Tl* the contact owns a 1996 subaru legacy. The contact was driving 5 MPH when another vehicle crashed into his bumper and the air bags deployed. There were no physical damages to the vehicle and there were no injuries reported. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was towed to a local auto mechanic to have the air bags and the windshield repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 108,000.
1996 Subaru Legacy airbags problems
22 complaints (18% of all complaints for this car). 17 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 22
- of this car's complaints
- 18%
- crashes
- 17
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Frontal18
- Side/window1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Subaru Legacy airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Subaru Legacy airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Air bags
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Inadvertent air bag deployment can occur after undercarriage contact of the tow hooks with curbs, dips, speedbumps, potholes, etc.
- Risk
- Unexpected air bag deployment could result in personal injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove the front tow hooks.
Recall number 98V315000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Oversensitive air bag deployment
In its letter dated december 21, 1998, subaru stated that the vehicles identified above will be recalled.subaru dealers will remove the front towing/tie-down hooks.refer to the federal safety agency recall no. 98v‑315 for details.
EA97010
Oversensitive air bag deployment
Odi has reviewed 33 complaints of oversensitive' air bag deployment (I.e., any non-crash deployment) received by odi and subaru involving model year 1995 subaru impreza & legacy vehicles and all other impreza & legacy vehicles equipped with air bag systems identical or similar to those in the 1995 impreza & legacy; they are late 1994-1996 impreza and all1995 & 1996 legacy (33 complaints out of 165,385 vehicles).odi's analysis indicates that certain impreza & legacy vehicles - - late 1994 & early 1995 impreza and all 1995 & early 1996 legacy (29 complaints out of 95,678 vehicles) -- have much higher complaint rate than the remaining vehicles which are different in vehicle structure or equipped with different air bag sensing system.most of the complaints (26 of the 29) indicate that the vehicle's dual air bags deployed from an undercarriage impact with a curb, bump, dip, pothole, etc.in the remaining 3 complaints, the driver alleged that the air bags deployed inadvertently or without any impact.in 13 of the 29 cases, only the vehicle's front tow hooks reportedly were found damaged or showed evidence of impact, and in 6 other cases both tow hooks and other undercarriage components were reportedly damaged or impacted; no details were given in the 10 remaining cases.this pe has been upgraded to ea97-010
PE96075
What 1996 Subaru Legacy owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My 1996 subaru outback experienced an air bag malfunction on 6/14/2005. While driving down our local highway at 55 MPH the vehicle's air bag suddenly deployed. The sudden deployment caused the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but due to the mileage on the vehicle they refused to contact the manufacturer about repairs. The insurance inspector believes that the failure was due to a malfunction in the system because there was no damage to the front end of the vehicle to indicate a 55 MPH crash. *nm
Vehicle was rear ended and force into the back of a pick up and neither bag bags deployed. Feel free to provide any further information.
Vehicle was at a stand still when it was hit head on. Front air bags did not deploy until passenger went through windshield, and driver hit steering wheel. Consumer has not yet made any contact with manufacturer or dealer.
Consumer was forced off of road where she impacted a tree. Airbags did not deploy during this event.
Vehicle hit deer, minimum damage to vehicle. But, both airbags deployed. Passenger's air bag broke, passenger injured face. Passenger had seatback all the way, and was leaning back at time of deployment.
Airbags failed to deploy on 35mph front-end impact with another vehicle. Car sustained $7000 damages, front-end is crushed.
While applying brakes to stop about 5 MPH, consumer bumped into vehicle in front, and both air bags deployed without a prior warning.
Vehicle hit a pole head-on at 30 to 35mph and neither driver's side nor passenger's side airbags deployed. Also, seat belt did not hold. Driver sustained injuries.
Consumer was driving and another car hit him, and driver's airbag didn't deploy.
Questions about the 1996 Subaru Legacy airbags
Does the 1996 Subaru Legacy have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 22 complaints about the airbags of the 1996 Subaru Legacy, 18% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 1996 Subaru Legacy airbags problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Subaru Legacy airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 98V315000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Subaru Legacy have bad airbags?
The Subaru Legacy model years with the most airbags complaints are 1995 (45 complaints), 2009 (31 complaints) and 2010 (28 complaints).
Other 1996 Subaru Legacy problems
Engine 22Electrical 21Brakes 18Fuel system 8Suspension 8Transmission 8Acceleration 7Seats 6Visibility 4Lights 3Steering 3Tires 3Locks 2Body 1Seat belts 1
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