- Vehicles
- 170,000
- Built between
- Sep 1976 – Aug 1978
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 30 April 1979
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 1976 and August 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1977-1978 Subaru SubaruBuilt September 1976 to August 1978
What the defect is
Unsatisfactory engine operation and throttle valve sticking may occur under long hours of high speed driving in outside temperatures of approximately 20 degrees fahrenheit and below. This is caused by condensed water vapor drawn from the crankcase ventilating system which ices up the carburetor. This can lead to gradual loss of vehicle power and eventual stalling of vehicle.
What gets fixed
DEALER WILL EQUIP ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES WITH A REVISED DESIGN CRANKCASE VENTILATION AND CARBURETOR SHIELD. AN AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL, DESIGNED TO SHOOT HOT AIR INTO THE CARBURETOR TO REDUCE ICING, WILL ALSO BE INSTALLED. THIS WILL BE DONE WITHOUT COST TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 1976 to August 1978
- Recall reported to NHTSA11 January 1979
- Owners notified30 April 1979
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 January 1979.
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.
Official source
- 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
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: fuel; carburetor.consequences of defect: if either situation occurs while driving in traffic, avehicle accident may occur.
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.