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What 122 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Subaru Legacy

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (122)Crash / fire / injury (3)Visibility & wipers (51)Electrical system (35)Driver assistance (5)Engine (5)Fuel system (5)Speed control (4)Steering (3)Backup camera & sensors (2)Brakes (2)Body & structure (1)

2 of 122 complaints match · Backup camera & sensors · clear filters

Dec 19, 2024Backup camera & sensors

Main infotainment display delamination, this causes a safety concerns, as the screen can become irresponsive, and even black out during reverse making the backup camera, nonfunctioning. The other safety issue at risk is that because of the delamination it causes "ghost-clicking" on the screen, and makes the screen irresponsive, veering the drivers attention away from the road, potentially causing accidents as the main display controls all radio and bluetooth, and navigation. There are no indication or warnings from the manufacturer that the vehicle could be a risk to drive. When I called Subaru of America, I was told by the agent that they could not assist, when I brought up, based on my research this was a known issue, Subaru of America offered to pay $600 towards the replacement of the head unit. The head unit dependant on the dealer and labor time can vary from $1400-2200 for the repair.

NHTSA ODI 11631631

Sep 20, 2023Electrical systemBackup camera & sensorsDriver assistance

Touch screen driver information system has random display and audible warnings. Audio and navigation display cannot be controlled and does random radio channels and map displays. The screen developed bubbles under the front panel that appears to activate the touch sensor for the display. This condition is very distracting to the driver and might cause unsafe vehicle operation. The display changing and beeping during driving causes an unsafe situation. It also impacts the ability to use and see the rear view camera as the display is distorted due to the delamination/bubbles. This problem was identified by many Subaru Legacy and Outback owners in 2018 which led to a recall and warranty extension for repairs. The radio/nav display is manufactured by Harmon. It was widely reported in 2019 and the problem persists. Subaru contends that the display bubbles are caused by liquid contamination of the display, but this has not occurred in our vehicle, and dealers will not accept responsibility for the defective displays.

NHTSA ODI 11545633

Working with the data? Download all 122 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2019 Subaru Legacy verdict →