10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
75,587 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Subaru Legacy brakes problems

brakes problem

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2011 Subaru Legacy Owner Comments

problem #18

Sep 252023

Legacy

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brakes failed due to a rusty brake line. Rear passenger side where theres a 4 way block 2 lines in 2 lines out. All 4 lines are rusted where they connect, one of the lines broke to cause a significant leak. This caused me to have very little brakes as the vehicle ran out of brake fluid. I can see brake fluid on the ground and diagnosed the issue myself. It seems as it is a common issue. The brake light did come on when the brake fluid was low enough, but at that point there was little to no brakes anyway because the leak was so consistent.

- Beaver Dams, NY, USA

problem #17

Jan 172023

Legacy 4-cyl

  • miles
To Whom It May Concern: I am an owner of the Subaru 2011 Legacy AWD, VIN # [XXX], [XXX] at [XXX], Parker, Colorado, reaching out to you about a well-known and recognized toque converter issue described in the 2011 Subaru Legacy F4-2.5 L SOHC, Vehicle - Technical Service Bulletin applicability :2010-2012 MY Legacy Models equipped with CVT Transmission. I purchased my car after its previous owner with a salvage title due to an accident, however it turns out it has a torque converter issue which makes a car die every time I use a break when coming to a stop, described in the above Subaru Technical Service Bulletin. The Subaru of North America has a customer satisfaction program which allows me and similarly situated Subaru Legacy 2010-2012 owners to have this issue without Subaru qualifying it as a safety recall issue. Should this been qualified as a safety recall, my salvage title would be eligible for a free repair from the Subaru of North America, however since this is a frequently reported issue Subaru manufacturer is responsible for creating in the 2010-2012 Subaru Legacy F4-2.5 L vehicles, it allowed the Subaru of North America to use it as a basis for their refusal to repair my vehicle for free provided that the torque converter issue is their responsibility. I'd appreciate you reaching out to me with a possible options which may exist for me as an owner of the vehicle. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Parker, CO, USA

problem #16

Jul 092019

Legacy

  • 109,000 miles
Why does my break light keep flashing??

- Peru, ME, USA

problem #15

Oct 312019

Legacy

  • 88,313 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brake light flashes when it rains and the undercarriage gets wet. Light remains on and continuously flashes when the car is wet. The parking brake is off. The parking brake cannot be turned on when it is raining either.

- Chester, NY, USA

problem #14

Sep 102018

Legacy

  • miles
Electronic parking brake. This recall has been out since September and still have no remedy to be fixed. This is extremely inexcusable because this is a huge safety for people who have a manual transmission and knowing it can disengage one it's own.

- Youngstown, OH, USA

problem #13

Mar 192018

Legacy

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that the brake light indicator was flashing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. An independent mechanic was notified of the failure and scheduled a diagnostic appointment. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in a recall or warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

- Johnstown, PA, USA

problem #12

Feb 052019

Legacy

  • 230,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Very routinely when coming to a stop from the car moving when you decrease your speed when stopping for a light, traffic, or anything that would require a quick stop, the car will stall out as your speed is less than 10-20 mph and you loose control of the steering, brakes. Ect. This is a huge safety issue and needs to be addressed by Subaru immediately. This can occur on any street, highway and will do this while turning as well. This happens daily in my commute and is a danger to myself and others. It occurs when coming to a stop from a moving position.

- Waterford, MI, USA

problem #11

Sep 042018

Legacy

  • 119,000 miles
Recall #wtv81 10-12 leg&out epb actr assy replace status: Remedy not yet available. This recall has been out since September and still have no idea when it will be fixed.

- Youngstown, OH, USA

problem #10

Sep 072018

Legacy

  • 148,450 miles
My car hesitates and turns off sometimes when slowing down at a stop or red light, rpms fluctuate as I brake or accelerate, my brake light is on solid and I get a at oil temp light flashing and then I can't use my paddleshifters at all, car sounds highly rev'd but doesn't go as fast! please help as this is a safety hazard, I drive on California freeways everyday and this is a danger to my family when commuting.

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #9

Oct 122017

Legacy

  • 75,299 miles
Coming into a four way intersection the brake pedal traveled to the floor no brakes. Some Subaru Legacy master cyclinders are being recalled for the same defect. Mine is not in the recall. No one was hurt no damage. Had it repaired and I have the master cylinder. AJ000 is the part number.

- Camano Island, WA, USA

problem #8

Jul 042016

Legacy

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The 2011 Subaru Legacy has an electronic parking brake. After a few years, the brake mechanism broke and wouldn't "turn on" or "switch off". this was terribly unsafe and cost over $800 dollars to fix. The vehicle was stationary.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #7

Mar 022016

Legacy 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 43,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the brakes failed to respond. As a result, the contact rear ended another vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags failed deploy. A police report was filed and no injuries were sustained. The contact stated that the vehicle could be driven to the contacts residence, however the contact became aware of the power steering belt snapped causing the vehicle to be difficult to maneuver. The contact then stated that the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was awaiting repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,000. Updated 05/17/16

- Wellesley, MA, USA

problem #6

Nov 182015

Legacy

  • 97,000 miles
About 2 months ago I was braking for a stop light. While I was braking (from about 35mph) I ran over some bumps in the road, at that time the pedal suddenly went to the floor. Luckily there was no one in font of me. I drove to a parking lot to park the car. The brake pedal had little resistance going to the floor as I pumped on the pedal. I had the car towed to the dealer to be serviced. The tow truck driver also mentioned the brakes are non existent at that time. The dealer could not find anything wrong with the brake system. However today (18nov2015) the car experienced the same issue. The conditions was wet. As I braked to a stoplight, I hit a bump and the pedal went to the floor. I felt the ABS kick in for a split second. The car will be going back to the dealer for another inspection. I would suspect they wont find anything wrong.

- West Bend, WI, USA

problem #5

Aug 102015

Legacy

  • 110,000 miles
Whenever the brake is pressed hard to a complete stop, the car stalls and all electrical shut off. It doesnt seem to happen when you brake very slow before coming to a full stop. But if you brake slowly and then pressed the pedal full, the problem will occur. This can cause panic and also delay on cars running behind the car. It appears this is similar problem reported under 10395739. I also found a number of similarly reported problems online with Subaru cars.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #4

Mar 252015

Legacy 4-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
For the past 2 months my Subaru Legacy has been stalling and losing power when I roll to a stop and/or when suddenly braking. Almost got rear ended by semi truck on the freeway and multiple times at stop lights in foggy situations. Subaru dealership said if it was an annoyance I should bring it in. Almost dying in a Subaru with my daughters is more than an annoyance. Dealership has known about it but performed a throttle body service, which was futile. Online forums suggest a faulty torque converter and a service#16-90-30. Quotes for replacing it are around $2000. Subaru knows it is due to faulty design of torque converter...this should be recalled. I used to love Subaru and this car, I am now forced to take a loss financially and buy a safer car. Completely unsafe.

- Chino Hills, CA, USA

problem #3

Dec 042014

Legacy

  • 114,000 miles
I was coming to a red light slowing down from 15 mph while applying the brakes, the car acts like something is grabbing & it shuts down the motor. The car was not cold it was warmed up & drove about 28 miles before doing this. The skid light came on. It was a dry road. This car has done it several times. I have searched this on the internet & have seen others saying the same thing has happened with their Subaru. Its scary to think this might happen to me on one of our slick roads going off a hill. I have not had it checked out yet do to the holiday season. It does not happen every time I drive it. I have noticed while applying the breaks when it starts feeling like the rotors are grabbing if you ease off just a little and then apply again the car will not shut off it will stay running. I have shut off the skid protection and drove it & still it will do this and the skid light will show up. On the internet it says it could be the icv valve. But im not sure that has anything to do with the skid protection. I bought the car this summer & I had the dealer ship to put new breaks and rotors on it before I bought it. Had no trouble at all with this until last month. I just had the oil and filter changed this week. There are no service lights staying lit. & it still does this. I will be getting this checked out. A guy mentioned that it could be the transmission. This car is an automatic & does have the manual transmission shifters on the steering wheel. The car was in the automatic mode when this happened it is not drove in the manual side. Im thinking I should try driving in the manual side to see if it will do this. I've had no complaints with any of my other Subaru weve owned. I have never had this problem with them. However I have never owned one with the skid protection or in the 2000 model until this one.

- Rock Cave, WV, USA

problem #2

Jun 262013

Legacy 4-cyl

  • 26,000 miles
I have been having problem with my 2011 Subaru Legacy for over eight months, my car would just stop in the middle of the street without any warning, I took the car to the service center, after several tries they decided to replace the transmission with a remanufacturing one my car still having trouble, whenever I start the vehicle and move from park to reverse, its a hard shift and the car shakes like its going to stall, also from reverse to drive, I have taking my car back and they told me that's normal, there is nothing normal about that, when I bought the car brand new that problem never existed, my car have 32, 800 miles now, everytime I take my car I loose a day from work, please help!

- Mount Vernon, NY, USA

problem #1

Nov 132012

Legacy

  • 23,500 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph the brakes engaged and locked up. The contact mentioned that all the warning lights illuminated on the instrumental panel immediately after. The vehicle was unable to be driven and was later towed to a dealer. After diagnosis they advised her that the failure was due to the gas cap tearing and the transmission motor mount had a leak. The vehicle was repaired for the gas cap only. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised her that there were no similar issues. The failure and current mileage was approximately 23,500.

- Wyoming, PA, USA

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