The 1989 Subaru Justy has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 115,825 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS95V1030061995-05-24100,825 affected
Defect
THE FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLE RELEASE BUTTONS CAN BREAK. THESE RED PLASTIC RELEASE BUTTONS ARE MARKED "PRESS." IF A BUTTON BREAKS, PIECES CAN FALL INTO THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY CAUSING THE BUCKLE TO OPERATE IMPROPERLY.
Consequence
THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CHECK THE CONDITION AND OPERATION OF BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES AND CAREFULLY INSPECT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOR ANY BREAKS OR CRACKS. THEY SHOULD ENSURE THAT BOTH BUCKLES ARE OPERATING PROPERLY BY INSERTING EACH LATCH PLATE INTO ITS BUCKLE, TUGGING ON THE BELT TO MAKE SURE THE LATCH IS…
POWER TRAIN89V0280001989-02-2815,000 affected
Defect
DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE TRANSMISSION CASE DIPSTICK AND THE FLUID LEVEL CHECKING METHOD, THERE MAY BE INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION OF THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE EXTENSION HOUSING BEARING.
Consequence
THIS COULD CAUSE BEARING SEIZURE AND POSSIBLE REAR WHEELLOCKUP, WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy
INSTALL MODIFIED DIPSTICK AND INSERT INFORMATION IN OWNERS MANUAL ON THE CORRECT FLUID LEVEL CHECKING PROCEDURES.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
4
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
3
1crashes2deaths
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
1
STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD
1
SUSPENSION:FRONT
1
Total complaints11
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I feel the dipstick problem cause this car's transmission to become defective. *ak”
“Transmission failed while traveling, also, failure locked gear into drive, and was unable to shift out. Dealer/manuacturer contacted, and said taht there was nothing they could do. *ak *ml”
“When a/c button is pressed, it blows out warm air rather than cold. Dealer contacted approximately five times and cannot remedy the problem. Problem still exists. Provide further information. *ak”
“Failure on the driver side seat belt retractor, belt will not retract. *ak”
“Seat belt buckle failed prior to recall (95v-103.006). *ak”
“Vehicle vibrates while driving, transmission lights comes on in the dashboard. Tt”
“Front suspension failure, rear bearing froze the u-joint causing tire to fail. Tt”
“Drivers side seatbelt will not latch due to latch that the buckle fits into btroke and pieces of oplastic fell into the latch. Tt”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA95008 Opened 1995-03-10 · closed 1995-08-02
TAKATA SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILURE
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE94051 Opened 1994-06-29 · closed 1994-10-31
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1989 Subaru Justy as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.