There are 10 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2011 Subaru Legacyin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Brakes failed due to a rusty brake line. Rear passenger side where theres a 4 way block 2 lines in 2 lines out. All 4 lines are rusted where they connect, one of the lines broke to cause a significant leak. This caused me to have very little brakes as the vehicle ran out of brake fluid. I can see brake fluid on the ground and diagnosed the issue myself. It seems as it is a common issue. The brake light did come on when the brake fluid was low enough, but at that point there was little to no brakes anyway because the leak was so consistent .
To Whom It May Concern: I am an owner of the Subaru 2011 Legacy AWD, VIN # [XXX], [XXX] at [XXX], Parker, Colorado, reaching out to you about a well-known and recognized toque converter issue described in the 2011 Subaru Legacy F4-2.5 L SOHC, Vehicle - Technical Service Bulletin applicability :2010-2012 MY Legacy Models equipped with CVT Transmission. I purchased my car after its previous owner with a salvage title due to an accident, however it turns out it has a torque converter issue which makes a car die every time I use a break when coming to a stop, described in the above Subaru Technical Service Bulletin. The Subaru of North America has a customer satisfaction program which allows me and similarly situated Subaru Legacy 2010-2012 owners to have this issue without Subaru qualifying it as a safety recall issue. Should this been qualified as a safety recall, my salvage title would be eligible for a free repair from the Subaru of North America, however since this is a frequently reported issue Subaru manufacturer is responsible for creating in the 2010-2012 Subaru Legacy F4-2.5 L vehicles, it allowed the Subaru of North America to use it as a basis for their refusal to repair my vehicle for free provided that the torque converter issue is their responsibility. I'd appreciate you reaching out to me with a possible options which may exist for me as an owner of the vehicle. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
WHY DOES MY BREAK LIGHT KEEP FLASHING??
ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE. THIS RECALL HAS BEEN OUT SINCE SEPTEMBER AND STILL HAVE NO REMEDY TO BE FIXED. THIS IS EXTREMELY INEXCUSABLE BECAUSE THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND KNOWING IT CAN DISENGAGE ONE IT'S OWN.
MY CAR HESITATES AND TURNS OFF SOMETIMES WHEN SLOWING DOWN AT A STOP OR RED LIGHT, RPMS FLUCTUATE AS I BRAKE OR ACCELERATE, MY BRAKE LIGHT IS ON SOLID AND I GET A AT OIL TEMP LIGHT FLASHING AND THEN I CAN'T USE MY PADDLESHIFTERS AT ALL, CAR SOUNDS HIGHLY REV'D BUT DOESN'T GO AS FAST! PLEASE HELP AS THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, I DRIVE ON CALIFORNIA FREEWAYS EVERYDAY AND THIS IS A DANGER TO MY FAMILY WHEN COMMUTING.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT INDICATOR WAS FLASHING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND SCHEDULED A DIAGNOSTIC APPOINTMENT. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL OR WARRANTY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.
COMING INTO A FOUR WAY INTERSECTION THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR NO BRAKES. SOME SUBARU LEGACY MASTER CYCLINDERS ARE BEING RECALLED FOR THE SAME DEFECT. MINE IS NOT IN THE RECALL. NO ONE WAS HURT NO DAMAGE. HAD IT REPAIRED AND I HAVE THE MASTER CYLINDER. AJ000 IS THE PART NUMBER.
THE 2011 SUBARU LEGACY HAS AN ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE. AFTER A FEW YEARS, THE BRAKE MECHANISM BROKE AND WOULDN'T "TURN ON" OR "SWITCH OFF". THIS WAS TERRIBLY UNSAFE AND COST OVER $800 DOLLARS TO FIX. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.
ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO I WAS BRAKING FOR A STOP LIGHT. WHILE I WAS BRAKING (FROM ABOUT 35MPH) I RAN OVER SOME BUMPS IN THE ROAD, AT THAT TIME THE PEDAL SUDDENLY WENT TO THE FLOOR. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO ONE IN FONT OF ME. I DROVE TO A PARKING LOT TO PARK THE CAR. THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD LITTLE RESISTANCE GOING TO THE FLOOR AS I PUMPED ON THE PEDAL. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER TO BE SERVICED. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER ALSO MENTIONED THE BRAKES ARE NON EXISTENT AT THAT TIME. THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM. HOWEVER TODAY (18NOV2015) THE CAR EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE. THE CONDITIONS WAS WET. AS I BRAKED TO A STOPLIGHT, I HIT A BUMP AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I FELT THE ABS KICK IN FOR A SPLIT SECOND. THE CAR WILL BE GOING BACK TO THE DEALER FOR ANOTHER INSPECTION. I WOULD SUSPECT THEY WONT FIND ANYTHING WRONG.
FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS MY SUBARU LEGACY HAS BEEN STALLING AND LOSING POWER WHEN I ROLL TO A STOP AND/OR WHEN SUDDENLY BRAKING. ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED BY SEMI TRUCK ON THE FREEWAY AND MULTIPLE TIMES AT STOP LIGHTS IN FOGGY SITUATIONS. SUBARU DEALERSHIP SAID IF IT WAS AN ANNOYANCE I SHOULD BRING IT IN. ALMOST DYING IN A SUBARU WITH MY DAUGHTERS IS MORE THAN AN ANNOYANCE. DEALERSHIP HAS KNOWN ABOUT IT BUT PERFORMED A THROTTLE BODY SERVICE, WHICH WAS FUTILE. ONLINE FORUMS SUGGEST A FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER AND A SERVICE#16-90-30. QUOTES FOR REPLACING IT ARE AROUND $2000. SUBARU KNOWS IT IS DUE TO FAULTY DESIGN OF TORQUE CONVERTER...THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED. I USED TO LOVE SUBARUS AND THIS CAR, I AM NOW FORCED TO TAKE A LOSS FINANCIALLY AND BUY A SAFER CAR. COMPLETELY UNSAFE. *TR
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