1998 Subaru Legacy Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1998 Legacy most often describe engine overheating and internal engine trouble, typically a failed head gasket, often traced to coolant loss and a rising temperature gauge. Complaints also cover brakes that go to the floor, worn or leaking front suspension and steering parts, and a rusted fuel filler neck that leaks gasoline. Reports are spread widely by mileage, with many arriving well past 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Head gasket failure / overheating

   • 10 complaints (9%)
   • median 120,000 mi at 7.5 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2008

   Owners describe the temperature gauge climbing, coolant overflowing or leaking, and the cabin heater blowing cold air, sometimes followed by the engine stalling or losing power. In several accounts a shop or dealer diagnosed an internal head gasket failure, at times requiring removal of the engine and replacement of gaskets, hoses, radiator, water pump and thermostat. Some dealers were described as saying they see this often on these engines, while others simply quoted the repair cost without further explanation. Mostly reported between about 70,000 and 150,000 miles; several owners mention hot weather, highway driving, or climbing a hill as the moment the overheating showed up.

   Recall 98V127000

   What to check: Check the coolant level and condition and look for weeping at the head gasket seams or oil in the coolant; ask whether the head gasket has been replaced and keep an eye on the temperature gauge on a long test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car overheated, took to dealership. Called next day and informed the head gasket was blown. After discussing, they said they had to replace both head gaskets. Knowing about cars, this seemed strange to me that both were blown at same time - it was at this time that dealership pointed out to me that Subaru is having problems with head gaskets and that this is not an ususual problem. Replacement cost was $2200.”

   NHTSA complaint #10127383, filed 2005-07, 150,000 miles

   “My 98 Subaru Legacy outback 2.5 liter, 144k miles was sporadically overheating while driving on the highway through a snow/rain storm. The temperature gauge would go up, and the cabin heater would start producing cool air. I pulled over and let it cool down, filled the radiator back up with water (it had overflowed) and drove slowly home. When I took it to the mechanic, he suggested when hearing the symptoms that it was a blown head gasket, and that this Subaru engine was notorious for this. He even suggested a class action suit. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10176174, filed 2006-12, 144,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake pedal goes to the floor / weak stopping

   • 11 complaints (10%)
   • median 135,000 mi at 17.4 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2017

   Owners report the brake pedal sinking to the floor while stopped with the pedal held, or the car not stopping when the brakes are applied in traffic. Several describe near-collisions or rear-ending another vehicle at low speed, and repairs and adjustments to the master cylinder, booster, calipers and lines were tried in some cases without resolving it. Others mention spongy pedal feel, corroded rear brake lines, and worn rotors. Appears across a wide mileage range, from low-mileage cars to ones past 150,000 miles; more than one owner links the loss of braking to cold or winter conditions.

   Recall 99V0400001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the master cylinder work under the brake campaign has been performed, have the brake lines inspected for rust, and test the pedal by holding firm pressure at a stop to see whether it sinks.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Brake pedal went to floor when applied.dealer has replaced linings ,front caliper,master cylinder and booster.problem still occured.lucky all occurances were at speeds below 25 MPH and there was no accident. Speedometer failed internaly and odometer started to operate backward. Actual milage on car is unknown.”

   NHTSA complaint #700093, filed 1998-10

   “When driving at 45 MPH vehicle veered to the right and lifted up, and all power went to the front side. Consumer applied ABS brakes, and vehicle wouldn't stop, causing vehicle to skid and run into a house. Upon impact, driver's side and passenger's side air bags didn't deploy.”

   NHTSA complaint #840764, filed 1999-06
3. 3
   Fuel system

   Fuel filler neck and tank line corrosion

   • 8 complaints (7%)
   • median 126,494 mi at 10.5 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2001–2010

   Owners describe the metal fuel filler neck rusting through behind a plastic trim piece that collects dirt, salt and water, producing a persistent gasoline leak and a strong fuel smell. Some note a fuel smell inside the cabin while warming up or stopped in traffic, and one owner reported vulnerable fuel lines near the rear door that were easy to puncture. Typically reported on cars past roughly 80,000 miles, and repeatedly tied to corrosion in areas that use road salt.

   What to check: Look behind the filler door trim for rust on the neck, check for a fuel smell after filling the tank, and inspect the underbody lines for corrosion.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Fuel (gasoline) filler neck for the 1998 Subaru Legacy wagon rusts out because the tube is behind a plastic molding that accumulates dirt, salt, water, and rots the tubing causing a chronic leak of gasoline potentially over the exhaust system. Recall and repair is needed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10344688, filed 2010-07, 215,000 miles

   “Fuel (gasoline) filler neck for the 1998 Subaru Legacy sw rusts out because the tube is behind a plastic molding that accumulates dirt, salt, water, and rots the tubing causing a chronic leak of gasoline potentially over the exhaust system. Recall and repair is needed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10251040, filed 2008-12, 89,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Pulling right, vibration and suspension wear

   • 9 complaints (8%)
   • median 130,000 mi at 19.5 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2018

   Owners describe the car pulling to the right even after alignments, front-end shake at highway speed, and tire cupping that returns after new tires and repeated alignments. Some accounts describe more serious structural wear, including a front strut mount weld failing and a front cross-member corroding or cracking, with the wheel collapsing into the well. Reported at highway speeds for the shake and pull, and at higher mileages for the structural and mount failures.

   Recall 01V216000

   What to check: Inspect the front strut towers, welds, spring mounts and cross-member for rust or cracks, check tire wear patterns, and ask about the front coil spring campaign on cars registered in cold-weather states.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The weld that attached the front right strut assembly to the body completely failed. The wheel collapsed into the wheel well. This happened while I beginning to make a right turn. The vehicle was not moving more than 3-4 MPH. For some months before the weld failed there was vibration during braking that we could not diagnose. I ended up replacing the brake pads, rotors, brake cylinders on both front wheels to no avail. I have pictures of the collapsed wheel. I don't know how to upload the picture. I can send it to an email address if you wish.”

   NHTSA complaint #11080757, filed 2018-03, 130,000 miles

   “Defect within vehicle is causing the front of vehicle to shake, including steering wheel when vehicle is being driven at least 58-68 MPH. Also pulls to right. Dealer also changed transmission bracket and angle of driveshaft, and put in new wheels and rims. Vehicle is still shaking.”

   NHTSA complaint #825026, filed 1998-07
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission and gear engagement problems

   • 13 complaints (11%)
   • median 92,137 mi at 7.3 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2017

   Owners report hesitation or refusal to go into second gear, delayed shifts with rising engine speed, and loss of gear once the car is warm, sometimes resolving after a cooldown period. Some accounts describe repeated transmission replacement without a lasting fix, and others mention smoke or an unexpected failure while driving. Reported across the mileage range, with several owners noting the problem appeared after the car had been driven a while and was hot.

   Recall 98V042000

   What to check: Drive enough to get the transmission fully warm and test upshifts and downshifts, including second gear, and ask whether any transmission or shift linkage work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 1998 Subaru Legacy outback with manual transmission. When it gets hot (I live in houston!!!) the clutch pedal will get spongy and eventually stick to the floor. I have to lift it up with my foot. If I have to drive the car for any length of time like this, I eventually lose the ability to get the car in and out of gear. I have to turn the car off and let it cool off (for about an hour) and it will fix itself. I have had to sit on the side of the road, with my kids in the car, waiting for it to cool down! It first happened in 1999. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10127015, filed 2005-06, 25,000 miles

   “Car out of alignment, car pulls to the right even when in alignment. Ride is very rough like something is out of kilter; the transmission doesn't operate smoothly between 2nd and 3rd gear... Like hesitation, and acts like there could be something wrong with the gas lines or parts controlling the fuel to car; cup holder is designed so that everything wants to tip out!! It is not deep enough which could be a definite safety hazzard if something hot tips out onto passenger. …”

   NHTSA complaint #700246, filed 1998-11

Buying note. On this model year, a used-car inspection should focus on the cooling system and head gasket history, brake system condition including line rust, and front suspension and underbody corrosion. Ask for service records on these points and budget for the possibility that the head gasket or brakes have not yet been addressed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.