Is the Nissan Maxima more reliable than the Subaru Legacy?

No, they are effectively tied. Both stand in good shape and both average 0.3 unscheduled shop visits a year. The Maxima has far fewer recalls and complaints, while the Legacy has a lower chance that a repair is major. Neither advantage is big enough to call a winner.

Which has more recalls, the Maxima or the Legacy?

The Legacy has more. Federal recall records show 19 recalls across its 8 model years, against 4 across 6 model years for the Maxima. The Legacy also covers two more model years, which gives it more time to collect them.

Which costs less to repair, the Maxima or the Legacy?

The Maxima costs slightly less, at an estimated $540 a year versus $563. That is about $115 over five years. The Maxima has a higher chance that a repair is major, at 15% against 12%, so the savings are thin.

Do Subaru Legacy windshields crack easily?

Owner complaints say yes. Windshields crack with no visible impact, sometimes overnight on a parked car or after a cold start with the defroster on. Some owners report cracks in replacement glass within weeks. Replacement also requires camera recalibration, which adds cost.

What goes wrong most often on the Nissan Maxima?

Driver-assist faults lead the list. Owners report a forward collision warning light that stays on and a radar obstruction message that disables adaptive cruise control. Service brake complaints are the largest group, including one power loss at highway speed. Some owners also report transmission failure with stalling.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Nissan Maxima vs Subaru Legacy: Reliability Compared

More Reliable

Nissan Maxima

Good

Subaru Legacy

Good

Reliability is effectively tied between the Nissan Maxima and Subaru Legacy. The Maxima has fewer recalls and complaints, but repair costs are close. The Legacy carries crash-linked unintended acceleration reports that the Maxima does not, which matters most if you park in tight spaces.

How Do the Nissan Maxima and Subaru Legacy Generations Compare?

Every Maxima in this comparison, 2018 through 2023, belongs to the eighth generation, which ran from 2016 to 2023. It received a facelift for 2020, and 2020 is one of its weakest years. That generation has ended, so you are shopping used only. The Legacy straddles two generations. The sixth generation ran 2015 to 2020, and the seventh ran 2020 to 2025. Its 2018 and 2019 cars are late sixth generation, while 2020 sits at the changeover. The weakest Legacy years, 2019 and 2020, fall right around that handoff. The newest years, 2024 and 2025, are seventh generation.

Verdict

The Nissan Maxima is more reliable than the Subaru Legacy, scoring 76/100 vs 75/100.

These two sedans are effectively tied on reliability. Both stand in good shape, both average the same number of unscheduled shop visits, and their yearly repair costs sit close together. The Maxima has the cleaner paper trail, with far fewer recalls and owner complaints. The Legacy has the lower chance that a repair turns major. Neither edge is large enough to name a winner. What separates them is the kind of trouble each one tends to have, not how often it shows up at the shop.

Key Differences

1Nissan Maxima costs $23 less per year to repair
2Nissan Maxima has 15 fewer total recalls
3Nissan Maxima has 14.7 fewer complaints per 10k sold

Category Scoreboard

4Nissan Maxima

—

1Subaru Legacy

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair RiskSafety Rating

Nissan Maxima vs Subaru Legacy: Which Is More Reliable?

Nissan Maxima vs Subaru Legacy at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Nissan Maxima	Subaru Legacy
Reliability Score	76/100	75/100
Years Tracked	6	8
Total Recalls	4	19
Complaints per 10k Sold	6.5	21.2
Annual Repair Cost	$540/yr	$563/yr
Repair Frequency	0.3/yr	0.3/yr
Major Repair Risk	15%	12%
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2023 NHTSA	2025 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	4 (2 tied)	0 (2 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Nissan Maxima and Subaru Legacy?

Driver-assist faults dominate the Maxima's complaints. Owners report a front radar obstruction message that shuts off adaptive cruise control, a forward collision light that stays lit, and one case of power loss at highway speed with a cluster of warning lights. Transmission failure with stalling also appears. The Legacy's biggest group is windshields that crack with no visible impact, followed by cabin water leaks and telematics failures. The Legacy also has crash-linked reports of sudden unintended acceleration in the speed control and engine areas, mostly while parking. No Maxima problem area is flagged crash-linked.

Nissan Maxima vs Subaru Legacy common problem areas comparison
Component	Nissan Maxima	Subaru Legacy
VISIBILITY/WIPER	0.2Very Low	6.5Average
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0.5Very Low	4.5Average
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0.9Very Low	3.6Average
VISIBILITY	—None	0.9Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.7Very Low	0.2Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.5Very Low	0.2Very Low
POWER TRAIN	0.3Very Low	0.4Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.2Very Low	0.4Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	—None	0.5Very Low
ENGINE	—None	0.5Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.3Very Low	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	0.3Very Low
STEERING	—None	0.3Very Low
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES	0.2Very Low	—None
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)	0.2Very Low	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Nissan Maxima or Subaru Legacy?

Repair costs are nearly identical. Independent repair-cost data puts the Maxima at an estimated $540 a year, against $563 for the Legacy. Over five years that gap comes to about $115, which is small. Both average 0.3 unscheduled shop visits a year, so neither will visit the shop more often. The real difference is severity. A Maxima repair has a 15% chance of being major, versus 12% for the Legacy. Budget about the same for either.

How Does Nissan Maxima vs Subaru Legacy Reliability Compare by Year?

Nissan Maxima vs Subaru Legacy year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Nissan Maxima	Subaru Legacy	Edge
2023	77/1000R / 1C	77/1002R / 10C	Tie
2022	77/1000R / 5C	77/1002R / 32C	Tie
2021	77/1000R / 3C	75/1003R / 31C	Nissan Maxima
2020	74/1001R / 21C	67/1006R / 121C	Nissan Maxima
2019	76/1001R / 18C	69/1003R / 123C	Nissan Maxima
2018	72/1002R / 36C	70/1003R / 116C	Nissan Maxima

Best years to cross-shop: The 2023 Nissan Maxima scored 77/100 and the 2023 Subaru Legacy scored 77/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Nissan Maxima vs the Subaru Legacy?

Pick the Maxima if you want fewer recalls and a lighter complaint history. Aim for 2021 or 2022, its strongest years, and be cautious with 2018 and 2020, its weakest. During a test drive, watch the dash for collision or radar warnings that appear at startup. Ask whether any trim or grille clips have been repaired. A lit warning outside warranty can mean an out-of-pocket fix. Pick the Legacy if the lower chance of a major repair matters more to you, and if you can live with windshield risk. Avoid 2019 and 2020, its weakest years. The 2024 and 2025 models rank strongest, but they have had less time on the road to collect complaints, so do not read that as proof of better quality. Check the glass for cracks near the lower edge, since replacement requires camera recalibration. Look for damp carpets, and confirm the telematics unit works. If you often pull into tight spaces, weigh the unintended acceleration reports.

Nissan Maxima vs Subaru Legacy: Common Questions

Is the Nissan Maxima more reliable than the Subaru Legacy?: No, they are effectively tied. Both stand in good shape and both average 0.3 unscheduled shop visits a year. The Maxima has far fewer recalls and complaints, while the Legacy has a lower chance that a repair is major. Neither advantage is big enough to call a winner.
Which has more recalls, the Maxima or the Legacy?: The Legacy has more. Federal recall records show 19 recalls across its 8 model years, against 4 across 6 model years for the Maxima. The Legacy also covers two more model years, which gives it more time to collect them.
Which costs less to repair, the Maxima or the Legacy?: The Maxima costs slightly less, at an estimated $540 a year versus $563. That is about $115 over five years. The Maxima has a higher chance that a repair is major, at 15% against 12%, so the savings are thin.
Do Subaru Legacy windshields crack easily?: Owner complaints say yes. Windshields crack with no visible impact, sometimes overnight on a parked car or after a cold start with the defroster on. Some owners report cracks in replacement glass within weeks. Replacement also requires camera recalibration, which adds cost.
What goes wrong most often on the Nissan Maxima?: Driver-assist faults lead the list. Owners report a forward collision warning light that stays on and a radar obstruction message that disables adaptive cruise control. Service brake complaints are the largest group, including one power loss at highway speed. Some owners also report transmission failure with stalling.

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How we score the Nissan Maxima and Subaru Legacy

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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