2022 Subaru Legacy Problems and Top Complaints – Is Your Car A Lemon?

Electrical system and windshield cracking issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners

Updated on Author: Brian Jones

Updated on Author: Brian Jones

Sedans are a dying breed of vehicle on the road. However, the 2022 Subaru Legacy seeks to be at the top of the totem pole by boasting it provides “peace of mind on every drive.” Customers are receiving a lot of things from the Legacy, but driving confidence doesn’t seem to be one of them. Instead, they are left with a faulty electrical system and defective visibility.

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NHTSA Complaints for the 2022 Subaru Legacy

Complaint CategoryNumber of Complaints
Visibility/wiper
6
Unknown Or Other
4
Electrical System
1
Lane Departure: Assist
1
Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control
1
Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking
1
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings
1
Visibility:windshield
1

Problems with the Electrical System

Today’s vehicle is meant to include high-tech equipment for an enjoyable ride. It’s also meant to keep the journey safe. Let’s take a look at electric system related complaints for the 2022 Subaru Legacy:

One NHTSA complaint talks about how unsafe it actually is. “While attempting to restart the battery, and upon opening the hood of the vehicle, an explosion occurred, causing a fire under the hood between what we believe to be the AC pipe and the battery/fuse box terminals. The car was not on, but we did notice that there appears to be a hole in the pipe that is leaking what we presume to be Freon. Reporting on behalf of GSA Fleet. Not expecting any actions, just reporting for your records.”

Is Subaru oblivious to what’s happening with the electrical systems? Absolutely not! In fact, the automaker has issued multiple service bulletins about the systems. One such example, Service Bulletin #15-258-19R, talks about issues with the Remote Engine Starter. The company seems to have trouble getting this technology right, leaving a wake of unhappy customers in the midst. It definitely doesn’t bring “peace of mind,” no matter how much the automaker tries to brainwash people otherwise.

Problems with the Windshield Cracking

Seeing clearly should always be priority number one when driving a vehicle. However, the 2022 Subaru Legacy makes it very difficult to see out of the windshield.

Here’s one complaint on the NHTSA website. “My car’s windshield was hit by a small stone while driving on highway speed. At first it seemed to be a small chip/ crack. After a minute or two the crack got bigger. This is the second time I’m facing this issue. Same kind of incident happened a month ago as well. I thought Subaru had best safety ratings. But if this happens to someone while driving in the middle of nowhere and the glass shatters all of a sudden for just a mere tiny stone chips, I don’t feel safe driving this car at all. I have attached my previous insurance claim info and pictures of incident as well. I have noticed many cars with a chip or small crack on windshield. But they don’t pose any serious concern to drive the vehicle. In my case it’s a serious concern for safety as the small chip spreads across the windshield which is a threat to drivability of the vehicle. I urge NHTSA to investigate this as soon as possible.”

It hasn’t been that long since Subaru was facing massive class-action lawsuits because of the same problems with other model years. It seems to be a big piece of Subaru’s modern history to deal with cracking and exploding windshields. In years to come, auto publications will still be talking about the poor quality windshields installed by Subaru. While customers will remember the level of failure that Subaru was, the company will be laughing all the way to the bank, rejoicing over all the money made on replacement windshields.

Your Lemon Law Legal Rights

Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Subaru pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.

Complaint Data

CategoryVisibility/wiper
DateMar 15, 2023
StateNY
Description
Windshield cracked for no reason . There has been nothing that has hit the windshield or any kind of puck or impact mark of it being hit . Car was in the garage overnight and in the morning , there's a big crack in the windshield. The crack starts at the bottom where the heating grids are and then worked its way up the windshield . This can cause visibility issues . Also have seen this has been an issues with previous years and models .
CategoryVisibility/wiper
DateJan 04, 2023
StatePA
Description
My legacy had been parked for 2 days in above freezing conditions 40-60 degrees. When I had parked the vehicle there was no cracks on my front windshield, however, when I got into the vehicle today I noticed a large crack starting from my a pillar about 1/2 way up to about 1-2 feet long extending towards the middle of my windshield. The crack has no chips or impact marks, based upon other complaints this is a common issue, I have contacted subaru and have an appointment to take the vehicle into the dealer for an inspection and we will see their response hopefully soon.
CategoryVisibility/wiper
DateJan 03, 2023
StateCA
Description
A crack in the windshield appeared that was spontaneous - there was no impact to cause this crack. It started in the lower half of the passenger side and quickly proceeded across the windshield in an s figure. It is exactly like other spontaneous subaru windshield cracks that I have seen online. My car has only 8700 miles on it but it is not covered by warranty.
CategoryUnknown Or Other
DateDec 20, 2022
StateMO
Description
Large crack in windshield on the driver's side while car was parked at work, further investigation found a tiny chip point of impact, subaru is known to use specific, thinner glass due to eye sight technology. If a small chip can crack half the windshield what will a significant impact cause? I live in a rural area and have had some significant damage done on other vehicles by animals and such, not only do I not want to have to replace a windshield every few months or so- I don't want the next bird that flies into my windshield to come through it.
CategoryElectrical System, Unknown Or Other
DateDec 02, 2022
StateMN
Description
The dcm/telematics unit has now failed twice in this vehicle, despite already being completely replaced a first time. All remote app controls fail. Starlink call connection buttons are unresponsive despite the car being in a clear, unobstructed coverage area. The only indications of failure are attempts to send remote commands via the app and the lack of a green led next to the starlink buttons. This presents a safety issue because the system is not presenting an obvious sign of failure and critical items like "automatic collision notification" and remote immobilization will fail by assumption due to the connection/electrical problems.
CategoryVisibility/wiper
DateAug 22, 2022
StateWA
Description
The front window delamined on the edge and per the subaru glass expert it started on the edge, and now covers the window. Subaru is denying the claim.
CategoryLane Departure: Assist
DateJun 01, 2022
StateNV
Description
The lane assistance feature almost made me hit a semi truck that had drifted over its lane. I moved to the left to allow for space, the lane assist function tried to turn me back into the semi truck I was driving over the lane to avoid. It failed to recognize a major hazard and in fact created a more dangerous situation for me. I had to jerk the wheel back to the left, fortunately it shut off and I was able to maintain control.
CategoryForward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings
DateApr 27, 2022
StateIN
Description
On average about twice per month, the touch screen will lock up. This causes the entire system to crash turning off cruise control, emergency braking, lane departure, lane keep assist, and almost every other "smart" function of the vehicle. There is no specific action that causes this, it is purely random. The "lock-up" can last anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes. The dash notifications telling you that all of the assistance features have turned off don't come on until the system has rebooted, even though they stopped functioning at the same time the "lock-up" started. On a typical day, there is a significant delay in controlling these features via the touch screen. Minor issues where the assistance features are delayed by several seconds have happened often, but this does not result in a complete system reboot. The best way I can describe it is as if the vehicle is controlled by a computer running windows vista with so many viruses it can barely function. Even just adjusting the electric seats or stereo volume can have up to a 30-second delay from user input to the system response. I have noticed that during these delays, the assistance features (like lane keep and collision warning) are also delayed.
CategoryVisibility:windshield
DateJan 24, 2022
StateMD
Description
The contact owns a 2022 subaru legacy. The contact stated while at a standstill the windshield cracked without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
CategoryVisibility/wiper
DateJan 17, 2022
StateMO
Description
The windshield on my 2022 subaru legacy cracked. The crack looks like it started at the bottom center of the windshield and is working its way up several inches and now spreading to the passenger side. I took it to the dealer this morning. They used a marker to trace the crack and found a very small impact point. They said it doesn't take much as the windshields are thinner in subaru's due to the camera system. I feel like this is a safety issue. And it seems to be common issue with subaru.
CategoryUnknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper
DateDec 22, 2021
StateAZ
Description
My car's windshield was hit by a small stone while driving on highway speed. At first it seemed to be a small chip/ crack. After a minute or two the crack got bigger. This is the second time I'm facing this issue. Same kind of incident happened a month ago as well. I thought subaru had best safety ratings. But if this happens to someone while driving in the middle of nowhere and the glass shatters all of a sudden for just a mere tiny stone chips, I don't feel safe driving this car at all. I have attached my previous insurance claim info and pictures of incident as well. I have noticed many cars with a chip or small crack on windshield. But they don't pose any serious concern to drive the vehicle. In my case it's a serious concern for safety as the small chip spreads across the windshield which is a threat to drivability of the vehicle. I urge nhtsa to investigate this as soon as possible.
CategoryUnknown Or Other
DateJun 24, 2021
StateMO
Description
While attempting to restart the battery, and upon opening the hood of the vehicle, an explosion occurred, causing a fire under the hood between what we believe to be the ac pipe and the battery/fuse box terminals. The car was not on, but we did notice that there appears to be a hole in the pipe that is leaking what we presume to be freon. Reporting on behalf of gsa fleet. Not expecting any actions, just reporting for your records.

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Brian Jones

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

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