- Vehicles
- 95,830
- Built between
- Feb 2021 – Aug 2022
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 8 January 2024
- Repaired
- 90%
- Unrepaired
- 8,699
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 2021 and August 2022. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2021 Subaru CrosstrekBuilt February 2021 to July 2021
- 2022 Subaru ForesterBuilt July 2021 to July 2021
- 2021-2023 Subaru LegacyBuilt March 2021 to August 2022
- 2021-2023 Subaru OutbackBuilt March 2021 to May 2022
Repair progress
8,699 of 95,830 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2025.
90% repaired — 86,057 of 95,830 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 455
- Scrapped or exported
- 619
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. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
What could happen
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024.
Parts involved
- Inhibitor Switch31918AA120SWITCH-INHIBITOR
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2021 to August 2022
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 November 2023
- Owners notified8 January 2024
- Latest repair reportQ4 2025 — 90% 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 November 2023.
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 WRQ-23.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- WRQ-23
- 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.