IllustrationCONSUMER STATES THAT THE ENGINE WAS REVING UP BETWEEN GEARS, ALL THE WAY TO THE RED LINE. WHEN GEAR CATCHES THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD. CONSUMER STATES SUBARU HAS BEEN CONTACTED, AND THEY RECOMMEND THAT THE CONSUMER REPLACES THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION. NLM
1992 Subaru Svx
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Svx 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: 19 of 231 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.
- Power Train. Review the 200 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports
Power Train complaints
200 reportsCONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE HAS HAD REPEATED TRANSMISSION FAILURES. THE TRANSMISSION WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION ONE TIME. NLM *TT
ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 58,000 MILES AND WAS REPLACED BY SUBARU UNDER WARRANTY. SECOND TRANSMISSION JUST FAILED AT 107000 MILES AND SUBARU DENIES ANY RESPONSIBILITY. REPUTABLE MECHANICS ADVISE THAT 3 TRANSMISSIONS IN 107000 MILES ON A LUXURY CAR OF THIS VINTAGE IS NOT ONLY UNUSUAL, BUT ALSO INDICATIVE OF MANUFACTURING …
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ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 58,000 MILES AND WAS REPLACED BY SUBARU UNDER WARRANTY. SECOND TRANSMISSION JUST FAILED AT 107000 MILES AND SUBARU DENIES ANY RESPONSIBILITY. REPUTABLE MECHANICS ADVISE THAT 3 TRANSMISSIONS IN 107000 MILES ON A LUXURY CAR OF THIS VINTAGE IS NOT ONLY UNUSUAL, BUT ALSO INDICATIVE OF MANUFACTURING PROBLEMS. MANY TRANSMISSION COMPLAINTS APPEAR ON THE INTERNET, BUT SUBARU'S CORPORATE OFFICES DENY ANY KNOWLEDGE OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. NLM
THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED ON MY 1992 SUBARU SVX AT 88,000+ MILES. DEALER SERVICED ONLY AND I WAS NEVER ADVISED BY ANY DEALER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE OR BULLETIN THAT I SHOULD BRING MY VEHICLE INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR MAINTENACE PREVENTION. I VISITED NORTHPARK SUUBARU IN SAN ANTONIO, TX. ONE WEEK PRIOR TO MY TRANS…
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THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED ON MY 1992 SUBARU SVX AT 88,000+ MILES. DEALER SERVICED ONLY AND I WAS NEVER ADVISED BY ANY DEALER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE OR BULLETIN THAT I SHOULD BRING MY VEHICLE INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR MAINTENACE PREVENTION. I VISITED NORTHPARK SUUBARU IN SAN ANTONIO, TX. ONE WEEK PRIOR TO MY TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND WAS GIVEN A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH FOR MY VEHICLE. OTHER OWNERS AND NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS E. G. AUTOMOBILE JULY 1999 "THE TRANSMISSIONS HAVE BEEN TROUBLE-PRONE AND SEEM TO LAST ABOUT 60,000 MILES". IN RETURNING TO THE DEALER, I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION, I ALSO CALLED THE SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE AND RECEIVED ABSOLUTELY NO HELP FROM THE COMPANY. THE SAME SITUATION OCCURRED WITH THE FAILURE OF THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY. THE PART IS UNABLE TO HANDLE THE TORQUE OF THE ENGINE AND FAILED. THE TIMING BELT WAS REPLACED AS PER MANUFACTURER GUIDELINES PRIOR TO THE PULLEY FAILURE. *AK
I WAS INFORMED TO FILE WITH THIS ORGANIZATION BECAUSE THERE ARE ALOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE SVX TRANSMISSION, HOWEVER THERE WERE SO FEW BUILT THAT NO ONE WILL PROBABLY EVER MAKE SUABRU HELP OUT THE CONSUMER. THIS CAR IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO BUY AS WELL AS REPAIR. *AK
2ND TRANSMISSION FAILURE/2ND OWNER OF VEHICLE; BELIEVE THIS IS HIGH INCIDENT TO THIS PARTICULAR SVX MODEL. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GEARS WILL NOT ENGAGE. ALSO, TRANSMISSION WILL JUMP GEARS. CONSUMER HAD THIS PROBLEM APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AGO, AND HAD IT REPAIRED AT OWN EXPENSE. CONSUMER IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. *AK DEALER DECLINED REPAIRS SINCE CAR IS OFF ORIGINAL WARRANTY. *TT
TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE INTO REVERSE GEAR. AFTER SHIFTING INTO AND OUT OF REVERSE SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO LUCK, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE AND PUSHED SLIGHTLY ON THE GAS PEDAL, THEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND GOT A HUGE KLUNKING NOISE, AFTER WHICH THE REVERSE GEAR ENGAGED. THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. ALSO, TRANSMI…
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TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE INTO REVERSE GEAR. AFTER SHIFTING INTO AND OUT OF REVERSE SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO LUCK, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE AND PUSHED SLIGHTLY ON THE GAS PEDAL, THEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND GOT A HUGE KLUNKING NOISE, AFTER WHICH THE REVERSE GEAR ENGAGED. THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. ALSO, TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING BETWEEN FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD GEARS, MOSTLY BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD, I BELIEVE. APPARENTLY THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO AN INHERENT DESIGN FLAW ON BEHALF OF THE MANUFACTURER. I HAVE READ ABOUT HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR CASES WITH THIS FAULTY TRANSMISSION. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY RECALLS AT THIS TIME, BUT THINK THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS COSTLY AND DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW. *AK
THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED A TOTAL OF 5 TIMES. NLM
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *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.