AI DamageSubaru GL: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Subaru GL across 11 model years: 79 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 33% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 19% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 15% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 9% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 26 complaints (33% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 15 complaints (19% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 12 complaints (15% of all).
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (9% of all).
- Structure: 7 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 79 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 26 | 3 | 0 |
| Suspension | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Seat belt failed to hold driver in position during vehicle rollover, contributing to injury.
Failure on the transmission when the vehicle was put in reverse the vehicle suddenly accelearated causing the consumer to have an accident.
Driver seatbelt buckle locked up in latch position, after an accident seatbelt had to be cut off. Tt
Driving vehicle at speed of 30mph impact 9:00 position, drivers side lap/shoulder belt will not retract causing injuries. Tt
Sudden acceleration, causing loss of control/one accident.
Stopped at stop sign all of a sudden car just accelerated,caused accident. Tt
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.