SUBARU SUBARU · model year

1987 SUBARU SUBARU

4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1987SUBARUSUBARU carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 2 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 1987 SUBARU is suspension:rear with 2 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump (1) and tires:temporary/emergency spare tire (1). 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 9 investigation files overlapping the 1987 SUBARU. 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.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
2
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

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

ComponentCount
SUSPENSION:REAR2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP1
TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE1

Recent Complaints

19971003FireFatalTIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE

SPARE TIRE MOUNTED IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT FIRE CAUSING FATALITY.

19960725FireFatalFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

UPON VEHICLE STRIKING A TREE FUEL PUMP FAILED TO SHUT OFF, CAUSING FIRE/FATALITY. *SD

19950921SUSPENSION:REAR

REAR AXLE CORRODED PRIOR TO RECALL, RECALL REPAIRS REFUSED DUE TO MODEL YEAR. (92V-001) *AW

19950612SUSPENSION:REAR

REAR AXLE COMPLETELY CORRODED OUT AND SPLIT IN HALF, REPLACE REAR SUSPENSION MEMBER. TT

Compare 1987SUBARUSUBARU to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1987 SUBARU SUBARU have?
The 1987 SUBARU SUBARU has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 2 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1987 SUBARU SUBARU?
The most-complained component for the 1987 SUBARU SUBARU is SUSPENSION:REAR with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP and TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE.
Is the 1987 SUBARU SUBARU 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.