RoadVitals

1991 Subaru Legacy Seat belts Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Seat belts reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
19
Latest Feb 16, 2016
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
24%
of 78 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1991 Subaru Legacy submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming seat belt

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Seat belts
Filed Feb 16, 2016

DRIVERS SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT DRIVE CABLE SLIPS OUT OF TRACK MAKING SEAT BELT USELESS AND DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID
10836466
Incident
Oct 1, 2015
Seat belts
Filed May 31, 2007

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1991 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRIC SEAT BELT JAMS IN THE MIDDLE AND RENDERS THE SEAT BELT INOPERABLE. THE DEALER WILL NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE FREE OF CHARGE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 176,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED AND ON AUGUST 10, 2007 IT FAILED AGAIN. THE SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED AGAIN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2007. UPDATED 09/27/07. *JB

NHTSA ID
10192125
Incident
May 26, 2007
Mileage
176,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Mar 18, 2004

CONSUMER NOTICED THAT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WEBBING WAS SEPARATING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY, AND THAT CONSUMER HAD TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. *AK

NHTSA ID
10063507
Seat belts
Filed Sep 25, 2002

WITHIN ONE WEEK BOTH SEAT BELTS CAME APART. DEALER SAID IT WOULD COST $975.00 TO REPLACE THEM. DO I HAVE ANY OTHER RECOURSE? THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID
767695
Seat belts
Filed Aug 23, 2001

FABRIC JOINT ON LAP BELT WAS PRINTED WITH A WARNING THAT THE BELT MUST BE REPLACED IF THE FABRIC IS BROKEN, PRESUMABLY IN A COLLISION. IT HAS WORN OUT THROUGH ABRASION FROM NORMAL USE, NO COLLISION IS INVOLVED. HOWEVER, IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED OTHERWISE A BASIC SAFETY COMPONENT REQUIRED BY LAW IS SIMPLY NOT THERE. WE FEEL STRONGLY THAT SUCH A PART SHOULD NOT BE DESIGNED TO FAIL. HOWEVER, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY ONE LOCAL DEALER THAT EVEN IF WE WANTED TO PAY TO HAVE IT FIXED, THAT THE PART FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. THIS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A REASONABLE SITUATION.*AK

NHTSA ID
751021
Incident
Apr 30, 2001
Seat belts
Filed Oct 30, 1999

AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT HAS FAILED - COST TO REPAIR: $500-700, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS HAPPENING IN MOST SUBARUS. IS THERE SOMETHING BEING DONE? I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL BE SERIOUSLY INJURED IF I WERE TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU ARE DOING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THANKS.

NHTSA ID
714116
Incident
Oct 1, 1999
Seat belts
Filed Apr 26, 1999

AUTOMATIC SEATBELT SYSTEM FAILED. KNOW OF MANY EXACT PROBLEMS WITH SYSTEM IN SUBARU FROM OTHER OWNERS. *AK

NHTSA ID
705992
Incident
Jun 15, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Nov 23, 1998

DRIVER'S SHOULDER BELT IS STUCK IN THE FORWARD POSITION. DEALER CONTACTED AND IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
831202
Incident
Nov 2, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Nov 3, 1998

FRONT SHOULDER PASSIVE RESTRAINT SEAT BELT WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY COME BACK, IS INOPERABLE. DEALER CONTACTED, AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, CONSUMER'S COSTS TO REPAIR FRONT SHOULDER BELT WOULD BE $900. *AK

NHTSA ID
830005
Incident
Oct 25, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Nov 2, 1998

AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT FAILED.

NHTSA ID
542381
Incident
Jul 11, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Mar 20, 1998

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT MOTOR LOCKED UP.

NHTSA ID
532901
Incident
Dec 1, 1997
Seat belts
Filed Mar 16, 1998

AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT: SHOULDER BELT WILL NOT MOVE INTO POSITION WHEN CLOSING THE DOOR. *AK

NHTSA ID
821962
Incident
Dec 15, 1997
Seat belts
Filed Mar 10, 1998

AUTOMATIC FRONT LEFT SEAT BELT FAILED.

NHTSA ID
532265
Incident
Feb 5, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Feb 18, 1998

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED.

NHTSA ID
530624
Incident
Jan 15, 1998
Seat belts
Filed May 20, 1997

UNABLE TO HOOK THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WITHOUT THE USE OF A SEATBELT EXTENDER.

NHTSA ID
604008
Seat belts
Filed Feb 6, 1996

THE SEAT BELTS ARE NOT WORKING.PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT

NHTSA ID
978785
Incident
Feb 6, 1996
Seat belts
Filed May 16, 1995

DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE RETRACTOR SOMETIME DON'T RETRACT BACK SOMETIME. TT

NHTSA ID
965473
Seat belts
Filed Mar 21, 1995

DRIVER SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETURN. TT

NHTSA ID
962344
Incident
Feb 14, 1995
Seat belts
Filed Mar 15, 1995

LAP/SHOULDER BELT WILL NOT RETRACT. TT

NHTSA ID
961971
Incident
Dec 1, 1994

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Body & structure14Interior & seats14Brakes11Transmission11Powertrain (other)8

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .