Subaru Legacy vs Tesla Model S
Owner complaints, worst years and recall history side by side, from official NHTSA data. Last verified Aug 8, 2026. Raw complaint counts are not adjusted for sales volume.
Subaru Legacy
- Total complaints
- 3,142
- Avg per model year
- 88
- Recall campaigns (all years)
- 68
- Most complained year
- 2005 (183)
Top problems: Electrical System, Air Bags, Power Train
Tesla Model S
- Total complaints
- 3,362
- Avg per model year
- 225
- Recall campaigns (all years)
- 38
- Most complained year
- 2015 (666)
Top problems: Electrical System, Unknown / Other, Suspension
Complaints by model year
| Year | Subaru Legacy | Tesla Model S | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 2024 | 16 | 38 | ||
| 2023 | 10 | 109 | ||
| 2022 | 32 | 136 | ||
| 2021 | 31 | 175 | ||
| 2020 | 121 | 80 | ||
| 2019 | 123 | 43 | ||
| 2018 | 116 | 168 | ||
| 2017 | 118 | 421 | ||
| 2016 | 146 | 641 | ||
| 2015 | 159 | 666 | ||
| 2014 | 53 | 365 | ||
| 2013 | 66 | 459 | ||
| 2012 | 90 | 61 |
Method. Complaints are unique NHTSA reports per model year. A model that sold more units will naturally accumulate more complaints — compare the shape across years, not just the raw totals, and read the year pages for what actually fails.