Two problems related to vehicle overheat have been reported for the 1997 Subaru Legacy. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I was out driving on a sunny Sunday with a couple of friends to see the fall color, and without warning my car overheated. I took it to my mechanic to have find out what caused the problem and he said it was a "blown head gasket". I have not had the repairs done yet because I am trying to decide whether or not to put in a new engine or just repair the old one. The cost is going to be in excess of $1500 dollars either option and after doing a bit of research I have found that there are multiple websites out there with people who are suffering the same problems. This problem only seems to effect a certain number of year models and I would like to have Subaru do something to help alert those who will potentially be buying these vehicles with no knowledge of what they are buying into.
While driving at 45-50 mph vehicle overheated. Vehicle was taken to a repair shop, and mechaic confirmed that it was a blown head gasket on a 2. 5l engine. The dealer was notified.