2013 Subaru Legacy
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Subaru › Legacy › 2013
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2013 Subaru Legacy. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
12 recalls name the 2013 Subaru Legacy. Newest first.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto…
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri…
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New…
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the…
The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan)…
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-19.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico…
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-19.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode…
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-19.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. The electronic parking brake (EPB) may not engage as intended, allowing the vehicle to rollaway if the transmission is not in the proper gear when parked.
A vehicle rollaway can increase the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPB actuator assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTV-81.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan)…
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-18.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Legacy vehicles manufactured November 26, 2008, to June 7, 2013, and 2010-2014 Outback vehicles manufactured January 9, 2009 to June 7, 2013. Due to contamination, components within the windshield wiper motor bottom cover may interfere with each other. If an obstruction, such as a…
If the windshield wiper motor overheats, the wipers may fail, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the wiper motor cover may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor bottom cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTK-71. Note: This recall supersedes recall 11V-469. All vehicles that were remedied under that campaign are affected by this campaign, and need to have their wiper motor bottom cover replaced again.
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2013 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from February 15, 2012, through June 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the inner and outer shafts of the steering column assembly may become disengaged from one another.
If the shafts become disengaged, the driver would lose the ability to steer the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column assembly with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on May 14, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQI-45.
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek…
The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
I am the original owner since purchased new on the dealer lot in 2013. Within the first year, the drivers side headlight prematurely burned out (low beam). I have had to replace four bulbs (so far) since owning vehicle. The first two incidents I payed over $100 to have the bulb changed/replaced by a local mechanic. Since then, I have figured out how to replace the bulbs myself; but unfortunately the remedy is to remove the front driver's tire, remove inner plastic wheel well, and finagle and twist my arm to do this procedure (not easy!). Two main issues: Subaru needs to recall and fix the issue that is prematurely burning out this bulb, and 2; bring back the ability to (engineering design) that allows the owner of the vehicle to replace this bulb from the engine bay - NOT going through a procedure that involves a lengthy and expensive repair.
The passenger side frame rusted through. The bolt holding the frame collapsed through the rusted frame while I was driving on the highway and I lost control of my car as I was entering an exit off the highway. My mechanic said the air conditioning system drips on this area of the frame causing the rust and failure of the frame to hold the bolt. There were no warnings prior to the incident except that I heard a popping sound when I took a right turn out of my driveway before heading onto the highway.
I want to add my report of oil loss in the hope a recall is made. I found out after purchase that 2012-2014 or 2015 has a known problem with piston rings. With normal local driving I need to top off the oil every couple of weeks. With longer trips, say a couple hours of driving one way, the oil gets a quarter to half way down on the dipstick. I carry oil for all roadtrips and can't forget to keep checking the level. My understanding from many sources online is that Subaru is aware they put in bad piston rings and just call it good enough or within spec, but dumping so much oil isn't right. This isn't a wear and tear problem, although it can get worse over time and lead to other problems. The problem goes away when the rings and the engine block is replaced. Scotty Kilmer on Youtube tells a story of a customer that complained enough and after being persistent had it fixed for free (piston rings and block), and still has no oil loss issues after 60k miles. He also recommended reporting it here. This engine is used in various Subaru's, not just the Legacy.
While driving the vehicle, there was a loud "clunk" from the front-end. After that, during turns there is a lot of scraping, banging and popping noises. During braking, the car veers toward the right. The car is very unstable going around bends and on/off ramps. I took it to a mechanic and was told the front subframe on my vehicle has rusted out to the point he can put his fist through some of the holes. He contacted a dealer to get a price on a replacement and was told they have been waiting over 9 months for that particular part and there is currently no ETA for it. I contacted several other dealers and was told the part has been on backorder since January or February with no ETA. All the dealers I talked with said they are waiting on 10 or more. Based on that information, this seems to be a common problem with this model that may warrant some investigation and/or action to prompt Subaru to make the part available and possibly replace them via a recall. I really like this car and don't want to lose it over a $600 part not being available.
Faulty transmission, erratic gear shifting and now it seems the transmission is no longer working, mileage on vehicle is not even 130,000.
The contact's son owns a 2013 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed and approaching a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. However, the failure reoccurred on two different occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that her son had added 10 quarts of oil in the vehicle within 2 weeks. The contact referenced Subaru Technical Service Bulletin Number: 02-157-14R. The contact also stated that the exhaust pipe was emitting black smoke. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle needed an engine compression test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 169,000. The consumer stated that they no longer have the vehicle.
Transmission failed. Began to make bad noises then failed to accelerate in an intersection. Was almost hit by another car. Dealer indicated that the Subaru transmissions were only lasting 90, 000 to 100,000 miles before requiring replacement. Contracted Subaru who said they had a voluntary fix, but we were not notified and were outside of the short time frame for the fix. We replaced transmission at cost of $10,000. Subaru offered 1000 off a new car but was not concerned about the safety issue and would not fix/replace the transmission for this known issue.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal noise coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician informed the contact that the failure was the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the CVT transmission needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
I received a recall letter about problem with the Engine, They did to Tess at 1200 miles each but the car runs out of oil between 25 and 3000 mile every time but they did nothing about it
When driving on interstate, all at once, dashboard lit up with lights, one of the lights being the check engine light. Towed car to dealership and found there was a problem in the CVT valve body which was replaced. I think this should be a recall because it's dangerous to be driving down an interstate with dashboard lit up. Have no idea what would have happened to engine or other parts of car if I wasn't able to get off highway in time.
Oil is consumed excessively. I had an oil change done at around 120K miles and my oil light is popping on to let me know that I need another oil change. I have only driven it 2,000 miles since my last oil change and my oil level is low. Looking back at the Carfax, the previous owner had oil changed every 2,000-3,000 miles, but the owner's manual states that oil should be changed every 5,000 miles. It seems this is a safety hazard and possible EPA violation.
The transmission valve body failed on this subaru legacy at 83874 miles. This caused the vehicle to stall and three engine lights came on. This was covered under an extended warranty as this IS a known problem with this car. I have three complaints / concerns where I believe the consumer IS now on the hook for the manufacturer's problem. I am told the new valve body IS identical to the old and will fail again. The dealer also told me the transmission fluid must be replaced every 30000 miles, not the 100000 miles in the owners manual. This IS at a current cost of $413.00; also - I had to pay today $413.00 to replace the fluid, which IS not covered by the extended warranty, even though dirty fluid IS the cause of the failure. This issue affects many subarus and should be on a permanent recall repair list at subaru's expense for the servicable life of the car, or a recall where the valve body IS replaced by one that will not fail again. No one should be required to perform a $413.00 fluid change every 30000 miles.
Torque convertor clutch solenoid went out while driving on the highway at 75mph. ended up having it replaced at 138,000 miles on 2013 subaru legacy. cost $1,700 at subaru dealership.
There was a horrible whining that started very quiet on and off in 2017 and became louder this year. we drove into a city intersection to turn, and the car stalled. We were lucky that we didn't get hit by another car. We took it to the dealership as we do all recommended maintenance and something was really wrong to make it stall like that. The dealership said that it IS a cvt transmission, and they are known to have this problem. Told us to call subaru. There was an extended warranty offered in 2018, but we never were notified of that and are the original owner. If we had the notification we would have had this fixed as it occasionally made the noise but it did not repeat when at our service center. We would have had the dealer check it if we knew about the problem and warranty. I expected a subaru to last longer than this before needing an $9,000 repair. Called subaru and they offered me $1,000 toward a new subaru. I paid $36,000 for this car. I don't think $1,000 off one now IS going to help me very much for a known problem with this transmission that put us in a very dangerous situation.
While traveling on a busy interstate. My car suddenly jerked as if I had put into neutral. I was traveling approximately 65 mph. Nearly causing an accident trying to get off the highway. It would not engage in manual or automatic mode. after having it towed to a mechanics shop, it was discovered that the cvt transmission had failed, without warning. This could have resulted in a very serious accident if I would not have been able to get to the shoulder of the road.
Car has extended cranking issue - it acts like the starter IS bad or the battery IS dying. took it to the dealer and told them that the car has a hard time starting. it has died a couple times so I replaced the battery with an interstate battery and they told me that the battery was bad. I had the battery checked and it IS definitely not bad. asked the dealer to check the starter and they said it IS fine. it seems that the car has some other issue with power being drawn from somewhere else.
TL* the contact owns a 2013 subaru legacy. The contact took the vehicle to be serviced at heuberger subaru (1080 motor city dr, colorado springs, co 80905, 719-475-1920) for transmission failure. Initially, the dealer would not cover the cost of the repair due to the warranty expiring; however, the manufacturer was notified and ultimately agreed to service the vehicle under warranty. Since then, the vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer for nearly two months. The dealer informed the contact that the ecu unit and gear shifter were defective and needed to be replaced. The dealer stated that the repair would cost $1,900. The contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 19v297000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vin was not included in the recall. No further assistance was offered. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,128.
I bought this 2013 subaru legacy limited on june 12,2019 and a week later the emergency brake light and cruise control did not work and the lights were on the dashboard. I brought the car to a subaru dealer in wilmington, nc and was told that it needed the control panel for the emergency brake which effects the cruise control. this same problem IS a current recall in subaru legacy manual transmission and I feel that there should be a recall with the automatic transmission as well since my car IS affected by the same problem. the car was just out of warranty and just over 100,000 miles . the repair IS over $1200 and it IS just not right that this has happened and it IS not a recall. please issue a recall for this same problem as the manual transmissions on the automatic transmissions. I can be reached at [xxx] . thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
Driver front window regulator gets really hot. Does not move the window up or down. Before that I had to keep re-sync the window to the master switch for some reason. It will lose it's memory randomly.
We just bought this car and 2 days later the service engine light went on and the brake icon was blinking and the cruise control didnt work. a subaru dealer told me that it needs the parking break electrical control panel. I find this strange as the car IS only 6 years old. please advise me what you find out.
I received a recall for passenger air bag and the company set up an appointment for me. however, I remember receiving a recall for the drivers side air bag a year or so ago, and when I called the company I purchased it from, they told me the recall was not meant for my legacy, so I threw away the letter. now I am wondering - was there a recall for the drivers side and can I still get it replace by that company?
TL* takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 subaru legacy. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v009000 (air bags). The contact called romano subaru at 315-475-7933 (located at 960 hiawatha blvd w, syracuse, ny 13204) and was informed that the parts were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Takata recall. we got a recall notice from subaru, recall tkb19, stating that no passengers should be allowed to ride in the passenger seat until the repair IS performed. however, the only subaru in the raleigh area said the earliest the repair could be done was in august; I called late in march. my wife rides in the passenger seat, so now we cannot use the vehicle, which IS not acceptable, what can be done to get subaru to either perform the repair soon or provide a loaner meanwhile ? thanks
TL* takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 subaru legacy. The contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 19v008000 (air bags). The contact was unable to schedule a repair appointment within a reasonable time frame. Autonation subaru arapahoe (303-578-6119, located at 9955 e arapahoe rd, centennial, co 80112) and heuberger subaru (719-475-1920, 1080 motor city dr, colorado springs, co 80905) were unable to provide a reasonable timeframe for when the part would arrive. The manufacturer was contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
I have an urgent need to address a safety recall for passenger side airbag and windshield wiper replacements . There are no subaru dealerships in my area that can tend to this repair in a timely manner. They are all booked out until september. This IS unacceptable. I am located in seattle washington and drive a subaru 2013 legacy sedan. Please help. Thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.