The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·20V002000·Announced 2020-01-02

Subaru and Saab Recall Vehicles Due to Air Bag Inflator Defect

Subaru and Saab are recalling specific model years because passenger air bag inflators may explode due to humidity, posing a risk of serious injury.

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 explosion may result in serious injury or death, 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 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X 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, or "Zone B." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design.

The defect involves the passenger frontal air bag inflators, which may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature, and temperature cycling. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Subaru will notify their owners, and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614, and Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.

The recalled product

Product
SUBARU, SAAB OUTBACK, BAJA, IMPREZA, LEGACY
Brand
SUBARU
Manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag Inflator
Hazard
Affected units
127,547

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 (7)

  • OUTBACK
  • BAJA
  • IMPREZA
  • LEGACY
  • WRX
  • 9-2X
  • FORESTER

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same brand · SUBARU

Same manufacturer · Subaru of America, Inc.

See all →

Same hazard · air bag explosion

See all →