Total Complaints
16 filings
SUBARU LOYALE · model year
1990 SUBARU LOYALE
16 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1990SUBARULOYALE carries 16 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1990 LOYALE is engine and engine cooling:engine with 2 filings, followed by seat belts (2) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 1990 LOYALE. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
16
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| TIRES:SIDEWALL | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20020820TIRES:SIDEWALL
OUT OF THE FOUR NEW TIRES THAT WERE PURCHASED TWO TIRES IN THE REAR BLEWOUT WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. CONTACTED DEALER AND THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. REPLACEMENT TIRES, 50000 MILES, P175/70R13, MOUNTED ON A SUBARU, ROYAL, 1990. *AK CONSUMER STATE TIRE SIDE WALL BLEW OUT. DOT. # MKEV5BHR 195. *YH
20001128TIRES:TREAD/BELT
FIRESTONE TIRE (P185 70 R13) EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION. *SLC
20000407ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
CAR LEAKS OIL ON TAIL PIPE, CAUSING OIL TO BURN AND SMOKE. *AK
19990803POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
TRANSMISSION LEAKS FLUID/ HORN HAS NO SOUND WHEN IT'S HIT AND RIGHT FRONT TIRE MAKES GRINDING NOISE, LIKE METAL TO METAL. HAD TAKEN TO DEALER AT LEAST 6 TIMES. NOTHING WAS FOUND THAT COULD BE CORRECTED.
19990803TIRES
TRANSMISSION LEAKS FLUID/ HORN HAS NO SOUND WHEN IT'S HIT AND RIGHT FRONT TIRE MAKES GRINDING NOISE, LIKE METAL TO METAL. HAD TAKEN TO DEALER AT LEAST 6 TIMES. NOTHING WAS FOUND THAT COULD BE CORRECTED.
19990803ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
TRANSMISSION LEAKS FLUID/ HORN HAS NO SOUND WHEN IT'S HIT AND RIGHT FRONT TIRE MAKES GRINDING NOISE, LIKE METAL TO METAL. HAD TAKEN TO DEALER AT LEAST 6 TIMES. NOTHING WAS FOUND THAT COULD BE CORRECTED.
19971218SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
POWER SEAT BELT MOTOR FAILED.
19960827ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THE WATER PUMP BROKE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
19951116ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE HEADS CRACKED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL/OIL LEAKS. *SKD
19950508SEAT BELTS
2 FRONT AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS ARE NOT LOCKING UP IN SUDDEN STOPPING SITUATION. TT
19950425POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION PROBLEM GASKET LEAK. TT
19950425ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
TRANSMISSION PROBLEM GASKET LEAK. TT
19950327SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE IS SOME TIMES VERY HARD TO LOCK . TT
19950308SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
ALL FOUR SEAT BELT SYSTEMS DO NOT RETRACT PROPERLY. TT
19950306SEAT BELTS
HAD TO BREAK DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT TO EXIT FROM IT. TT
19950301ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
WHEN TURNING TO RIGHT, OIL IN ENGINE SWINGS OVER TO LEFT IN OIL PAN; GETS SUCKS UP INTO TUBE THAT GOES TO FUEL INTAKE; STARTS SMOKING; CANNOT ACCCELERATE. TT
Compare 1990SUBARULOYALE to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
PE19009Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Occupant Detection System (ODS) Failure
PE15012Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Passenger Front Air Bag Suppression
PE11011Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Front suspension control arm failure
EA09007Engineering AnalysisClosed
FUEL PUMP LEAKS
PE09017Preliminary EvaluationClosed
FUEL LINE LEAK
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 SUBARU LOYALE have?▼
The 1990 SUBARU LOYALE has 16 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 SUBARU LOYALE?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 SUBARU LOYALE is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1990 SUBARU LOYALE safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.