The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·18V013000·Announced 2018-01-09

Subaru Recalls 2009-2010 Models for Air Bag Inflator Defect

Subaru is recalling 2009-2010 vehicles in 22 states because passenger air bag inflators may explode during deployment, posing a risk of serious injury or death.

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 the defect may result in 'serious injury or death' due to inflator explosion, which aligns with the rubric criteria for a Severe (4) rating involving significant injury reports or potential for serious harm.

Plain-English summary

Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2009-2010 Tribeca, Impreza, Forester, WRX, Legacy, and Outback vehicles. This recall affects approximately 93,209 vehicles that were sold or ever registered in 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 air bag inflators used in the passenger frontal air bag modules. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation caused by long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. If the passenger frontal air bag deploys in a crash, the explosion could send sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver, or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. 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 FORESTER, LEGACY, IMPREZA, TRIBECA
Brand
SUBARU
Manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag Inflator
Hazard
Affected units
93,209

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)

  • FORESTER
  • LEGACY
  • IMPREZA
  • TRIBECA
  • OUTBACK
  • WRX

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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