10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
11,585 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.

2015 Subaru Legacy electrical problems

electrical problem

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2015 Subaru Legacy Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #37

Apr 182018

Legacy

  • miles

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

I have had several battery issues that I just believed to be bad luck and would get a new battery under warranty but it has gotten worse lately. It led me to look online and I notice I am not nearly the only one as this complaint has been brought up my numerous people. It is in regards to my 2015 Subaru legacy and how I-??m not certain if my car will start if I make a few short trips where I-??m -??in and out-?? of the car more than 3 times in a short period of time. There is definitely a parasitic draw issue from the vehicle and it is a safety concern in not knowing if your vehicle is going to start or if you-??ll need a jump or worse be stranded. With the amount of complaints on this issue I would have thought there would be a recall. I know there are safety bulletins but nothing that the dealer or Subaru themselves will address. I have also signed up for the battery settlement case but have not heard back in regards to this. I am really wanting to know if there is a solution because I-??ve read a lot of reviews where this is happening in newer models also. It needs to be addressed and a resolution should be offered because it is happening to A LOT of Subarus. My other concern was the seats and moonroof. The leather driver seat has torn up and I have put covers over it to look similar but I use a sun screen for the vehicle often and it still tore up the seat. Lastly the moonroof has a defect that the dealer wouldn-??t address. There is something wrong with the seal and loud wind gets in somewhere and makes the vehicle shake as though you turned up a base speakers to the loudest setting. The battery issue has been going on for years as well as the moonroof that has a spot that is allowing in air and causes the vehicle to shake. Please help hold subaru accountable for these issues and get back to me with some sort of solution! Thank you for your time.

- Oakdale, NY, USA

problem #36

Nov 082022

Legacy

  • miles
We have owned two 2015 Subaru Legacy sedans. Both of them have had major battery problems. We've had to have battery tenders (trickle-chargers) installed on both cars, and we're still having battery problems. We've been stuck in various parking lots, unable to start the car, and had to get jumps from others. This is a royal pain, and a potential safety hazard if we are stuck in a remote location. We've been told by our mechanic that this vehicle does not really "turn off" when you shut it down. There are several devices in the car which continue to have a "parasitic draw" on the battery, which it is not capable of sustaining. We've had the battery and charging system checked out multiple times, and everything checks out fine. Replacing the battery will NOT solve the problem. Replacing the battery with a deep-cycle battery will NOT solve the problem. It is an inherent defect in the electrical system of the vehicle. Available for inspection: YES Safety issue: being stranded with a dead battery in a dangerous location Confirmed by an independent service center: YES Inspected by anyone else: NO Warning lamps or messages:

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #35

Oct 012022

Legacy

  • miles
Car battery is draining very frequently which is causing the battery to die. Even for short periods of not using the car, the will fail to start due to the drained battery.

- Hutto, TX, USA

problem #34

Sep 102022

Legacy

  • miles

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

Battery continually dies. Driven daily and even after driving same day battery will be dead. Issue occurs more frequently when headlights are set on auto. Seems battery drains when car is off but still pulling a charge. Have been stranded numerous times since purchasing the car 2 years ago. Have had battery checked and told it is fine.

- Chimacum, WA, USA

problem #33

Jun 302022

Legacy

  • miles
The battery has a parasitic drain, and if left off for more than 8 hours, is completely dead on attempt at restart. This has also killed my passenger side forward window which can no longer go up or down.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #32

Mar 232022

Legacy

  • miles
I just brought this car a few months ago and i have been having alot of problem with it from engine oil low when it not to tpms light coming on and going off to now eletric parking brake locked up now i cant move my car and i work seven days a week and always maintain my cars was getting checked its really weird

- Keyport, NJ, USA

problem #31

Jan 012015

Legacy

  • miles

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

Extremely high, abnormal parasitic draining of my battery, in my 2015 Legacy whenever vehicle is not running. This parasitic drain on battery will leave you stranded, if parked for a few days, causing a safety issue, as you can imagine. I always connect and use a battery tender/maintainer with hood up, after every time I use car, when I return car to garage. If I did not have a garage, I would have to connect to this battery charger/maintainer and close the hood to deter exposure to the elements, such as snow, ice, and rain. It is not actual fault of battery, as new perfect battery will drain within a few days with this extremely high parasitic drain. I thought possibly if I blocked the battery remotes from contacting the car, I could reduce this drain. I placed the two remotes into a metal container and then I placed this into a second metal container. This did not resolve the parasitic battery draining issue.

- New Castle, PA, USA

problem #30

Feb 122022

Legacy

  • miles
I am the original owner of the vehicle in question. I have been experiencing excessive electrical drain issues throughout the life of my vehicle. I have had to jump it at least 10 times and have replaced the battery 4 times throughout my 7 years of ownership. This is quite excessive and has caused safety issues in the past as you never know when the battery suddenly no longer has enough power to start the vehicle. My fiancé was recently on a ferry and upon landing the vehicle would not start and this caused quite an issue with the ferry operator and resulted in undue stress and anxiety on her. I have also always had an issue with the Adaptive Cruise Control system (EyeSight) in which under what I believe are specific circumstances, the system fails to detect the roadway and road markers in front of the vehicle and abruptly shuts off. This hasn't been a major issue as I am still actively driving the vehicle, but when you are driving 50mph on a highway and suddenly you are decelerating without brake lights indicating so to others around you can cause a sense of alarm. The somewhat specific situations this occurs in is when there is very little to no ambient light on the road. Although my headlights are on, they don't seem to provide enough light for the system to 'see' at all times.

- Port Neches, TX, USA

problem #29

Dec 292021

Legacy

  • miles
Electrical system drains battery very frequently. I have had alternator checked and is fine. This vehicle drains batteries leaving the car unable to start. The batteries will be dead by the 2 year warranty. I see there is a lawsuit in NJ showing the CAN electrical system does not go to sleep when the car is off.

- Owings, MD, USA

problem #28

Dec 062021

Legacy

  • miles
battery drainage problem, transmission jerking

- Folsom, CA, USA

problem #27

Jul 132021

Legacy 4-cyl

  • miles

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

When the car sits unused for more than several days, it goes completely dead. I have had both my mechanic and the dealer check the entire charging system ( battery, alternator, engine drive belt etc ) to no avail. Everything tests as working within given parameters and my 2015 vehicle w/ 67,000 miles is currently on it's 4th battery ! The dealer has refused to perform the two Technical Service Bulletin(s) issued by Subaru corporate unless l pay for them, as they claim they can find no evidence to show they are needed. As a disabled retiree, I cannot depend on this, my only vehicle, to go to doctors appointments, food shopping and other normal necessary daily activities. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Croton On Hudson, NY, USA

problem #26

Jul 132021

Legacy

  • miles
Bettery drained

- Fairless Hills, PA, USA

problem #25

Jul 012019

Legacy

  • miles
Battery drainage and replacement more often than usual

- Sugar Land, TX, USA

problem #24

Jun 102021

Legacy

  • miles
Battery has failed repeatedly. 6yr old car on 4th battery. First replaced by Subaru, then AAA, then by AAA by warranty

- Missouri City , TX, USA

problem #23

Jul 062021

Legacy

  • miles
I have experienced two separate occasions where my vehicle accelerated even though my foot was on the brake pedal. Once, I was slowing down on a main street for a stop light behind several other cars. My vehicle began to accelerate and would have rammed the car in front of me if I had not been able to swerve into an empty turn lane. Due to the acceleration, I figured I must have accidentally hit the gas pedal, so I lifted my foot and hit the other pedal--which was the accelerator, and naturally just accelerated the vehicle more. I then put my foot back on the brake and the car came to a stop. The second time, my son was backing into our driveway. He had the brakes on. The car was slowing down. Then it suddenly accelerated backward. My son said his foot was still on the brake pedal when the car accelerated, and he did the same thing I did when I had the issue: he moved his foot to the other pedal, thinking he had made some kind of error, but found that the switch only made the car accelerate more, so he switched back to the brake pedal and the car stopped. In both of these instances, the car was initially braking when the brake pedal was applied, then began to accelerate without a change in foot positioning. The accelerator was not touched in either instances because the vehicle was going slow enough not to need much pressure, and the accelerator is positioned far enough away from the brake as it is impossible to touch both pedals at the same time. The floor mats were properly secured at both times (as they always are) and could not possibly have interfered in any way. Thankfully no one has been hurt or experienced any property damage during either of these episodes, but I am worried that one of these days, something horrible will happen if this problem is not corrected! I will give the date of the most recent occurrence in the information included with this report.

- Vernon, VT, USA

problem #22

Jun 072021

Legacy

  • miles
CAN ( Controller Area Network) is causing a parasitic draining of my battery causing me to have to jump my car regularly and I changed the battery less than a year ago. I know that I'm not the only person that has had this issue, I'm aware of the current class action lawsuit out against Subaru for this current situation. This is a very costly a serious issue that demands attention now. It's very dishonest of Subaru to tell you that nothing's wrong or offer any fix, all while taking our hard earned money. I'm very frustrated because I can't afford to continue messing with this issue nor can I simply go out and buy another vehicle. I have been left stranded both at home and aboard leaving my wife and kids not too mention myself at risk. I have taken the vehicle in and haven't had any remedy. No other failures at the time of this reporting.

- Blaine, WA, USA

problem #21

Apr 292021

Legacy

  • miles
I have a 2015 subaru legacy 2.5i engine. The problem i have is a blown fuse in the main compartment F26 (backup). I have read subaru forum(s) and in earlier years this is same issue that I current have in my car. In the older models this was recalled and the issue was reworked at subaru repair centers at their cost. This issue also said it could cause a over heating and possible cause a fire. Please look into this issue. Kind Regards, Doug Whittemore 57 lexington ave. haverhill, MA 01835

- Haverhill, MA, USA

problem #20

Mar 312021

Legacy

  • miles
When I was in the garage (about 2 months ago) trying to start my car, it tried to start but did not. Repeated attempts to start the car failed, and it acted like the battery was low. I measured the battery voltage and it was only 5.9 volts. I recharged the battery and took it to an auto parts place to get a new battery. They tested the battery and said it was still good and would not recommend replacing it. The car has been fine since. I realize this is not exactly a safety issue except if it had happened someplace remote and not in my garage where I could work on it it could have been bad. I just found out there is a class action lawsuit against Subaru over their CAN system that sometimes fails (does not go to sleep) and causes the battery to run down faster than it should. It sounds to me like that is what happened to my car. If you are keeping up with complaints about Subaru's CAN system I guess you can add mine to the list (or database). Thanks for your efforts.

- King, NC, USA

problem #19

May 122021

Legacy

  • 41,600 miles
The vehicle has been stopped while driving, on 5 occasions. My mechanic replaced the battery terminal part on 3/31/21 on 5/12/21 40 minutes into my drive, the airbag malfuncation icon came on. As well as an idiot light in the center panel of the dash board by the mphil guage.two hours later the ignition lock light began blinking and car would not start. Concurrent to this the front passenger window can not be operated from drivers side. On 5/14/21, 40 minutes into my drive the airbag warning light came on again on the dashboard. All the same stuff happened again.

- Ronkonkoma, NY, USA

problem #18

Dec 172020

Legacy

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Legacy. The contacted stated while the vehicle was parked at his residence. He saw smoke illumniated inside of the vehicle. No one was injured. The contact stated the fire started around the front passenger side door. The fire was put out by the contact who threw snow from the outside into the vehicle. No one was in the vehicle at the time of failure no injuries. No warning light illuminated in the vehicle. The fire department was not notified. The police was not notified. The vehicle was not towed to no local mechanics or local dealer, the manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 102,000.

- Garrison, NY, USA

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