Subaru XT: problems, complaints, bulletins

Summary for the Subaru XT across 5 model years: 8 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.

Model years

Year	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)	YouTube repair videos
1991	1	0	0	0
1989	2	0	0	0
1988	1	0	0	0
1987	1	0	0	0
1986	3	0	0	0

What fails most often

1 Seat belts 50% of all complaints
2 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
3 Exterior lighting 13% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Seat belts: 4 complaints (50% of all).
Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (13% of all).

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

1.8 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1985–1991
1.8 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl 1985–1987
2.7 L · petrol · 6 cyl 1988–1991
automatic, 3-speed 1985–1987
automatic, 4-speed 1987–1991
manual, 5-speed 1985–1991

Drive: FWD, AWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 8 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

seat belts3 · 38%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 13%
oil leak or consumption1 · 13%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Seat belts	4	0	0
Engine and cooling	1	0	0
Exterior lighting	1	0	0
Other	2	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.

There is oil leaking slowing from the drain plug area. No matter how tight consumer tightens it there is still a slow leak. Consumer feels this may cause a fire.
Engine and cooling · 1989 · 2002-06-06 · NHTSA complaint #8011242
Automatic seatbelts operate very erratically. Seat belts when latched choke driver. Also seatbelts get stuck in the retracting postion. Cause unknown.
Seat belts · 1991 · 1998-08-04 · NHTSA complaint #826234
Driver's motor belt inoperative/also loss of tension in lap belt..
Seat belts · 1988 · 1996-09-23 · NHTSA complaint #508200
Driverside motorized seatbelt harness prematurely locks up when exiting from vehicle causing belt to grab driver's neck. Tt
Seat belts · 1989 · 1995-02-10 · NHTSA complaint #959893

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19951
19962
19972
19981
19991
20021

What to check before buying

Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.

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.