Is the Toyota Camry more reliable than the Subaru Legacy?

Yes, by a slight margin. Both stand as good, but the Camry costs less to repair each year and gets far fewer owner complaints per car sold. Shop visits are the same at 0.3 a year. The Legacy's problems are narrower, so the gap is not large.

Which has more recalls, the Camry or the Legacy?

The Camry has more. Federal recall records show 35 recalls across its 9 model years, against 19 across 8 for the Legacy. Recall counts reflect how many fixes were issued, not how many cars failed, so check any specific car's open recalls before buying.

Which is cheaper to repair, the Camry or the Legacy?

The Camry is cheaper. Independent repair-cost data puts it at about $388 a year, against about $563 for the Legacy. Over five years that is roughly $875 more for the Legacy. A Legacy windshield replacement also needs EyeSight camera recalibration, which adds cost.

Do Subaru Legacy windshields really crack easily?

Owners report it often. Complaints describe windshields cracking with no visible impact, sometimes overnight in a parked car or after a cold start with the defroster on. Several say replacement glass cracked again within weeks. Cracks can reach the driver's line of sight or block the EyeSight cameras.

What are the most serious Camry complaints?

Air bags are the most serious, with the most crash-linked reports of any Camry area. Owners describe front air bags not deploying in severe crashes. Others report the engine shutting off with the shifter in Drive, no warning, and the car rolling away. A sinking brake pedal is another reported problem.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Subaru Legacy vs Toyota Camry: Reliability Compared

Subaru Legacy

Good

More Reliable

Toyota Camry

Good

A slight edge on reliability goes to the Toyota Camry over the Subaru Legacy. It costs less to repair and draws far fewer complaints per car sold. Both rate as good, so the gap is small, and each has its own weak spots.

How Do the Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry Generations Compare?

Most used Camrys a shopper will see belong to the eighth generation, which covered the 2018 to 2023 model years. That run includes both of its weakest years, 2018 and 2019. The 2024 to 2026 models fall outside that listing, and the newest have had little time to collect complaints. On the Legacy side, the sixth generation ended in 2020, and the seventh began that same year and ran through 2025. That means 2020 carries both designs. The 2019 and 2020 models are the weakest years, while 2024 and 2025 are the strongest but also the newest.

Verdict

The Toyota Camry is more reliable than the Subaru Legacy, scoring 78/100 vs 75/100.

A slight edge goes to the Camry. Both cars stand as good, but the Camry has a lower yearly repair bill, and owners file far fewer complaints per car sold. Major repairs are about equally likely in each, and shop visits are the same. The Legacy has fewer recalls, and its complaints cluster in a few areas such as windshields. That keeps the gap small rather than decisive.

Key Differences

1Toyota Camry costs $175 less per year to repair
2Toyota Camry has 19.1 fewer complaints per 10k sold
3Subaru Legacy has 16 fewer total recalls

Category Scoreboard

1Subaru Legacy

—

4Toyota Camry

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair RiskSafety Rating

Subaru Legacy vs Toyota Camry: Which Is More Reliable?

Subaru Legacy vs Toyota Camry at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Subaru Legacy	Toyota Camry
Reliability Score	75/100	78/100
Years Tracked	8	9
Total Recalls	19	35
Complaints per 10k Sold	21.2	2.1
Annual Repair Cost	$563/yr	$388/yr
Repair Frequency	0.3/yr	0.3/yr
Major Repair Risk	12%	11%
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2025 NHTSA	2026 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	2	6

What Are the Common Problems With the Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry?

Five Camry problem areas all carry crash-linked reports. Air bags lead, with front bags failing to deploy in serious crashes. Power train reports include the engine shutting off with the shifter left in Drive, plus hesitation at merges. Brake reports describe a spongy pedal, and engine reports center on a failing coolant bypass valve. Legacy trouble is more concentrated. Windshields crack with no visible impact, and cabin water leaks and telematics failures follow. Its crash-linked reports involve unintended surging in parking maneuvers, which is rare but serious. The Legacy lists no air bag or brake problem area.

Subaru Legacy vs Toyota Camry common problem areas comparison
Component	Subaru Legacy	Toyota Camry
VISIBILITY/WIPER	6.5Average	—None
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	4.5Average	0.2Very Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	3.6Average	0.2Very Low
VISIBILITY	0.9Very Low	—None
POWER TRAIN	0.4Very Low	0.4Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.4Very Low	0.2Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.5Very Low	0.1Very Low
ENGINE	0.5Very Low	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.3Very Low	0.1Very Low
STEERING	0.3Very Low	0.1Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.2Very Low	0.2Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.2Very Low	—None
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	—None
FUEL SYSTEM	—None	0.1Very Low
TIRES	—None	—None
SEAT BELTS	—None	—None
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	—None
SUSPENSION	—None	—None

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

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Subaru Legacy or Toyota Camry?

Repairs run about $388 a year on the Camry, against about $563 on the Legacy. That gap of $175 a year adds up to roughly $875 over five years. Both cars average 0.3 unscheduled shop visits a year, so neither sends you to the shop more often. A repair is slightly more likely to be major on the Legacy, at 12% versus 11%. Cost is the clearest advantage the Camry holds.

How Does Subaru Legacy vs Toyota Camry Reliability Compare by Year?

Subaru Legacy vs Toyota Camry year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Subaru Legacy	Toyota Camry	Edge
2025	80/1000R / 6C	76/1004R / 6C	Subaru Legacy
2024	81/1000R / 16C	83/1002R / 35C	Toyota Camry
2023	77/1002R / 10C	79/1004R / 47C	Toyota Camry
2022	77/1002R / 32C	84/1002R / 47C	Toyota Camry
2021	75/1003R / 31C	82/1002R / 144C	Toyota Camry
2020	67/1006R / 121C	75/1005R / 253C	Toyota Camry
2019	69/1003R / 123C	70/1008R / 364C	Toyota Camry
2018	70/1003R / 116C	65/1008R / 708C	Subaru Legacy

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Subaru Legacy scored 81/100 and the 2022 Toyota Camry scored 84/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Subaru Legacy vs the Toyota Camry?

If you want the lowest running costs, buy the Camry. Target 2022, one of its strongest years, and avoid 2018 and 2019, its weakest. Ask whether the coolant bypass valve has been replaced, since owners reported that failure at roughly 30,000 to 34,000 miles. Check that every open recall has been done. The 2026 model shows up as strong, but it is too new to have collected many complaints, so do not read that as proof. Pick the Legacy if you care more about fewer recalls and want to avoid the air bag and brake complaints seen on the Camry. Accept the trade-off: windshields crack easily, and replacing one means recalibrating the EyeSight cameras. Avoid 2019 and 2020, its weakest years. The 2024 and 2025 models rate best, but they are also the newest, so their clean record partly reflects time. Test the windshield and look for signs of cabin water leaks.

Subaru Legacy vs Toyota Camry: Common Questions

Is the Toyota Camry more reliable than the Subaru Legacy?: Yes, by a slight margin. Both stand as good, but the Camry costs less to repair each year and gets far fewer owner complaints per car sold. Shop visits are the same at 0.3 a year. The Legacy's problems are narrower, so the gap is not large.
Which has more recalls, the Camry or the Legacy?: The Camry has more. Federal recall records show 35 recalls across its 9 model years, against 19 across 8 for the Legacy. Recall counts reflect how many fixes were issued, not how many cars failed, so check any specific car's open recalls before buying.
Which is cheaper to repair, the Camry or the Legacy?: The Camry is cheaper. Independent repair-cost data puts it at about $388 a year, against about $563 for the Legacy. Over five years that is roughly $875 more for the Legacy. A Legacy windshield replacement also needs EyeSight camera recalibration, which adds cost.
Do Subaru Legacy windshields really crack easily?: Owners report it often. Complaints describe windshields cracking with no visible impact, sometimes overnight in a parked car or after a cold start with the defroster on. Several say replacement glass cracked again within weeks. Cracks can reach the driver's line of sight or block the EyeSight cameras.
What are the most serious Camry complaints?: Air bags are the most serious, with the most crash-linked reports of any Camry area. Owners describe front air bags not deploying in severe crashes. Others report the engine shutting off with the shifter in Drive, no warning, and the car rolling away. A sinking brake pedal is another reported problem.

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How we score the Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry

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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