SUBARU SUBARU · model year

1990 SUBARU SUBARU

3 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1990SUBARUSUBARU carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 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 SUBARU is equipment:mechanical:accessory scissor/screw/bottle jack/lift with 1 filings, followed by seat belts:front:anchorage (1) and tires (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 1990 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.

3
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

3 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE1
TIRES1

Recent Complaints

20050308TIRES

TIRE BEAD FAILURE WHILE IT WAS MY SPARE & ONLY USED 200 MILES.. *AK

Mileage: 90,000

19980205SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT FAILED.

19951102CrashEQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT

JACK DISLODGED UPON IMPACT AND SMASHED *AK THROUGH THE WINDOW ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF CAR AND LANDED ON THE GROUND.

Compare 1990SUBARUSUBARU to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1990 SUBARU SUBARU have?
The 1990 SUBARU SUBARU has 3 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 SUBARU SUBARU?
The most-complained component for the 1990 SUBARU SUBARU is EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE and TIRES.
Is the 1990 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.