Total Complaints
6 filings
SUBARU SUBARU · model year
1996 SUBARU SUBARU
6 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1996SUBARUSUBARU carries 6 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, 2 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 1996 SUBARU is air bags:frontal with 1 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (1) and air bags (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 1996 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.
6
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20030618ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING HEAD GASKET BLEW CAUSING FLUID TO LEAK. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
19981020VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION SEVERAL TIMES.
19980917EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
AIR CONDITIONE O RING FAILED. QCAW
19980420AIR BAGS
BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED IN A LESS THAN FIVE MPH FRONT END COLLISION. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED NO FRONT END DAMAGE. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SHATTERED THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, BROKE THE REAR VIEW MIRROR FREE OF ITS MOUNTING BRACKET, AND SENT GLASS THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE.
19971120SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT.
19960319CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
THE VEHICLE WAS GOING 50MPH AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER CAR. THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
Compare 1996SUBARUSUBARU to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1996 SUBARU SUBARU have?▼
The 1996 SUBARU SUBARU has 6 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 SUBARU SUBARU?▼
The most-complained component for the 1996 SUBARU SUBARU is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP and AIR BAGS.
Is the 1996 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.