1990 Subaru Legacy problems
Owners have filed 103 complaints about the 1990 Subaru Legacy with NHTSA. Structure accounts for 21.4% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of latches/locks/linkages at 18.4%.
Complaints103
Crashes4
Fires2
Injuries4
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Structure 21.4% · 22
Latches/locks/linkages 18.4% · 19
Power train 13.6% · 14
Seat belts 13.6% · 14
Vehicle speed control 6.8% · 7
Fuel system, gasoline 3.9% · 4
Service brakes, hydraulic 3.9% · 4
Suspension 3.9% · 4
Severity
Of those complaints, 4 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire and 4 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 19 model years of the Subaru Legacy in this data, 1990 draws comparatively few complaints; 2005 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 7 in the last three years against 36 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 72,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The door handle when opened causes the door to automatically lock when opened from the inside. The passenger side front broke in 1993. The passenger side rear door broke in 1998. The driver side front door broke in 1999 which is the most annoying as it locks all the door every time the handle is used to open the door from the inside. It costs $80 to replace the part. Structure
Vehicle has a master door lock button on driver's side. 2 Rear doors lock when door is closed. Passenger's door should not lock once it's closed. Lock knob has to be held up to open anb close the door. Consumer has gotten locked out a few times because of the problem. Structure
Sunvisor continuously slips down without assistance, causing driver to hit visor when getting in vehicle/injury. (Other vehicle on 479694) *skd Structure
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…