There are 6 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2005 Subaru Legacyin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WIRES THAT GO TO THE REAR HATCH FOR THE WIPER AND THIRD BRAKE LIGHT ARE SEVERED AFTER REPEATED OPENING/CLOSING OF REAR HATCH AND AFFECT THE FUNCTIONALITY.
REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER STOPPED WORKING CAUSING VERY LIMITED VISIBILITY OUT OF REAR WINDOW DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. I DISCOVERED THE CONNECTING HARNESS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR THAT CONTROLS THE REAR WIPER AND BRAKE LIGHTS DAMAGED WHERE IT PASSES FROM THE CAR BODY TO REAR TAILGATE. THE GROMMETT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE SERVING ITS PURPOSE AND THE WIRING HARNESS DOES NOT SEEM DURABLE ENOUGH. THIS CAN CREATE A VERY DANGEROUS COMBINATION. *TR
THE LOW BEAM LIGHT BULBS BURN OUT FREQUENTLY. I USE THE HIGH QUALITY BULBS (AROUND $28 EA) BUT THEY STILL BURN OUT EVERY 3 TO 4 MONTHS, SAME AS THE LOWER QUALITY BULBS. EVEN WITH BEING VERY CAREFUL INSTALLING THE BULBS, WEARING CLEAN GLOVES AND CLEANING WITH ALCOHOL PRIOR TO SETTING AND LOCKING, THEY STILL BURN OUT. I BOUGHT THE CAR AT 27,000 MILES, NOW IT HAS 50,500 AND THE PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT. I DOUBT THAT BULB QUALITY IS THE ISSUE HERE, SINCE I'VE EXPERIMENTED WITH THE $17 BULBS AND THE $28 BULBS AND THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME. *TR
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AFTER PURCHASING A NEW VEHICLE, ALTHOUGH THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATED THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. THE DEALER SUGGESTED REPLACING THE EXTERIOR HEADLAMP BULBS. AFTER THE BULBS WERE REPLACED THIS MOMENTARILY REMEDIED THE PROBLEM, BUT LATER THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE.
I WANT TO REINFORCE A SAFETY PROBLEM ALREADY REPORTED ON YOUR LIST. AT NIGHT, WITH THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND ALWAYS LIT DASH, IT IS HARD TO NOTICE IF YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. THERE IS A SMALL INDICATOR SHOWING WHETHER THEY ARE ON, BUT SOMETHING MORE IS NEEDED TO REMIND YOU THEY ARE OFF AT NIGHT. I HAVE DRIVEN SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO TAIL LIGHTS AND HAD TO BE REMINDED BY SOMEONE DRIVING NEAR ME. THIS IS DANGEROUS. *NM
NO FAILURE OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT BUT VEHICLE DESIGN PROMOTES OPERATION AT NIGHT WITH NO TAIL LIGHTS. WHEN THE LIGHT SWITCH IS TURNED OFF, THE HEADLIGHTS (DRL) AND INSTRUMENT LIGHTS REMAIN ON. THIS MAKES THE OPERATOR THINK ALL EXTERIOR ILLUMINATION IS FUNCTIONING, WHEN ONLY THE HEADLIGHTS AND INSTRUMENT LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED. *AK
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