2002 Subaru Legacy Subaru Legacy 2002

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2002 Subaru Legacy repairs by problem area

Engine (52%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (20%)

Brakes and Traction Control (2%)

Suspension and Steering (14%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (5%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (7%)

Other (0%)

Chart based on 44 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2002 Subaru Legacy.

2002 Subaru Legacy repair cost distribution

$2500+ (11%)

$1000 - $2499 (11%)

$500 - $999 (18%)

$100 - $499 (29%)

< $100 (32%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 28 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2002 Subaru Legacy

Engine not specified

Subaru Legacy in California, United States
Apr 2013 - May 2013
May 2013

136000 mi

US $750
began running extremely rough about 1/2 mile after filling the gas tank. dealer replaced the fuel pump. 
Subaru Legacy in Kenya
Jan 2012 - Feb 2012
Feb 2012

41540 mi
did an engine over haul. since then the car is overheating . 

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2002 Subaru Legacy 4dr Wagon

165-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

Subaru Legacy in Ohio, United States
Jul 2012 - Dec 2013
Dec 2013

149000 mi
brake lines rusted out. brakes to be repaired. needed 2500 to repair. warning light on. 
Subaru Legacy in Tennessee, United States
Dec 2012 - Jul 2013
Jul 2013

120000 mi

US $150
Clutch stopped working - stuck to floor. Replaced clutch slave cylinder and soft hydraulic line. Spark plug wells full of oil - replacing valve cover gasket and spark plug wires. 
Subaru Legacy in Alberta, Canada
Dec 2014 - Nov 2015
Dec 2014

125240 mi

C $150
Car used to occasionally buck like a wild horse. Sporadic and started Fall 2014. Worse by December. Repair shop replaced coil on cylinder 2 and checked car. Car ran okay for about a week. Problem returned and check engine light. Car was bucking like wild horse and check engine light came on. The problem was an air flow sensor needed to be replaced. Clutch started slipping so new clutch and plate installed 
Subaru Legacy in Washington, United States
Jun 2010 - Jun 2011
Jul 2010

92000 mi

US $1120
full clutch replacement including slave gear 
Subaru Legacy in Massachusetts, United States
May 2009 - Apr 2010
Sep 2009

212000 mi
Both head gaskets failed, 50000 miles of driving post failure caused bottom end wear. Need to repl. Engine from junkyard would be about $2,500. Need to repl. (screamingly loud) transmission, would be another $2,000. 
Apr 2010

217000 mi
Engine basically shot - rings worn, headgaskets leaking oil into the water and into the environment, low compression. Needed new transmission when stopped driving it. Some rust in the sills and behind rear wheel arches. 

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2002 Subaru Legacy 4dr Wagon

165-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed automatic AWD

Subaru Legacy in Georgia, United States
Jun 2016 - Jul 2017
Jan 2017

237000 mi

US $1000
water pump gasket 
Jul 2017

238000 mi

US $2600
head gasket leak, replace engine. 
Subaru Legacy in Washington, United States
Jul 2011 - Jun 2018
Jan 2013 cv boot replaced-right front axle 
Dec 2013

180000 mi

US $3000
fuel line replaced head gasket-2nd-second time 
Subaru Legacy in Michigan, United States
Jan 2013 - Jun 2016
Sep 2014

76000 mi

US $178
Replace section of exhaust pipe 
Subaru Legacy in New Jersey, United States
Mar 2010 - Apr 2011
Apr 2011

146000 mi
Sunroof started leaking due to rust, according to the dealer they could not fix it. 
Subaru Legacy in Ohio, United States
Aug 2010 - Jan 2018
Dec 2010

167000 mi
CEL still on after replacing just about every evaporative system component. 
Apr 2011

170000 mi

US $2500
Complete transmission failure. Required new transmission. Loud grinding noise and transmission binding, preventing car from moving forward or in reverse. Code: "3rd Gear out of ratio" 
Aug 2011

171100 mi

US $250
Car had head rebuild when transmission failed. Ever since, the engine began overheating on long freeway trips. Installed HQ aftermarket radiator. Stock radiator literally crumbled apart when touched.  Defective thermostat installed during head rebuild. Replaced free of charge. Overheating problem solved; hopefully overheating did not damage engine 
Sep 2011

174000 mi
Engine overheats during long freeway trips, but not during city driving. Mechanic said he could not replicate the overheating and indicated "all Subaru's run hot." *Car NEVER ran hot prior to head rebuild. 
Oct 2012

178300 mi

US $200
Exhaust midpipe rotted off at the catalytic converter 
May 2017

223000 mi

US $100
Starter Replacement 

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2002 Subaru Legacy 4dr Sedan

165-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

Subaru Legacy in New York, United States
Mar 2011 - Jun 2013
Apr 2011

120000 mi

US $600
Left front wheel bearing went bad. 
Feb 2012

129000 mi

US $28
Oil was leaking from valve cover seals onto the spark plugs and wires. Valve cover gaskets and seals were replaced. 

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2002 Subaru Legacy 4dr Sedan

165-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed automatic AWD

Subaru Legacy in New York, United States
Apr 2009 - Mar 2010
Oct 2009

72000 mi

US $3000
exhaust system rusted out again for the 3rd time 
Subaru Legacy in Ohio, United States
May 2011 - Jul 2012
Nov 2011

139000 mi

US $30
replace thermostat. Car was running hot. Did not have the original exact OEM thermostat. It appeared to stick periodically. 
May 2012

144400 mi

US $100
air conditioning compressor clutch was slipping 
Subaru Legacy in Alberta, Canada
Dec 2010 - Oct 2012
Jan 2010

117800 mi

C $80
Front right inner tie rod replacement.  
Aug 2012

131600 mi

C $500
The head gaskets had minor external leak when I first bought the car. The leak had slowly become worse over the years. I decided to replace the HG before selling the car. I also cleaned some deposits/gunk off of the cylinders and pistons. 
Subaru Legacy in Connecticut, United States
May 2011 - Jul 2011
Jul 2011

78000 mi

US $600
muffler system replaced 

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2001.5 Subaru Legacy 4dr Wagon

155-horsepower 2.0L H4 4-speed automatic AWD

Subaru Legacy in Brazil
Aug 2012 - Dec 2014
Sep 2012

83080 mi

$1800
Changed the rear suspension stabilizer bar link. Had to wait for part imported from US. Recover both bumpers and the rear right door. 
Dec 2012

86800 mi
Substitution of the front left wheel tie-rod 
Apr 2013

89900 mi

$800
Replaced tie-rods for all the wheels 
May 2013

90500 mi

$900
Replaced all 4 tie-rod ends, both two front tie-rods. 
Dec 2013

97340 mi

$450
A rithmic vibration whenever accelerating. changed 
Dec 2014

104780 mi
Changing CV joints 

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2002 Subaru Legacy Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2002 Subaru Legacy problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.