The 1985 Subaru Gl has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 432,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE INNER ARMS OF THE REAR SUSPENSION ARE SUBJECT TO CORROSION IN AREAS WHERE ROAD SALT IS USED HEAVILY IN WINTER.
OPERATION AND CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE CAN BE ADVERSELYAFFECTED BY CORROSION OF THE INNER CONTROL ARMS.
RUSTPROOF OR REPLACE THE INNER CONTROL ARMS AS NECESSARY.
CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO ROAD SALT COULD CAUSE CORROSION OF REAR SUSPENSION COMPONENTS, ESPECIALLY THE INNER ARMS.
THE CORROSION COULD AFFECT THE OPERATION AND CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.
RUST PROOF OR REPLACE REAR SUSPENSION, AS NECESSARY.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Right rear wheel rotated to the near horizontal position, making the vehicle inoperatble.”
“The lower control arm snapped at the weld while the car was moving and the whole left wheel came off. Please describe. Tt”
“The lower control arm snapped at the weld while the car was moving and the whole left wheel came off. Please describe. Tt”
“Corrosion through out the frame. Tt”
“Passenger's side seat belt buckle failure, unable to latch seat belt. Tt”
“Driving on freeway at 65 mph, vehicle stopped suddenly in the fast lane, timing belt broke. *ak also front pads and rotors were replaced.*jb”
“Driving on freeway at 65 mph, vehicle stopped suddenly in the fast lane, timing belt broke. *ak also front pads and rotors were replaced.*jb”
“W/manual transmission, vehicle experiences unwanted acceleration. Please describe details. Tt”
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:SAFETY BELT RETRACTOR ISPECULIAR TO 1985 GL 4DOOR SEDAN AND STATIONWAGON.INSTALLED TO IMPROVESENSITIVITY AND LIMIT WEBBING MOVEMENT.REPLACED IN PRODUCTION BY NEW UNITTO PROVIDE 'COMMON USAGE WITH OTHER MANUFACTURERS'.PART SALES WERE NEARLYTWICE 1984 AND 1986 MODEL SALES (WHICH…
SUMMARY OF MANUFACTURER INFORMATION:SUBARU CLAIMS IT HAS NO IDENTIFIABLEPROBLEMWITH THE SEAT BELT RETRACTORS.HOWEVER, THE 1985 RETRACTOR ISUSED ONLY ON THE 1985 MODEL 4 DOOR AND STATION WAGON.PART SALES FOR THERETRACTOR ARE NEARLY DOUBLE 1984 AND 1986 MODEL RETRACTOR SALES.SIMILARLY15 PART NUMBERS WERE ISSUED FOR THE…
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1985 Subaru Gl as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.