Subaru Legacy Wagon 1990

• Recall 18696 [USA]: Sudden stops without prior warning can cause vehicle occupants to be thrown around the vehicle and cause loss of vehicle control which can result in an accident.
  When the vehicle is driven continuously under extremely cold temperatures (-22 degrees f.) and high humidity weather conditions, the transmission breathing (air) vent can be blocked due to moisture freezing at the oil level gauge. If this occurs, pressure inside the transmission case will increase and push out the rear oil seal, causing transmission oil leakage. The lack of lubrication can burn the internal components of the transmission, cause the transmission to seize and the vehicle to come to a sudden stop.
  dealers will modify the oil gauge pipe and modify the oil level gauge (dipstick) or replace it, depending on the type of dipstick in the vehicle.
  system: powertrain; transmission; 5 speed.Vehicle description: xt-6 and legacy all-wheel drive 5-speed manual transmissions and loyale equipped with an on-demand 4 wheel drive 5-speed transmissions; registered in the following states: ak, ct, de, il, in, ia, me, md, ma, mi, mn, nh, nj, ny, oh, pa, ri, vt, wi.Note: if your equipment is presented to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and the remedy is not provided within a reasonable time and free of charge or the remedy does not correct the defect or noncompliance, please contact subaru service at 1-800-782-2783. Also, contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

• Recall 22942 [USA]: Delayed release of transmission from park causes delayedand possibly abrupt vehicle movement that could result in loss of vehiclecontrol and an accident.
  Under certain load conditions, the park gear may not disengage immediately when the transmission lever is moved from park to reverse.
  install a modified parking brake pawl to prevent delayed release into reverse gear.
  system: transmission park gear.Vehicle description: passenger cars with electronically controlled automatictransmissions (4eat).

• Recall 24167 [USA]: The affected door may not be opened from inside,preventing exit from that door.
  Torque of latch screws on front doors may loosen over time due to a gap between the latch base plate and inner door panel under the screw head.
  replace front door latch screws with "lock-tight" screws.
  system: front door latch screws.Vehicle description: four door sedans and station wagons.

• Recall 27455 [USA]: Non-functioning defroster would adversely affect drivervisibility.
  The defroster lever pin of the defroster shutter door may become dislocated and allow the shutter to close, preventing defroster from functioning.
  install a positioning stopper device to prevent dislocation of defroster lever pin to assure defroster operation.
  system: defroster.Vehicle description: passenger cars - 4 door sedans and station wagons.

• Recall 1994067 [Canada]: Powertrain
  Note: vehicles equipped with all-wheel drive manual transmission. Under cold and humid conditions, frost may form at the transmission oil level gauge (dipstick) where the breathing mechanism is incorporated. This could cause pressure to build inside the transmission case which in turn could push out the oil seal. Subsequent oil leakage could result in burning of transmission components and possible loss of control due to wheel lock-up. Correction: on vehicles with an all metal type dipstick, the oil level gauge tube will be modified and the dipstick will have a spacer added. Vehicles with a plastic dipstick will have a modified type dipstick installed.

• Recall 1991092 [Canada]: Powertrain
  On electronically controlled automatic transmissions, the park gear disengagement mechanism, when subject to loads resulting from certain parking situations, may not release immediately into reverse gear resulting in delayed and possibly abrupt vehicle movement. This could result in possible loss of control and the risk of a vehicle crash. Correction: transmission will be repaired with a modified parking pawl.

• Recall 1990111 [Canada]: Heater and defroster
  Note: 4-door sedans and station wagons. The defroster lever pin of the defroster shutter door may become dislocated, allowing the shutter door to close and preventing the defroster from functioning. Correction: a positioning stopper device will be installed which will prevent dislocation of the defroster lever pin and ensure defroster operation.

• Recall 1990190 [Canada]: Structure
  Note: sedans and station wagons the front door latch screws could loosen or fall out resulting in the occupants being unable to open the affected door from the inside. Correction: the front door latch screws will be replaced with a new type "lock-tight" screw.

To ensure accuracy and for your safety, it is recommended to do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

• Hood latch failure investigation as of 19940629

  There is no summary currently available
  

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• Reverse delayed engagement investigation as of 19910123

  There is no summary currently available
  

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The lock/latch on my car's passenger door is defective and the recall 90v18400 did not fix the problem. The door is difficult to open and could easiy fail any day and trap my passenger in the car. The same thing is happening to the front drivers door. The manufactuer will not fix the problem at no charge. *ak

Headlight device is plastic, making it hard to see when turning headlights on. Dealership is not aware of problem.*ak the plastic lens material becomes significantly less transparent with time, diminishing visability at night. The adjacent turn signal lens has not aged. This indicates to consumer that the headlight lens is not made from the same material as the turn signal lens. *jg

I noticed another incident on the database reporting this same failure. The plastic shield traps debris against the filler pipe causing the pipe to rust through. I don't know how many '90 subaru legacys are still on the road, but i suspect (given the severity of the rust), that almost all of them have this same condition. Even if they haven't rusted through to the point of leaking, they may easily rupture upon impact. *ak

Vehicle has a master door lock button on driver's side. 2 rear doors lock when door is closed. Passenger's door should not lock once it's closed. Lock knob has to be held up to open anb close the door. Consumer has gotten locked out a few times because of the problem. *ak

Fuel filler pipe leaking - fuel pipe rusted causing fuel to drip from filler pipe near passenger rear tire. Rust caused by mud/dirt and moisture getting stuck between plastic pipe shield and fuel pipe.*ak

Mfg refused to fix rear door latches under nhtsa recall 90v18400. The problem is the same as with the front doors. Failure of the latches would not permit exit from car in a wreck and who is likely to ride in the rear..Children who would panic. I was charged $140 to correct these manufacture defects that had been part of, in my opinion, a safety recall as noted. Was it your intent from a safety standpoint that all latches were to be repaired on these cars or just the front lateches??

Both frontal passive restraint belts fail to operate, will not go around the tracks, leaving driver and passenger without any restraint if vehicle gets involved in a crash. Manufacturer contacted, and willing to go half in repairs. Feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Locks on door will lock even when unlocking doors. Locks will automatically lock back up. Consumer has to hold lock u, and then push the door open to get out of vehicle. Contacted dealer. *ak *yh

Passenger front door-lock failed initially requiring passenger to manually push latch and pull door lever simutaneously in order to open door. Rear door-locks do not work now and require same effort. All doors will lock on their own while getting in and out. In case of accident or fire, the occupants may not be able to exit vehicle in a timely manner. Also, driver-side visor falls down while driving which has proven to be very distracting and dangerous. Contacted subaru dealership for both problems. Dealership unwilling to fix without charging me for replacement and labor of all parts. Door locks priced at $130 each and visor was around $80 not including labor. Dealer also stated that these are common problems corrected in the mid-90's on legacy models.*ak

Consumer states the front passenger door would lock itself whenever the door is shut. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified. Nlm

I also purchased an 1992 subaru svx that has a failed transnission (same style tranny) this car has 146000 miles on it, ii've done some research on this and it appears these transmissions are prone to failure, our legacy's went out on the interstate, and could easily have been fatal

Design flaw of right front axle came off the wheel, causing vehicle to depend on rear wheel drive only and allowed the front right drive line spin aimlessly, resulting in damage to components in transfer case. *ak

I have reported this to subaru(even the ceo).Subaru case # 203430.Subaru was not interested in receiving the part for evaluation and determing the root cause of failure.(i still have the abs unit ) the problem was that the abs housing fell apart. Three bolts came out and one was broken off within the housing. Once the housing came off the piston and parts came along.(this was all on the underside so it was not visable untill the unit was removed) i was told by subaru that they are not interested in receiving the part because " the car is old and has a lot of mileage , which is true " ,it still shouldn't come apart. They replaced it with another abs that looks exactly the same , so it is in present production. All i wanted from subaru was for someone to take interest in this failure. The only way they can evaluate this failure is to see what went wrong. You do not dump all your brake fluid because the abs system literally comes apart. *ak

Right passenger door could not be opened from the inside. The dealer has repaired the vehicle. *ak consumer states this was due to a broken internal latch assembly of the right front door. *slc

Door lock failed.

Emergency brake was on and vehicle went down a hill. The dealer was notified and will inspect the vehicle on 7/17. Husband suspects a defect in the design of the emergency parking brake. *ak

Transaxle failed.

Seat belt failed

Left front driver and passenger side door locks engage after unlocking making it very difficult to enter or exit vehicle. Yh

While driving vehicle driver noticed smoke coming from back of vehicle. When pulling over there was a fire, which looked to have started between the rear wheels. The fire was put out by owner. Not sure what caused fire. *ak

Door locks on its own pushing on lock inside. Pulling lever outside door locks sometimes works. Would not open properly due to problem with locks.*ak *ml

(1) the air conditioning compressor is fine; but it comes on only occasionally; mechanics unable to find problem. (2) doors automatically locking causes great inconvenience; (3) sun visor falling down impairs vision; velcro and even duct tape won't keep it up. *ak

Passenger's inside door handle fails to open and unlock without maneuvering door handle and lock. *ak

After door lock is pulled, lock would reengage by itself. Can press down/up on door lever & it locks. Would need to hold latch up & press down/up on lever to open door. Have taken to dealer & have latch/lock repaired. *ak

The motorized driver seat belt won't move due to the seat belt being worn out. Dealer wants to charge $600,00. *ak

The passenger's door locks the passenger in the car.If door is in the unlocked position, it moves on its own to the locked position when a passenger attempts to open door.Dealer is waiting for parts. *ak

Vehicle's rear passager seat belts will not lock into the anchorage. Contacted the dealer. *ak

Constant electronic door lock failure.

Intermittent stalling.

Excessive brake pedal pressure required to stop vehicle, also vehicle vibrates/bucks when brakes applied.

Door lock/handle mechanism failed, not allowing passenger to exit vehicle. *sd

Doors would lock by themselves. When pushed or pulled from either outside or inside, doors will not open properly. *ak

Power steering pipe a and pipe b

The driver's side shoulder seat belt will not retract either way. Please describe in detail. *ak

While driving vehicle caught on fire at the rear axle, overheat failure part viscous coupler in the transmission. *ak

Sunvisors hinges made of plastic, which wore out causing visors to partially block drivers vision. *dh

Air conditioner condenser replaced. *sd

Sunvisor hinge made of plastic wears out, causing sunvisor to fall down. *sd

Fuel injector wirings grounded, raw fuel to be dumped into the engine while running, without warning 2 quarts of fuel came of oil pan and also out of exhuast

Accelerator stuck, causing accident/injury. *sd

Door locks fail in the locked position and will not stay open without manually holding the lock open. The door cannot be opened unless you use one hand to hold the lock open and the other to pull the handle. If you cannot reach the door lock with 2 hands you are a virtual captive unless someone helps from either the inside or outside.

Sunvisor continuously slips down without assistance, causing driver to hit visor when getting in vehicle/injury. (other vehicle on 479694) *skd

Poor latches/locks due to design. Door-switch assembly pushing on either side locks or unlocks doors. *ak

Seat beat buckle may not engage or may unlatch when touched. Please describe detials. Tt

Automatic shoulder belttoo loose. *aw

Rear seat belt buckles fail to fasten. *skd

Power door locks lock by themselves. *ak

Drivers side seat belt buckle failure, unable to latch seat belt. *ak

Consumer involved in a rear-end collision and the driver side seat reclined to the back of the vehicle. *ak

Transmission fails to disengage from park into reverse. *ak

Vehicles transmission does not go from park to drive.And in any gear it will not go into reverse. Tt

Rubber piece on end of throttle cable/cable casing came off while using cruise control, causing sudden acceleration/loss of control. *skd

Cam belt pulley lossened from its shaft and almost fell off. Please describe details. Tt

Transmission malfunctions.

Struts replaced twice.

Seat belts failed.

Door lock springs break, preventing doors from being unlocked electronically or manually.

Door locks/latches failed, preventin gopening of the doors from inside/exterior as well. *ak

The cv boots on the front of the vehicle constantly need replacing. *ak

Rear trunk latch broke. *sd

Drivers side seat belt did not retract during vehicle impact. Tt

Transmission failed to go into reverse from park, causing accident. *dsh

Cannot get out of park without using release button.

The door handle when opened causes the door to automatically lock when opened from the inside. The passenger side front broke in 1993. The passenger side rear door broke in 1998. The driver side front door broke in 1999 which is the most annoying as it locks all the door every time the handle is used to open the door from the inside. It costs $80 to replace the part.

Cv joint failure.

All door locks do not work as designed. In order to get out of vehicle, consumer must use two hands; one to hold down the lock/unlock button, and with the oter hand simultaneously pull the handle.

Door locks failed on all doors. Mjs

Tires worn out prematurely. (yamaha) yh

The vehicle's door locks experienced the defect stated in recall 90 v 184 000 but it's vin was outside of the remedy scope. The dealership refused to repair the door. *nlm

Brake light inoperative.

Pulling inside lever to unlock door, puts the door in the locked position.

Driver's side motorbelt sticks.

Door handles continually cracking.

Unable to open the door from the inside, the door locks itself, have to hold the unlocked botton to open the door. Please describe in detail. *ak

Vehicle's electrical door locking mechanism is erratically performing, when driver's door is open all other doors lock; also, this is not the design. Passenger door will lock while door latch is opened or it will lock when exiting. *ak consumer states the only way to exit the passenger door is to depress unlocked position of door lock while opening door, this requires two hands and the ability to do so, manfacturer was contacted and consumer was referred to dealer and they stated it would not be covered as consumer was beyond 100,00 warranty, and was not deemed as a safety hazard to either party.*jb

Lock has been disengaged, the door will not open. A recall was issued on vehicle make and model. This particular vehicle was not included under the recall. Manufacturer and dealer has been notified. *ak *jb

When driving 55 mph or above transmission malfunctions. Vehicle does not downshift, cause unknown. Dealer cannot identify the problem. Please give any further details. *ak

Driver's side shoulder belt retracts too tight around driver. Tt seat belt retractors are so tight that consumer feels chest will be crushed, consumer has to open driver's side door to relieve pressure, when the door is closed again it works fine. Failures are extemely random.*jb