Subaru Steering: Column

Subaru is recalling about 48,819 vehicles over a problem with the steering. The loss of steering ability would increase the risk of a crash.

Campaign
16V292000
Manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
Reported
11 May 2016
Vehicles
48,819
Built between
Apr 2015 – May 2016
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
13 May 2016
Repaired
100%
Unrepaired
36

Safety advisories

Do not drive this vehicle

NHTSA and the manufacturer advise that affected vehicles should not be driven until the recall repair has been completed. Contact your dealer to arrange the repair, and ask about transport in the meantime.

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 2015 and May 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2016-2017 Subaru LegacyBuilt February 2016 to May 2016
  • 2015-2017 Subaru OutbackBuilt April 2015 to May 2016

Repair progress

36 of 48,819 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2017.

100% repaired — 48,725 of 48,819 reported

Owners not reachable
54
Scrapped or exported
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 2016-2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to May 6, 2016. The steering column on the affected vehicles may have been improperly machined, and as a result, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels.

What could happen

The loss of steering ability would increase the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lot number on the steering column, replacing the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2016.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 2015 to May 2016
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA11 May 2016
  3. Owners notified13 May 2016
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2017 — 100% 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 11 May 2016.

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 1-800-782-2783 or by visiting http://www.wtd65.service-campaign.com. Subaru's number for this recall is WTD-65. Note: Until the vehicles have been inspected, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
WTD-65
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