1998 Subaru Legacy engine and engine cooling problems
30 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine and engine cooling on the 1998 Subaru Legacy — 26% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“It seems after 5 minutes of investigation that there is thousands of 1997 to 2002 subaru owners who are have the problem with over heating and head gasket replacement. Subaru refuses to acknowledge an issue or design flaw and is making the customer bare the cost of repairing a faulty head gasket…”
filed May 27, 2008
“1 x overheated on a hot day, heading up a hill. Noticed high temp and turned on heater, waited for car to cool, added h2o. 2 months later, driving on a hot day with ac on, sudden clicking, check engine light, lost power, smoke, stopped. Towed to garage that specializes in subaru and they found hole…”
filed Jul 24, 2007
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
This bulletin is to advise of SOAâ s revised catalytic converter recycling program shipping procedure.
09-51-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2021
Engine and Engine Cooling problems in other Legacy years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 Legacy | 1 | 3% |
| 2016 Legacy | 1 | 1% |
| 2015 Legacy | 1 | 1% |
| 2013 Legacy | 2 | 3% |
| 2011 Legacy | 6 | 4% |
| 2010 Legacy | 4 | 3% |
| 2009 Legacy | 1 | 2% |
| 2007 Legacy | 2 | 6% |
| 2006 Legacy | 4 | 5% |
| 2005 Legacy | 29 | 16% |
| 2004 Legacy | 2 | 4% |
| 2003 Legacy | 9 | 15% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1998 Subaru Legacy
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.