Subaru Power Train: Differential Unit

Subaru is recalling about 3,251 vehicles over a problem with the power train. If the drive shaft detaches from the rear differential, it may strike the fuel tank and result in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Campaign
15V794000
Manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
Reported
24 November 2015
Vehicles
3,251
Built between
Oct 2015 – Nov 2015
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
10 December 2015
Repaired
98%
Unrepaired
47

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between October 2015 and November 2015. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2016 Subaru LegacyBuilt October 2015 to November 2015
  • 2016 Subaru OutbackBuilt October 2015 to November 2015

Repair progress

47 of 3,251 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2017.

98% repaired — 3,200 of 3,251 reported

Owners not reachable
4

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016 Legacy vehicles manufactured October 24, 2015, to November 16, 2015, and Outback vehicles manufactured October 24, 2015, to November 17, 2015. Due to the improper tightening of the securing nuts, the drive shaft may separate from the rear differential.

What could happen

If the drive shaft detaches from the rear differential, it may strike the fuel tank and result in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

What gets fixed

Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the fastening nuts, and tighten or replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 10, 2015.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtOctober 2015 to November 2015
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA24 November 2015
  3. Owners notified10 December 2015
  4. Latest repair reportQ1 2017 — 98% repaired

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 24 November 2015.

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 customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Subaru's number for this recall is WQV-57.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
WQV-57
Recalling manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
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

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to 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.

Same component

Same brand