IllustrationDRIVER'S SHOULDER BELT IS STUCK IN THE FORWARD POSITION. DEALER CONTACTED AND IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
1991 Subaru Legacy
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1991 Subaru Legacy do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 77.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Legacy years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 4 of 78 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Seat Belts. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
78 reportsFRONT SHOULDER PASSIVE RESTRAINT SEAT BELT WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY COME BACK, IS INOPERABLE. DEALER CONTACTED, AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, CONSUMER'S COSTS TO REPAIR FRONT SHOULDER BELT WOULD BE $900. *AK
AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT FAILED.
WHEEL ATTACHMENT BROKE, LOSS CONTROL, AND HIT A CURB.
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT MOTOR LOCKED UP.
AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT: SHOULDER BELT WILL NOT MOVE INTO POSITION WHEN CLOSING THE DOOR. *AK
AUTOMATIC FRONT LEFT SEAT BELT FAILED.
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED.
THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DISENGAGED FROM PARK BY CHILD RESULTING IN A COLLISION DUE TO A DESIGN FEATURE CALLED THE (BYPASS SWITCH).
THE DOOR LOCKS DO NOT WORK PROPERLY. WOULD HAVE TO HOLD THE LOCKS BY HAND AND OPEN DOOR AT SAME TIME. THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK COULD NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK WITH A KEY. HAVE TAKEN TO DEALER TO NO AVAIL. EMERGENCY EXITING FROM THE VEHICLE WOULD BE PREVENTED BY THE FAILED LOCK/LATCH ASSEMBLY. *AK
Official recalls
394V052000 · Power Train:manual Transmission
Mar 23, 1994
WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN CONTINUOUSLY UNDER EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES (-22 DEGREES F.) AND HIGH HUMIDITY WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE TRANSMISSION BREATHING (AIR) VENT CAN BE BLOCKED DUE TO MOISTURE FREEZING AT THE OIL LEVEL GAUGE. IF THIS OCCURS, PRESSURE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION CASE WILL INCREASE AND PUSH OUT THE REAR OIL SEAL, CAUSING TRANSMISSION OIL LEAKAGE. THE LACK OF LUBRICATION CAN BURN THE INTERNAL COMPONENTS OF THE TRANSMISSION, CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO SEIZE AND THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A SUDDEN STOP.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: SUDDEN STOPS WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING CAN CAUSE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS TO BE THROWN AROUND THE VEHICLE AND CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL WHICH CAN RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE OIL GAUGE PIPE AND MODIFY THE OIL LEVEL GAUGE (DIPSTICK) OR REPLACE IT, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF DIPSTICK IN THE VEHICLE.
91V082000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
May 30, 1991
UNDER CERTAIN LOAD CONDITIONS, THE PARK GEAR MAY NOT DISENGAGE IMMEDIATELY WHEN THE TRANSMISSION LEVER IS MOVED FROM PARK TO REVERSE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: DELAYED RELEASE OF TRANSMISSION FROM PARK CAUSES DELAYEDAND POSSIBLY ABRUPT VEHICLE MOVEMENT THAT COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLECONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy: INSTALL A MODIFIED PARKING BRAKE PAWL TO PREVENT DELAYED RELEASE INTO REVERSE GEAR.
90V184000 · Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Oct 16, 1990
TORQUE OF LATCH SCREWS ON FRONT DOORS MAY LOOSEN OVER TIME DUE TO A GAP BETWEEN THE LATCH BASE PLATE AND INNER DOOR PANEL UNDER THE SCREW HEAD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE AFFECTED DOOR MAY NOT BE OPENED FROM INSIDE,PREVENTING EXIT FROM THAT DOOR.
Remedy: REPLACE FRONT DOOR LATCH SCREWS WITH "LOCK-TIGHT" SCREWS.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE94051 · Hood Latch Failure
Opened Jun 29, 1994 · Closed Oct 31, 1994
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Structure
There is no summary currently available