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BrakesPart report

2008 Subaru Legacy Brakes Problems

Complaints
13about this part
Share
20%of 65 total for the year
Median mileage
141,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 13 complaints about the brakes of the 2008 Subaru Legacy, 20% of the 65 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 141,000 miles. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.

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.

“I had the recall done in 2017 and I was recently driving on the highway when my brakes had no pressure, I nearly crashed my car. Pulled over and realized my brake lines were leaking from where they said it had been fixed during the recall. I called the Subaru Stealership that did the recall and they informed me when I brought the vehicle in “it showed no signs of leakage” so they sprayed “anti corrosion” on the lines. I called Subaru of America and they want me to pay $200 to diagnose the issue and pay for the repair since the lines busted from “wear and tear”. …”

NHTSA complaint #11515278, filed 2023-04, 149,000 miles

“I saw the brake light come on while driving on city street, I tapped the brakes lightly and checked if my ebrake was up a few times and the light went away for a bit before it finally stayed on while driving after doing that. I thought maybe it was a sensor since light taps and braking seemed fine. I guess when I was tapping and testing the brakes over and over, I was just pumping all the brake fluid out of the corroded brake line in the back and could barely stop when I actually had to use the brakes to come to a complete stop. …”

NHTSA complaint #11350930, filed 2020-08, 125,765 miles

“This is in reference to Subaru recall wqk-47: while driving vehicle, brake indicator on dashboard illuminated and within a few minutes of driving, I could feel something was a bit different with the brake pressure. Within a few moments of that while attempting to stop, I noticed the pedal went all the way down to the floor and on subsequent pumps of the brakes I got some pressure. Attempting to drive the vehicle further (slowly), resulted in very little, if any, braking power. I checked brake fluid reservoir and noticed it was below the min mark. …”

NHTSA complaint #11289575, filed 2019-12, 180,000 miles

“I got off the highway on a secondary road on my way home, when after the second stop sign trying to cross the intersection the car stalled ,losing its gears with the engine running, but no acceleration. The check engine light went on,the mode driving light and the cruise lights blinking. I turned the engine off ,then on and I proceeded with the only gear left to a safe location. Luckily I was on a secondary road or I could have been rear ended and hurt or worse. …”

NHTSA complaint #10318429, filed 2010-03, 3,420 miles

“Driving car and had complete loss of brakes. Vehicle has had issues or random consumption of brake fluid. Passenger rear brake pipe burst open and failed due to corrosion not addressed by previous recalls. Subaru of america will not honor replacement and services cost because the Legacy model is not specific to the recall and out of warranty. Soa did honor $350 credit for repairs that cost $1100.”

NHTSA complaint #11331442, filed 2020-06, 200,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Brakes: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025117%
202416%
202213%
202126%
202022%
201922%
201865%
201754%
201685%
2015138%
201424%
201346%
201278%
20111811%
2010139%
2009914%
20081320%
200739%
20061011%
20053117%
200436%
200347%
2002713%
200179%
200077%
19991213%
19981412%
19972719%
19961815%
19952916%
1994610%
199379%
199212%
19911013%
199045%

Other parts of the 2008 Subaru Legacy

Air bags
25 complaints
Electrical system
9 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
6 complaints
Vehicle speed control
5 complaints
Engine
4 complaints
Exterior lighting
3 complaints
Fuel system
3 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
Wheels
3 complaints
Tires
2 complaints
Electronic stability control
1 complaints
Equipment
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2008 Subaru Legacy

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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