- Vehicles
- 326,014
- Built between
- Nov 2007 – Mar 2012
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA compliance test
- Owners notified
- 26 March 2012
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between November 2007 and March 2012. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2009-2012 Subaru ForesterBuilt November 2007 to March 2012
What the defect is
SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2012 FORESTER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 26, 2007, THROUGH MARCH 13, 2012. THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR in the SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES LOCATED IN THE REAR CENTER SEATING OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES DO NOT MEET LOCKABILITY REQUIREMENTS AND FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION. SPECIFICALLY, THE ASSEMBLIES MAY NOT PERMIT PROPER INSTALLATION AND SECURE ATTACHMENT OF A CHILD RESTRAINT IN THAT SEATING POSITION.
What could happen
An insecure installation of a child restraint can increase the risk of injury to a child during a crash.
What gets fixed
SUBARU WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR CENTER SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY WITH A NEWLY MODIFIED AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR, FREE OF CHARGE. AN INTERIM LETTER WAS MAILED ON MARCH 26, 2012.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtNovember 2007 to March 2012
- Recall reported to NHTSA13 March 2012
- Owners notified26 March 2012
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 13 March 2012.
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 may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- WQA-37
- Recalling manufacturer
- SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 208
- Recall initiated by
- OVSC
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
Subaru's recall campaign number is WQA-37.CUSTOMERS may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
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.