Buyer Research

2013 Subaru Legacy — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $6,000–$10,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

The year the Legacy got the new FB25 2.5L, and the record moved with it: the stall-at-a-stop torque converter complaints that dominate the 2010–2012 pages drop to a smaller share here, and the biggest cluster becomes the engine drinking oil — a quart every 2,000 to 3,000 miles, with dealers calling it normal. Subaru settled a class action over oil consumption on these FB engines and the coverage it created has long since run out, so it is your bill now. The CVT still fails on this year, more often on the highway than at the light. Twelve recalls, seven of them Takata, plus a steering column on a spring-2012 build window that can come apart in your hands. Do an oil-level check and ask the seller how often they top up; get a CVT invoice or price one in; close the recalls. With those done, this is a comfortable all-wheel-drive sedan whose 66-complaint record is thinner than its predecessors', which is a good direction and not a guarantee.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 66 owner complaints for the 2013 Subaru Legacy, and 12 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 30% of them are about one thing — the engine. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

12 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2013 Subaru Legacy

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

FB25 engine burns oil — a quart every 2,000–3,000 miles, and the dealer calls it normalMedium

Twenty engine complaints, and most say the same thing in different mileages: a quart of synthetic gone between changes, the oil light coming on at 40 mph, topping up every couple of weeks. The 2013 was the Legacy's first year with the FB25, whose early piston rings let oil past; one owner here was put through a 1,200-mile consumption test and told the level was fine. Subaru settled a class action over oil consumption on FB engines of this era; ask a dealer whether this VIN ever had the rings or short block done under it, because that coverage has expired. Pull the dipstick cold and look at the level and the colour. A low reading on a car the seller says was just serviced tells you everything.

Repair cost (estimate): $50–$150 a year in top-up oil; $2,500–$4,500 for piston rings or a short block — around 56% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (20).

CVT failures on the highway — torque converter solenoid, valve body, sudden loss of driveHigh — wallet impact

Twelve powertrain complaints, and on this year they happen at speed: a torque converter clutch solenoid quitting at 75 mph ($1,700 at a dealer, at 138,000 miles), a valve body failing with every dash light on at interstate speed, a car that dropped into what felt like neutral at 65 mph and would not re-engage, and one whose dealer first refused a repair as out of warranty and then found the extended coverage. That extension — ten years or 100,000 miles on the CVT — has expired for a 2013. Also here: an extended-crank starting fault after sitting, three dealer visits and thirty days in the shop without a fix. Ask for CVT paperwork, listen for a whine that follows road speed, and feel for a flare or a jerk on a light-throttle upshift.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,200–$2,500 for a torque converter or valve body; $5,000–$8,000 for a replacement CVT — more than this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (12); 12 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Takata passenger inflator — seven campaigns — and crashes without deploymentHigh — wallet impact

Seven of the twelve recalls are the Takata front passenger inflator, issued by state from 18V012 through 20V003, for an inflator that can burst and throw metal into the cabin. Owners in this record were told not to let anyone ride in the front seat and then given appointments five months out; one threw away a driver-side notice after a dealer said it did not apply. The NHTSA VIN lookup is the only answer that counts. Four of the fourteen airbag complaints are crashes with no deployment, including a low-speed T-bone, which is a fact to know and not something you can inspect. Watch the airbag light go out at start-up.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (14); 12 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Steering column shafts can pull apart and the wheel stops steering the car (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 13V194 covers 2013 Legacys built February 15 to June 15, 2012: the inner and outer shafts of the steering column can disengage from each other, and if they do the steering wheel no longer turns the wheels. Dealers replaced the whole column assembly, free, from May 2013. It is a four-month build window, so check the door-jamb label first, then the VIN on NHTSA. There is nothing to feel for on a column that is about to let go; this one is entirely paperwork, and a car in the window with the recall open should not leave the driveway until it is done.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 12 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Smaller recalls: wiper motor cover, manual-car parking brake, remote-start fobs, replacement ignition switchesLow

Four more free fixes on the VIN lookup. Recall 16V694 replaced the wiper motor bottom cover on 2010–2014 Legacys built through June 2013, where contamination could make the motor overheat and stop mid-storm — one owner here could not get a dealer appointment for it until September. Recall 18V626 replaces the electronic parking brake actuator on manual-transmission cars that may not hold. Recall 13V061 swapped Audiovox remote-start fobs that could start the engine unasked. Recall 19V297 applies only if a replacement mechanical ignition switch was ever fitted. Run the wipers on high for a minute and set the parking brake on a slope.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 12 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Dipstick reading low, or a seller who admits to topping up between changes
✗Build date between February 15 and June 15, 2012 with the steering column recall open
✗Any Takata inflator campaign still open on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✗Whine from the transmission that rises with road speed, or a jerk on a light-throttle upshift
✗Long crank before the engine catches after the car has sat overnight

Good Signs

✓Piston rings or short block replaced under Subaru's oil consumption coverage, on a dealer invoice
✓Oil at the full mark on a cold dipstick, with the last change date and mileage on a receipt
✓Steering column recall 13V194 shown complete, or a build date outside its window
✓All seven Takata campaigns closed on the VIN
✓CVT fluid changed by a Subaru dealer with the receipt, and a smooth, quiet drive at 70 mph