Subaru Subaru
Owners filed 39 complaints across 12 model years of the Subaru Subaru. The 1996 drew the most (6); the 1991 the fewest (1).
Model years12
Complaints39
Recalls0
Fires1
Deaths0
Every Subaru Subaru model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 | — | 1 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 2001 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | Suspension › Front | Routine | |
| 1999 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Tires | Routine | |
| 1997 | 4 | 0 | 1 | — | Tires › Sidewall | Routine | |
| 1996 | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1995 | 5 | 0 | — | 2 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 1993 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Seat Belts › Front › Retractor | Routine | |
| 1992 | 4 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1990 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | Equipment › Mechanical › Accessory Scissor/Screw/Bottle Jack/Lift | Routine |
Which Subaru Subaru years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 1996 is the weakest year on record, with 6 complaints concentrated in the air bags › frontal.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.