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SteeringPart report

2005 Subaru Legacy Steering Problems

Complaints
3about this part
Share
2%of 184 total for the year
Median mileage
70,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the steering of the 2005 Subaru Legacy, 2% of the 184 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 70,000 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“With good all-season tires, the car began swimming , fish-tailing on snow-packed roads. At slower speeds it still felt like we had a flat tire. Dealer checked the car and said nothing was wrong, that they had never had such a complaint before and that it needed good snow tires. After $500+ in snow tires it, again, handled badly on slippery roads. The dealer's insistence that there was nothing wrong prompted me to sell the vehicle and leave Subaru (having owned 3). It's a sad day when a dealer prefers to see a client dead than address the problem. Good bye Subaru.”

NHTSA complaint #10443637, filed 2012-01, 75,000 miles

“The contact stated the odor of gasoline was noticed intermittently upon starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealership where the problem could not be duplicated. The vehicle continued to smell of gasoline and the vehicle was taken back to the service dealer where it was discovered fluid was leaking from the steering area. The leak was repaired, but the odor of gasoline continued. The odor is strongest after the vehicle has been sitting for a period of two hours or more. The odor disappears after driving a hundred yards or more. …”

NHTSA complaint #10150085, filed 2006-02, 9,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Steering: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025117%
202213%
202011%
201932%
201843%
201798%
20161611%
201511%
201424%
201346%
201278%
20111610%
2010128%
200912%
200713%
200622%
200532%
200312%
200111%
200033%
199922%
199887%
199775%
199632%
199553%
199447%
199323%
199212%
199011%

Other parts of the 2005 Subaru Legacy

Brakes
31 complaints
Engine cooling
29 complaints
Fuel system
27 complaints
Electrical system
25 complaints
Air bags
21 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
17 complaints
Vehicle speed control
15 complaints
Exterior lighting
13 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
13 complaints
Suspension
7 complaints
Other or unknown
6 complaints
Seat belts
6 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 Subaru Legacy

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology