THE RETRACTABLE MECHANIZED SHOULDER HARNESS DOES NOT WORK.
1994 Subaru Legacy
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1994 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: 11 of 60 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 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Seat Belts complaints
26 reportsDT: 1994 SUBARU LEGACY L ALL WHEEL DRIVE, THE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT BROKE. THE SEAT BELT IS CONNECTED TO THE DOOR, AND WHEN CLOSING THE DOOR THE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT WILL NOT RUN THE TRACK TO BE IN THE PROPER POSITION FOR SAFETY. THIS IS ON THE SHOULDER PORTION OF THE SEAT BELT. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE LAP BELT ALONE IS …
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DT: 1994 SUBARU LEGACY L ALL WHEEL DRIVE, THE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT BROKE. THE SEAT BELT IS CONNECTED TO THE DOOR, AND WHEN CLOSING THE DOOR THE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT WILL NOT RUN THE TRACK TO BE IN THE PROPER POSITION FOR SAFETY. THIS IS ON THE SHOULDER PORTION OF THE SEAT BELT. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE LAP BELT ALONE IS NOT SAFE USE. HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER, AND THEY TOLD THE CONSUMER THERE IS NO RECALL ON THE SEAT BELT, AND THE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT WAS ONLY UNDER WARRANTY FOR 3 YEARS. THE COST TO REPLACE THE MOTOR OF THE SEAT BELT IS AT LEAST $400. THERE HAVE BEEN OTHERS WITH THIS SEAT BELT MOTOR PROBLEM. BASED ON WHAT THE MANUFACTURER TOLD THE CONSUMER THERE WAS NO PRIOR WARNING TO THE MOTOR GOING OUT, NO NOISES, AND NO INDICATOR LIGHTS, IT JUST STOPPED WORKING. *AK
WE HAVE A 1994 SUBARU LEGACY. WHEN THE CAR WAS OUT OR WARRANTY, THE DRIVER SIDE RETRACTABLE SHOULDER HARNESS BROKE. WE COMPLAINED TO SUBARU AND THEY FIXED IT AT NO COST TO US IN 1999. IT WASN'T WORKING AGIAN AND WE PAID TO HAVE IT FIXED IN 2000.ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO IT BROKE AGAIN. THE SHOULDER HARNESS WOULD NOT RETRACT. WE WE…
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WE HAVE A 1994 SUBARU LEGACY. WHEN THE CAR WAS OUT OR WARRANTY, THE DRIVER SIDE RETRACTABLE SHOULDER HARNESS BROKE. WE COMPLAINED TO SUBARU AND THEY FIXED IT AT NO COST TO US IN 1999. IT WASN'T WORKING AGIAN AND WE PAID TO HAVE IT FIXED IN 2000.ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO IT BROKE AGAIN. THE SHOULDER HARNESS WOULD NOT RETRACT. WE WERE TOLD BY SUBARU THEY WOULD NOT HELP US. NOW WE FIND OUT THAT IT IS A TICKETABLE OFFENSE NOT TO HAVE A SHOULDER HARNESS. THERE IS A LAP BLET AND AN AIR BAG. SO WE CALLED SABARU AND THEY TOLD US THEY WOULD BE REPONSIBLE FOR 50% OF THE BILL. WE WENT TO THE SUBARU DEALER YESTERDAY AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE $1140 TO FIX IT. WE FEEL THAT IS AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT FOR A SAFETY ITEM. I CALLED THEM BACK AND THEY WILL NOT HELP ME OUT. THIS SAFETY BELT IS POORLY DESIGNED AND THEY HAVE ADMITTED AND REDESIGNED IT IN FUTURE MODELS. OUR BELT AUTOMATICALLY RETRACTS WHEN YOU TURN ON THE CAR AND HAS A CABLE AND A MOTOR. THERE IS ALSO A FEDERAL LAW THAT SAFTEY BELTS ARE GUARENTEED FOR LIFE. EVEN THE LAP BELT ON THIS VEHICLE NEEDS REPLACEMENT AS THE STICHING IS COMING OUT. *AK WE WOULD LIKE SOME HELP IN MALKING SUBARU RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR SAFETY WHILE WE ARE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. ELLEN GOLDBERG
MOTORIZED SEATBELT IS STUCK IN ONE POSITION. MOTOR STILL RUNS UPON OPENING/CLOSING OF CAR DOOR, BUT BELT DOES NOT MOVE IN TRACK. TWO FEET OF TRACK CABLE HAS FALLEN OUT OF ITS HOUSING.*AK
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT SLIDING RETRACTOR WILL NOT MOVE, MAKING USE OF THIS SEAT BELT INOPERABLE,
BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT AUTOMATICALLY I HAVE TO CLIMB UNDER THE SHOLDER BELT WHEN GETING IN AND OUT OF THE VEHICLE I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THET THE SAFE OPERATION OF A MAJOR ITEM REQUIRED BY LAW WOULD HAVE TO BE SERVICEABLE FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE NOT AS IN THIS CASE THE HALF LIFE. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35MPH ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS CONSTRUCTION ON THE ROAD. THERE WAS A SUDDEN STOP IN FRONT OF THE LANE. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS THIRD IN A THREE CAR ACCIDENT. SHE WENT TO APPLY BRAKES, AND AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT DIDN'T HOLD . SHE HIT STEERING WHEEL. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. …
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CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35MPH ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS CONSTRUCTION ON THE ROAD. THERE WAS A SUDDEN STOP IN FRONT OF THE LANE. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS THIRD IN A THREE CAR ACCIDENT. SHE WENT TO APPLY BRAKES, AND AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT DIDN'T HOLD . SHE HIT STEERING WHEEL. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. ALSO, AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY.*AK
SHOULDER BELT FOR THE DRIVER'S RESTRAINT BELT SYSTEM IS STUCK IN AN UNUSABLE POSITION AND WILL NOT MOVE ALONG THE TRACK. DEALERSHIP INFORMED CONSUMER HOW MUCH REPAIRS WOULD RUN, AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED.*AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE WIRE WHICH PULLS THE MOVABLE PART IS OFF THE TRACK AND HANGING, IT FAILED COMP…
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SHOULDER BELT FOR THE DRIVER'S RESTRAINT BELT SYSTEM IS STUCK IN AN UNUSABLE POSITION AND WILL NOT MOVE ALONG THE TRACK. DEALERSHIP INFORMED CONSUMER HOW MUCH REPAIRS WOULD RUN, AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED.*AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE WIRE WHICH PULLS THE MOVABLE PART IS OFF THE TRACK AND HANGING, IT FAILED COMPLETELY SOMETIME IN JUNE OF 2001. *SLC
DRIVER SIDE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT FAILED IN TRACK WILL NOT MOVE IN EITHER DIRECTION, TRACK CABLE PROTRUDES FROM TRACK. *AK
MOTORIZED SEAT BELTS ON DRIVER'S SIDE FAILED TO WORK. REMAINED IN THE SAME POSITION AT TOP OF DOOR TRACK. HAVE TO UNCLIP SHOULDER BELT TO GET IN OR OUT OF VEHICLE. LAP BELT SEPARATED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER & MECHANIC REFUSED TO REPAIR SEAT BELT DUE TO BEING OVER 100,000 MILES. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.
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