1998 Subaru Legacy: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1998 Subaru Legacy. The newest campaign is 01V216000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Jun 2001. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs. NHTSA has 114 complaints on file for this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 01V216000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will notifiy customers to bring their vehicle to an authorize dealership to have a spring guard installed on both front struts to prevent tire puncture and replace any broken springs free of charge. Owner notification began september 18, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 441,679 units in total.

01V21600025 Jun 2001Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs
99V0400003 Mar 1999Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Master Cylinder
98V1270008 Jun 1998Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine
98V04200020 Feb 1998Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Gear Position Indication (Prndl)

01V216000Received 25 Jun 2001. 180,000 units.
Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with front coil springs originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new york, new jersey, new hampshire, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, and wisconsin, and in the district of columbia. The front coil springs were produced with poor paint quality which, after continued exposure to corrosive salt, can result in breakage of the spring.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Depending on the location of the fracture, a broken spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire. Some tires have deflated due to contact with a broken spring.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will notifiy customers to bring their vehicle to an authorize dealership to have a spring guard installed on both front struts to prevent tire puncture and replace any broken springs free of charge. Owner notification began september 18, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Report filed by SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 18 Sep 2001.
99V040000Received 3 Mar 1999. 221,987 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Master Cylinder
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles equipped with anti-lock braking system (ABS). (the 1999 2.2 liter legacy vehicles are excluded). In extremely cold weather, the brake pedal goes to the floor and the vehicle stopping distance is increased.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition causes the vehicle stopping distance to be increased, possibly resulting in a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder.
Report filed by SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number WXQ-74. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Jun 1999.
98V127000Received 8 Jun 1998. 20,306 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, also service parts supplied to subaru dealers are involved (lot numbers f01 j21d2, f01 j30d2, f02 j09d1, f02 j09d2, and f02 j20d1). The purolator oil filter cans used on these vehicles can fracture causing a vaporized oil spray and subsequent oil leak.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This vaporized oil spray can result in oil vapor ignition by the hot exhaust system resulting in a possible underhood fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect and replace these engine oil filters.
Report filed by SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Sep 1998.
98V042000Received 20 Feb 1998. 19,386 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Gear Position Indication (Prndl)
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. Due to poor welds, ignition keys can stick, shift levers/linkages can break and shift levers can move.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition can cause unexpected movement of the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash or property damage.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the automatic transmission shift lever assemblies (except the handle grip).
Report filed by SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Jun 1998.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

114 complaints, 155 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1998 Subaru Legacy
All 1998 vehicles

1998 Subaru Legacy: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1998 Legacy	All 1998 vehicles	Legacy, all years	Mentions
Engine and Engine Cooling	193.5	123.7	60.9	30
Power Train	103.2	90.4	90.6	16
Air Bags	71	50.6	97.7	11
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	71	106.9	43.4	11
Electrical System	64.5	82.5	105.2	10
Vehicle Speed Control	64.5	43.2	50.3	10
Fuel System, Gasoline	51.6	36.2	24.2	8
Steering	51.6	55.8	29.5	8
Suspension	45.2	82.6	35.7	7
Structure	45.2	45.8	37.1	7

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 20.

Complaints that report a crash: 17
Complaints that report a fire: 2
Injuries in the complaints: 12
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 29 Mar 2022

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1998 Subaru Legacy, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1999, with 24 complaints.

Investigations

The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1998 Subaru LegacyThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1998 Subaru Legacy: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/subaru/legacy/1998/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1998 Subaru Legacy?: 441,679 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Subaru Legacy have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 81 recall campaigns for the Subaru Legacy, model years 1987 to 2025. 4 of them name the 1998 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Subaru Legacy name most often?: Engine and Engine Cooling: 30 of 155 component mentions, or 193.5 per 1,000. For all 1998 vehicles the figure is 123.7 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Subaru Legacy open?: The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.