stock before relying on the fix.
Get the full vehicle history report
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