SUBARU SUBARU · model year

1999 SUBARU SUBARU

3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1999SUBARUSUBARU carries 3 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 1999 SUBARU is power train:automatic transmission with 1 filings, followed by power train:manual transmission (1) and service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (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 1999 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
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

3 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
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS1

Recent Complaints

20020624SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

WHILE DRIVING AT STATE SPEED LIMIT APPLIED BRAKES AND BRAKES FAILED. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS.*AK

19990823POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

DESIGN OF TRANSMISSION CAUSES IT TO CONSTANTLY DOWNSHIFT WHENEVER FOOT IS TAKEN OFF THE ACCELERATOR OR TAPS THE BRAKE (SLOPE CONTROL FEATURE). NLM

19990730POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

THE DESIGN OF THE TRANSMISSION CONTAINS "SLOPE CONTROL UNIT", WHICH ALLOWS FOR VEHICLE TO DOWNSHIFT WHEN RELEASING FOOT FROM ACCELERATOR PEDAL, DIFFICULT AND DISTRACTING TO DRIVER. MJS

Compare 1999SUBARUSUBARU to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1999 SUBARU SUBARU have?
The 1999 SUBARU SUBARU has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 SUBARU SUBARU?
The most-complained component for the 1999 SUBARU SUBARU is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS.
Is the 1999 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.