IllustrationTHE BEARINGS ON THE TRANSMISSION HAVE FAILED. THE CAR ONLY HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT AND THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSIONS ARE PRONE TO FAILURE AS SOON AS 50,000 MILES. THE SPEEDOMETER HAS FAILED AND THE CAR WILL NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR. THE CAR HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTINED WITH ALL THE DEALER RECORDS. *AK
1992 Subaru Svx
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Svx years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 19 of 231 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 200 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
231 reportsCONSUMER HAS REPORTED TRANSMISSION FAILURE.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
AT THIS MILEAGE THE TRANSMISSION NEARLY FAILED COMPLETELY. IN FIRST GEAR THE CAR WILL NOT GO MORE THAN 25-30 MILES PER HOUR, AND IT RARELY WILL SHIFT UP TO SECOND GEAR AT ALL. REVERSE GEAR ENGAGES WITH A SERIOUS "THUNK" THAT SHAKES THE ENTIRE CAR, AND THERE IS NO POWER TO SPEAK OF IN REVERSE (ENGINE MUST BE REVVED TO GET CARE TO…
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AT THIS MILEAGE THE TRANSMISSION NEARLY FAILED COMPLETELY. IN FIRST GEAR THE CAR WILL NOT GO MORE THAN 25-30 MILES PER HOUR, AND IT RARELY WILL SHIFT UP TO SECOND GEAR AT ALL. REVERSE GEAR ENGAGES WITH A SERIOUS "THUNK" THAT SHAKES THE ENTIRE CAR, AND THERE IS NO POWER TO SPEAK OF IN REVERSE (ENGINE MUST BE REVVED TO GET CARE TO MOVE). MECHANIC SAYS AT LEAST TWO CLUTCH PACKS AND OTHER PARTS ARE SHOT AND THE TRANSMISSION CAN ONLY BE REBUILT, NOT REPAIRED.*AK
MY CAR TRANSMISSION IS VERY UNSTABLE. WE EXPIRENCED FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 48000 MILES. I NEVER SEEN A SINGLE CAR HAS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AT 48000. I BELIEVE THIS TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE RECALLED ASAP. BUT I'M NOT THE ONE REPORTING THIS PROBLEM. WE HAVE SVX CLUB AT YAHOO.COM AND PEOPLE ARE SO UPSET ABOUT THE TRANSM…
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MY CAR TRANSMISSION IS VERY UNSTABLE. WE EXPIRENCED FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 48000 MILES. I NEVER SEEN A SINGLE CAR HAS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AT 48000. I BELIEVE THIS TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE RECALLED ASAP. BUT I'M NOT THE ONE REPORTING THIS PROBLEM. WE HAVE SVX CLUB AT YAHOO.COM AND PEOPLE ARE SO UPSET ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION. ONE PERSON ALREADY CHANGED HIS TRANNY ABOUT 3 TIMES AT 100K. I BELIEVE THERE MUST BE SOME ACTION TAKEN TO THIS MATTER. THANK YOU. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION WENT BAD @ 37,000 MILES. THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION WENT COMPLETELY BAD @ 108,000 MILES. I COMPLAINED MANY TIMES ABOUT NOISES AND VIBRATIONS WHEN ACCELERATING. SUBARU'S SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID EVERY 15000 MILES.
CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION AT 80000 MILES. AT THIS TIME TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT AGAIN. ALSO, WHEELBEARINGS ARE DEFECTIVE, WATER IS ABLE TO GET INSIDE AND CORRODE WHEEL BEARINGS. CONSUMER HAS HAD TO REPLACE THEM 3 TIMES.*AK
WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES, AND DEALER SAID IT WAS NORMAL WEAR. ALSO, SAME HAS HAPPENED WITH TRANSMISSION. *AK
I STRONGLY FEEL THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD ORDER A COMPLETE RECALL ON ALL SVX MODELS AND INSTALL A NEW AND NON DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND IN REALITY HAS NO REAL SOLUTION TO IT, I4VE READ OF CARS WORKING ON THEIR THIRD TRANSMISSION ALREADY AND NOT HAVING THE MILEAGE THAT MY OWN CAR REGIST…
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I STRONGLY FEEL THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD ORDER A COMPLETE RECALL ON ALL SVX MODELS AND INSTALL A NEW AND NON DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND IN REALITY HAS NO REAL SOLUTION TO IT, I4VE READ OF CARS WORKING ON THEIR THIRD TRANSMISSION ALREADY AND NOT HAVING THE MILEAGE THAT MY OWN CAR REGISTERS, I4M VERY WORRIED THAT THE REPAIR OF MY VEHICLE WILL ONLY DELAY ANOTHER INEVITABLE FAILURE. AT THE MOMENT MY ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR IS 2000 DOLLARS, IT WOULDN4T BOTHER ME TO PAY THE AMOUNT IF I COULD SOMEHOW KNOW THAT THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT FAIL AGAIN, BUT BY THE LOOKS OF IT, THIS IS SOMETHING INEVITABLE.*AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.