Subaru Seat Belts: Buckle Assembly

Subaru is recalling about 326 vehicles over a problem with the seat belts. In the event of a crash, the front seat belts could unlatch, which could result in personal injury to the seat occupant.

Campaign
03V047000
Manufacturer
SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
Reported
20 February 2003
Vehicles
326
Built between
Dec 2002 – Dec 2002
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
19 February 2003
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between December 2002 and December 2002. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2003 Subaru ForesterBuilt December 2002 to December 2002

What the defect is

Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the left and right front seat belt buckle/latch assemblies were improperly manufactured.

What could happen

In the event of a crash, the front seat belts could unlatch, which could result in personal injury to the seat occupant.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE/LATCH ASSEMBLIES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 19, 2003.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtDecember 2002 to December 2002
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA20 February 2003
  3. Owners notified19 February 2003

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 20 February 2003.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
WWL-95
Recalling manufacturer
SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
Safety standard
FMVSS 209
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand