The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·17V026000·Announced 2017-01-11

Subaru Recalls Vehicles Due to Passenger Air Bag Inflator Rupture Risk

Subaru is recalling specific model years of Baja, Impreza, Forester, Legacy, Outback, and Tribeca vehicles to replace passenger air bag inflators that may rupture in a crash.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking occupants, resulting in serious injury or death, which aligns with the rubric criterion for structural vehicle defects or significant injury reports.

Plain-English summary

Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback, 2006-2009 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), and 2006-2009 Tribeca vehicles. This recall affects vehicles originally sold or registered in specific states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The defect involves certain passenger frontal air bag inflator modules. In the event of a crash that requires the front air bags to deploy, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation caused by long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking vehicle occupants, which could result in serious injury or death.

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator free of charge. The recall began on March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
SUBARU BAJA, IMPREZA, FORESTER, LEGACY
Brand
SUBARU
Manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag Inflator
Hazard
Affected units
69,529

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (6)

  • BAJA
  • IMPREZA
  • FORESTER
  • LEGACY
  • TRIBECA
  • OUTBACK

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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