Subaru Loyale Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 62 consumer complaints across the 4 model years of the Subaru Loyale (1990–1993) that have at least 5 complaints. 1992 has the most, with 23. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (19 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Loyale model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 13 | — | 1 | 10 | — | Not enough data |
| 1992 | 23 | 200,000 | 1 | 10 | — | Stable |
| 1991 | 13 | 222,000 | 2 | 10 | — | Not enough data |
| 1990 | 13 | — | 4 | 10 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling19 28%
- Transmission and drivetrain13 19%
- Seat belts13 19%
- Electrical system6 9.0%
- Tires5 7.5%
- Fuel system4 6.0%
- Equipment4 6.0%
- Vehicle speed control3 4.5%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1991: “- on a cold day while trying to drive in reverse the would not engage in the reverse gear. The contact waited for the vehicle to warm up, and was able to drive for sometime, until the transmission suddenly failed , causing the vehicle to slow down and eventually come to a complete stop. The contact has the vehicle at speedy transmission where they will rebuild the transmission. The contact feltthat vehicle should be covered under NHTSA recallcampaign 94v052000.”
NHTSA complaint #10177850, filed 2007-01, 135,000 miles1993: “The nut worked loose off of the oil pump gear. The gear walked foward,eating thrugh the timing cover,finally wiping out the timing assembly. Final result - the engine lost oil pressure and the engine continued to run,causing the engine to seize in traffic.engine was a loss. This all could of been avoided if a lock nut was used to hold the oil pump gear in place. A 5 cent nut cost me $3000.and placed my family in danger. Sad,sad,sad!”
NHTSA complaint #713128, filed 1999-101992: “The contact owns a 1992 Subaru Loyale. The spare tire was a nokian nordman (na), size 165/80r1383q (na) mud and snow tire. The spare tire was in the trunk of the vehicle and it had 21 bulges, three inches in height in the sidewall. The tire was not taken to a mechanic and had not been replaced. The current and failure mileages were 200,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10207323, filed 2007-10, 200,000 milesOther Subaru models
9,776 complaintsSubaru Forester
6,527 complaintsSubaru Legacy
3,182 complaintsSubaru Impreza
2,649 complaintsSubaru Crosstrek
1,191 complaintsSubaru Ascent
1,038 complaintsSubaru WRX
969 complaintsSubaru SVX
279 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology