- Vehicles
- 72,150
- Built between
- Dec 2007 – May 2009
- Models
- 6
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 9 February 2018
- Repaired
- 85%
- Unrepaired
- 4,244
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between December 2007 and May 2009. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2009 Subaru ForesterBuilt December 2007 to March 2009
- 2009 Subaru ImprezaBuilt June 2008 to May 2009
- 2009 Subaru LegacyBuilt March 2008 to April 2009
- 2009 Subaru OutbackBuilt March 2008 to April 2009
- 2009 Subaru TribecaBuilt April 2008 to April 2009
- 2009 Subaru WRXBuilt June 2008 to May 2009
Repair progress
4,244 of 72,150 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2023.
85% repaired — 61,379 of 72,150 reported
- Scrapped or exported
- 6,527
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 2009 Tribeca, Impreza, Forester, WRX, Legacy, and Outback vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
What could happen
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What gets fixed
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtDecember 2007 to May 2009
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 January 2018
- Owners notified9 February 2018
- Latest repair reportQ2 2023 — 85% 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 9 January 2018.
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. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-18.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- TKC-18
- Recalling manufacturer
- Subaru of America, Inc.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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.