Subaru Announces Expanded Takata Air Bag Recall; Is Your Vehicle On the List?

Subaru has announced an expanded Takata air bag recall (185,773 vehicles) for certain Forester, Outback, Impreza, WRX, WRX STI, Legacy, Tribeca and Baja models. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expanding and prioritizing the recalls of all non-desiccated Takata-sourced passenger side Takata air bag inflators based on the risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants. NHTSA has ordered automakers to prioritize the Takata recalls by age and location of the vehicles. NHTSA has established three geographical Zones; A, B, and C, based on the level of heat and humidity.

The problem

These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to humidity and temperature cycling. You can check below to see if your vehicle is on the list of recalled Subaru vehicles.

Here’s a list of vehicles by zone

Zone A:
2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 53,480 vehicles are potentially affected. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-17.

Zone B:
2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback and 2006-2009 Impreza (including WRX and STI models) and Tribeca vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. 69,529 vehicles are potentially affected. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-17.

Zone C:
2005-2006 Baja, 2006-2008 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), Tribeca, and 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 62,764 vehicles are potentially affected. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-17. More on Page 2.

Remedy

Subaru will notify owners of potentially affected vehicles within 60 days, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The owner notification letters may indicate that parts are not yet available as NHTSA has ordered the prioritization of vehicles in the previous recall first. Subaru has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.

Photo credit: Subaru