1998 Subaru Legacy problems
Owners have filed 155 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Subaru Legacy. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 18% of complaints. After that come brakes (9%) and air bags (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 155 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 22 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 14 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 107,000 miles 36 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 4 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 36 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 106,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 95,000 miles (12 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 22 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 14 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 13th most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Subaru Legacy with enough data (73 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 subaru legacy. While pulling into a parking space with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and she was unable to stop the vehicle which caused it to crash into a building. Two passengers were injured. The insurance company stated that the vehicle was destroyed. The mileage was not available.
Vehicle was in an accident traveling at 70MPH. It was a frontal and side collision, and air bags did not deploy. Dealer has not been contacted.
Cruise control was engaged as I was driving on the highway. When I applied the brakes approaching the exit ramp the cruise control did not seem to disengage. While my foot was on the brake pedal, I hit the cruise control switch on the dashboard--the cruise control light went off, however the car did not slow down although I was applying the brakes as hard as possible. I lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree head on at an estimated speed of 40-50MPH. Neither driver nor passenger airbag deployed.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 subaru legacy. While driving 45 MPH, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a guardrail. None of the air bags deployed. During the crash, the contact was forced through the windshield. The insurance company stated that they had no findings regarding the crash. There were no warning lights present. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 39,000.
Dealership service technician indicated the rear axle was coming loose from the rear differential, recommended replacement. Dealership replaced rear axle seals. Dealership indicated problem was caused by vehicle being suspended by differential and resulting downward strain on axles. This has not occured while we have owned this car (approx. 3 years). The front axle seals were replaced in a recall on 7/18/03.