- Vehicles
- 111,562
- Built between
- Mar 2002 – May 2014
- Models
- 7
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 7 January 2020
- Repaired
- 69%
- Unrepaired
- 19,129
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 2002 and May 2014. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2005-2006 Saab 9-2XBuilt February 2004 to June 2006
- 2003-2006 Subaru BajaBuilt August 2002 to April 2006
- 2009-2013 Subaru ForesterBuilt December 2007 to November 2012
- 2004-2011 Subaru ImprezaBuilt January 2003 to June 2011
- 2003-2014 Subaru LegacyBuilt May 2002 to May 2014
- 2003-2014 Subaru OutbackBuilt March 2002 to May 2014
- 2004-2014 Subaru WRXBuilt January 2003 to January 2014
Repair progress
19,129 of 111,562 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2023.
69% repaired — 76,616 of 111,562 reported
- Scrapped or exported
- 15,817
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 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally 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 or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
What could happen
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What gets fixed
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 2002 to May 2014
- Recall reported to NHTSA2 January 2020
- Owners notified7 January 2020
- Latest repair reportQ2 2023 — 69% 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 2 January 2020.
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
Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- TKC-20
- 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.