IllustrationBOTH FRONT SEAT MOTERIZED SEAT BELT RESTRAINTS FAILED. THE CABLE ON BOTH SIDES CAME OUT.*AK
1993 Subaru Legacy
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1993 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: 3 of 77 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports
What owners actually said
77 reportsDRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 65MHP WHEN BELTS BEGAN TO MAKE NOISE. SHORTLY FOLLOWING CAR LOSS POWER, INCLUDING STEERING. IT WAS REPORTED BY A MECHANIC THAT THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY HAD COME LOOSE AND THE CRANKSHAFT HAD BEEN DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. CAR WILL NEED SMALL BLOCK OVERHAUL OR REPLACEMENT ENGINE TO FUNCTION AGAIN.
5 MINUTES AFTER PARKING VEHICLE, IGNITION TURNED OFF CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE ON INSIDE OF VEHICLE. FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT FIRE. VEHICLE NOT TAKEN TO DEALER AMOUNT OF DAMAGE UNKNOWN. CONSUMER STATED THA TFIRE CAUSED BY AUTOMATIC TRACK SEAT BELT MOTOR. PASSENGER DOOR PANEL, SEAT AND HEAD REST WERE MELTED. PLEASE ADD FURTHER COM…
Read full complaint
5 MINUTES AFTER PARKING VEHICLE, IGNITION TURNED OFF CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE ON INSIDE OF VEHICLE. FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT FIRE. VEHICLE NOT TAKEN TO DEALER AMOUNT OF DAMAGE UNKNOWN. CONSUMER STATED THA TFIRE CAUSED BY AUTOMATIC TRACK SEAT BELT MOTOR. PASSENGER DOOR PANEL, SEAT AND HEAD REST WERE MELTED. PLEASE ADD FURTHER COMMENTS.*AK
VEHICLE KEPT STALLING OUT AND WOULD NOT RESTART FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALER TWICE. BUT, COULD NOT DETERMINE CAUSE. CONSUMER FEELS IT IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *AK *SLC
WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE STALLED, CAUSING A LOSS OF POWER STEERING, CONSUMER COASTED VEHICLE TO A STOP AND IT IMMEDIATELY RESTARTED. *SLC
THREATEN TO THOUSANDS SUBARU CAR DRIVERS, LIKE FIRESTONE TIRES THREATEN TO THOUSANDS CAR DRIVERS USING FIRESTONE TIRES.
VEHICLE IS SOMETIMES UNCONTROLLABLE TO SLOWDOWN AT 10 TO 20 MPH AND ENGINE STOPS WHILE OTHER VEHICLES ARE DRIVING 65 MPH, VEHICLE STALLS INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING, DUE TO MALFUNCTIONED CONTROLLER. *ET
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 15MPH ON HIGHWAY AND DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WINDOW JUST EXPLODED. DEALERSHIP WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
TREAD SEPARATION, 2ND TIRE REPLACED FOR THIS REASON. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P195/60R15 )
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH VEHICLE STARTED VIBRATING. THEN PULLED OFF THE ROAD, AND FOUND OUT THAT TREAD SEPARATED. FIRESTONE F570. *AK THE TIRE TREAD WAS FOUND DANGLING FROM THE AXLE. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, ANOTHER TIRE PEELED OFF THE STEEL LAYERS UNDERNEATH AND WAS REPLACED. *YH
Official recalls
194V052000 · 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.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.