Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester

Jan 09, 2019 — Recall Campaign #19V007000

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

The recall was influenced by the Office of Defects Investigation with about 43,394 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

19V007000

Manufacturer:	Subaru of America, Inc.
Recall date:	January 09, 2019
NHTSA Campaign #:	19V007000
Units affected:	43,394

Description:: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequeces:: An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Corrective action:: Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-19.
Notes:: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Affects the following:

2011 SUBARU IMPREZA Complaints
National Highway Traffic Safety Admin March 9, 2026 I am submitted a vehicle safety complaint regarding a 2011 Subaru that I recently purchased on [XXX]. I purchased a used 2011 Subaru Impreza from Clear Cut Auto {241 S Dupont Hghwy – New Castle, DE 1920 (302-322-2050) on [XXX] for $5,147.04. The dealership person name was Erika Fernandez which reported the car was recently dropped of by a female owner a few days ago. The dealership issued temporary tags on the vehicle with the registration. The vehicle was sold as “as is”. Within three (3) days of purchase the vehicle On Sunday [XXX] while my [XXX] son was driving on a major highway, the vehicle suddenly showed a engine light which blink on and immediately went out. Thereafter, the car started smoking and was engulfed in flames ie: caught on fire. I am grateful that my [XXX] son was able to exit the vehicle safely and quickly to avoid injury. The car was completely destroyed by the result of the fire internally and externally. This created a serious life-threatening safety situation for my [XXX] son, which had to exit the vehicle quickly to avoid injury. Multiple people on the highway witnessed the fire. I am concerned that the vehicle sold to me by Clean Cut Auto (owner Lonnie and dealer Erika Fernandez) may have had a serious pre-existing defect involving the engine, electrical system or fuel system that caused the fire while the vehicle was being driven. I am submitting this complaint so that the incident can be investigated as a potential safety defect involving this vehicle model. 2011 Subaru Impreza VIN# [XXX] Fire Date: [XXX] Registration: [XXX] Location: [XXX] – [XXX] from [XXX] 3.04 miles from New Castle Municipality Police Report [XXX] Cpl Diprima -Troop 2 State Police 302-834-2620 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6);
2012 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA Complaints
VEHICLE HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES WHEN THE TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE LIGHT AND OTHER WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL AND TEMP, ALL WERE NORMAL. PULLED AWAY AND THE ENGINE REVED UP THEN BANGED INTO GEAR. DROVE NORMALLY FOR SEVERAL MILES. THE WARNING LIGHTS WENT OFF. DROVE THE NEXT DAY AND FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITH NO INCIDENCE. OCCURRED AGAIN WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY THE NEXT WEEK. ON THE SUBARU OWNERS FORUM FOUND SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THEY STATED THAT THE SUBARU DEALERS CALLED IT A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 5EAT TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 59,000 MILES. DEALER SOLUTION IS A $2000 VALVE BODY. DRIVES NORMALLY FOR SHORT DISTANCES AND AT SLOWER SPEEDS. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS NO POWER IS TRANSMITTED TO THE WHEELS. UNSAFE SITUATION.;
2013 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints
I had a family member driving an 2013 Subaru Forester all-wheel drive with a manual transition. The car had crash and rolled. The car at the most rolled twice and none of the air bags never deployed. I have photos of the accident and of the vehicle at the towed yard and its clear as day that the air bags are still rolled up.;
2014 SUBARU LEGACY Complaints
The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, there was a clicking sound coming from underneath the vehicle, and the vehicle swayed slightly before coming to a stop. The failure became more persistent, and the clicking sound became louder within a week. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who determined that the frame had severe rust that had created a hole near the ball joints on the driver’s side front wheel and informed the contact that the vehicle was not safe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 130,000.;
2014 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Subaru Outback. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 132,000. A Carfax report was not purchased. The contact stated that the mileage on the title from the DMV was 205,690.;