There are 5 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2003 Subaru Legacyin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I OWN A 2003 SUBARU LEGACY SEDAN. AS I PICK UP SPEED YOU CAN HEAR AN INCREASING WIND NOISE COMING FROM AROUND THE FRONT 2 WINDOWS. AT SPEEDS OF 65 MPH AND ABOVE IT GETS REALLY BAD AND IT STARTS SOUNDING LIKE A REF BLOWING HIS WHISTLE. I TAKE MANY TRIPS ON THE INTERSTATE AND IT GET REALLY BAD AND IT GETS WORSE IF THE WIND IS BLOWING. THIS IS THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAD OTHER THAN THE TRANSMISSION HESITATING AND SHIFTING HARD UPON STARTING OFF IN DRIVE. OTHER THAN THESE 2 PROBLEMS IN IS A GREAT CAR. *NM
2003 SUBARU OUTBACK DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD EXPERIENCE HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE. ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** *MR THE VEHICLE LUNGED WHILE IN MOTION WITHOUT THE GAS PEDAL BEING APPLIED, THE CONSUMER HAD DIFFICULTY WITH THE AUTOMATIC SHIFTING, LACK OF POWER UPON ACCELERATION, AND ON OCCASION AN EXTREMELY LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WHEN SHIFTING, BRAKING, OR DISENGAGING THE CRUISE CONTROL WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL. *SC THE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED.*JB
WHEN ACCELERATING AT ANY SPEED HESITATES FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. *AK THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE FIXED BECAUSE IT WAS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER FEELS THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION OVER TIME. *NM
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SLIPPING, ENGINE SURGING WHILE IN GEAR. *JB
WHEN THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED ON THE TRANSMISSION, THE DEALER BROKE THE TRANSMISSION PAN BOLT, WHICH CAUSED FLUID TO LEAK OUT, CONSUMER STATED TRANSMISSION MAY HAVE INTERNAL DAMAGE.*JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026