1996 Subaru Legacy: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 161 complaints
161
Total Complaints
79,000mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Top Issue
32
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

75,000 25th Percentile
79,000 Median Mileage
108,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
20
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
7
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
7
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
5
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
5
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP
4

Severity Assessment

32
Crashes
4
Fires
18
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLE STALLS OUT AT ANY SPEED, DEALER CAN NOT LOCATE THE PROBLEM. TT"
"NEW DESIGN HEADLIGHTS HAVE POOR ILLUMINATION. OWNER HAS DETAILS OF DISTANCE. TT"
"DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AT 35 MPH. *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