Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the wipers and visibility, acceleration and cruise control, and automatic emergency braking. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2022Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2022 Subaru Legacy: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/4
Engine off, key in hand0/3
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/1
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2022's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2022 Subaru Legacy. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4-cyl | AWD | 27 mpg |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | AWD | 30 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2022 Subaru Legacy, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Windshields crack, often with no visible impact. Cracks appear overnight in parked cars or spread up from the lower edge near the heating grid, sometimes right after a cold start with the defroster on. Small pebbles leave long, branching cracks that grow within minutes and reach the driver's line of sight or block the EyeSight cameras. Several owners report new cracks in replacement glass within weeks. Replacement requires camera recalibration, which adds cost. A separate complaint says the sun visor is too short to block low sun.
The car surges forward at low speed without accelerator input. Both reports involve pulling into a parking space or a driveway, and both ended in crashes. In one, the car kept accelerating after being shifted into reverse, hit a neighbor's garage, and was declared totaled at about 15,000 miles. The other car hit a light post and damaged its front bumper. No injuries are reported. With only 2 complaints this is not a broad pattern, but the crash outcomes make it serious.
EyeSight fails to warn or brake in one crash report. Another car pulled into the driver's path at 39 mph, and the system gave no alert and applied no braking before impact. A separate complaint describes the touchscreen freezing about twice a month. Each freeze shuts off cruise control, emergency braking, lane keep assist and other driver aids for 30 seconds to several minutes. Dash warnings appear only after the system reboots, so the driver is not told the features are off while they are down.
Water leaks into the cabin, soaking the carpets and damaging the radio and amplifier. In one report the dealer replaced those parts at about 8,000 miles. The other report describes the DCM telematics unit failing twice, even after a full replacement. Remote app commands stop working and the Starlink buttons stop responding. The only sign is a missing green LED, so automatic collision notification may fail without the driver knowing.
Excerpts from complaints Legacy owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
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.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2023
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 .
Filed with NHTSA, March 2023
Driving my car at 39mph and approaching a vehicle stopped at an intersection perpendicular to my left, she accelerated into my path and Subaru eyesight provided no warning and did not attempt to break at all before the collision occurred. I was able to slow to maybe 15 mph but disappointed eyesight did not work as intended.
Filed with NHTSA, July 2026
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2022 ranks fourth for owner complaints among 8 Legacy years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2022 is the third model year of the Legacy's seventh generation (2020 on).
Recall repairs are free at any Subaru dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Risk: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
Cars shoppers compare with the Subaru Legacy, with their own 2022 checklists.
2022 owner complaints, side by side
