1996 Subaru Legacy Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Legacy years
- More complaints than other years 8th of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 123 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Subaru Legacy. That ranks 8th out of 31 Legacy model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (22 complaints, 18%), typically at around 103,483 miles. Complaints mention 26 crashes, 4 fires, 17 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 123owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 26complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1996 Subaru Legacy problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 22 | 18% | 103,483 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 22 | 18% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 21 | 17% | 64,435 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 17 | 14% | 85,123 | — | — |
| Power Train | 8 | 7% | 102,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 8 | 7% | 144,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 7 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 6% | 104,015 | — | — |
| Seats | 6 | 5% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 4% | 104,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 4 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 2% | 81,800 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 2% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | 158,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1996 Subaru Legacy recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:front:springs:coil springs
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with front coil springs originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new york, new jersey, new hampshire, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, and wisconsin, and in the district of columbia. The front coil springs were produced with poor paint quality which, after continued exposure to corrosive salt, can result in breakage of the spring.
Risk: Depending on the location of the fracture, a broken spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire. Some tires have deflated due to contact with a broken spring.
Fix: Dealers will notifiy customers to bring their vehicle to an authorize dealership to have a spring guard installed on both front struts to prevent tire puncture and replace any broken springs free of charge. Owner notification began september 18, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Air bags
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Inadvertent air bag deployment can occur after undercarriage contact of the tow hooks with curbs, dips, speedbumps, potholes, etc.
Risk: Unexpected air bag deployment could result in personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will remove the front tow hooks.
Suspension:front:springs:leaf spring assembly:hanger,bracket
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger station wagon, sedan and sport utility vehicles. Due to improper welding, fractures can occur on the support bracket of the front transverse link.
Risk: Such fractures can result in partial or complete separation of the bracket causing a failure of the lower suspension mounting, leading to a loss of vehicle control.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace if necessary the front suspension support brackets.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Electrical system (PE99067) — opened Nov 1, 1999, closed May 31, 2000, led to recall 00I002000.
- Oversensitive air bag deployment (EA97010) — opened Apr 30, 1997, closed Dec 23, 1998, led to recall 98V315000.
- Oversensitive air bag deployment (PE96075) — opened Dec 18, 1996, closed Apr 30, 1997.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 subaru legacy. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, there was a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact then noticed that there was smoke and flames coming from the rear end of the vehicle. The fire department was contacted and a fire report…
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 subaru legacy. The contact was driving 5 mph when another vehicle crashed into his bumper and the air bags deployed. There were no physical damages to the vehicle and there were no injuries reported. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was towed to a…
My daughter was driving her 96 subaru legacy the other day to the store when she was alerted by another driver that her car was on fire. Luckily they had a fire extinguisher and was able to put it out. Beechmont subaru said this was the first time they ever saw a rear differential catch on fire. I…
1996 suburu legacy shuts down all electrical system. Purchased in utah drove to denver area. Went to dmv to register then car quit. Rests a while then starts. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 subaru legacy. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to the dealer. The dealer attributed the cause of failure to the wires inside the fuel tank being burnt because the internal connector had loose terminals. The fuel pump module was replaced. The current mileage is…
Other Subaru Legacy years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Legacy | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 Legacy | 17 | 0 |
| 2023 Legacy | 10 | 2 |
| 2022 Legacy | 34 | 2 |
| 2021 Legacy | 31 | 3 |
| 2020 Legacy | 121 | 6 |
| 2019 Legacy | 123 | 3 |
| 2018 Legacy | 117 | 3 |
| 2017 Legacy | 119 | 2 |
| 2016 Legacy | 147 | 3 |
| 2015 Legacy | 160 | 3 |
| 2014 Legacy | 53 | 10 |
| 2013 Legacy | 66 | 12 |
| 2012 Legacy | 90 | 16 |
| 2011 Legacy | 167 | 16 |
| 2010 Legacy | 150 | 18 |
| 2009 Legacy | 65 | 13 |
| 2008 Legacy | 65 | 9 |
| 2007 Legacy | 33 | 9 |
| 2006 Legacy | 87 | 7 |
| 2005 Legacy | 184 | 9 |
| 2004 Legacy | 49 | 10 |
| 2003 Legacy | 60 | 14 |
| 2002 Legacy | 54 | 4 |
| 2001 Legacy | 77 | 7 |
| 2000 Legacy | 94 | 3 |
| 1999 Legacy | 94 | 3 |
| 1998 Legacy | 114 | 4 |
| 1997 Legacy | 139 | 5 |
| 1996 | 123 | 3 |
| 1995 Legacy | 182 | 2 |
See all Subaru Legacy problems by year, every Subaru model, or the Subaru VIN decoder.
Similar Subaru models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Subaru Legacy?
Owners most often report air bags, engine and engine cooling, electrical system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 22 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Subaru Legacy?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1996 Subaru Legacy a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Legacy model years, the 1996 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.