"How reliable is the 1990 Subaru Legacy?"

"Based on 103 NHTSA complaints, the 1990 Subaru Legacy has a median complaint mileage of 0 miles. The most common issue is LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH."

"What are common problems with the 1990 Subaru Legacy?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1990 Subaru Legacy is LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH, accounting for a significant portion of the 103 total complaints filed."

1990 Subaru Legacy: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 103 complaints

103

Total Complaints

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

Top Issue

Crash Reports

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

STRUCTURE:BODY

SEAT BELTS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CAM BELT PULLEY LOSSENED FROM ITS SHAFT AND ALMOST FELL OFF. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT"

"VEHICLES TRANSMISSION DOES NOT GO FROM PARK TO DRIVE.AND IN ANY GEAR IT WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE. TT"

"TRANSMISSION FAILS TO DISENGAGE FROM PARK INTO REVERSE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28