Subaru of America, Inc. recall 23V755

Affected vehicles (4)

Component / system

Defect

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.

Risk / consequence

An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

Chronology of events

1. June 2021

   June 2021 – Subaru received the first technical report from the U.S. market indicating 'D' or 'R' was not displayed on the combination meter when in drive or reverse ranges, respectively. After examining the part, no abnormality was found.

2. Jun 16, 2021

   June 16, 2021 – Supplier rotated the welding jig out of the production process under normal maintenance.

3. July 2021

   July 2021 – June 2022 – Additional failed parts were collected for further investigation. While most did not find a conclusive cause, later parts collected began to show signs of water intrusion.

4. June 2022

   June 2022 – September 2022 - The supplier conducted testing to reproduce the failure mode. The cause was determined to be a defect in the welding jig used from February to June 2021.

5. August 2022

   August 2022 - July 2023 – Subaru continued to monitor field data. During this period, seven (7) new non- dealer field reports were submitted and all non-dealer field reports, including those prior to this period, involved alleged symptoms such as check engine light illumination or inability to start the engine and no cases indicated a crash or injury.

6. July 2023

   July 2023 – October 2023 – Subaru escalated this topic for further consideration of field action after a data analysis predicted an increasing upward trend in claims. Following escalation, Subaru determined the extent of potential symptoms that could be caused by an inoperable inhibitor switch. Based on the results of this multidisciplinary review, Subaru reassessed this topic for safety and noncompliance implications.

7. Nov 2, 2023

   November 2, 2023 - Out of an abundance of caution, Subaru decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall. Subaru is aware of twelve (12) technical reports in the U.S. market. Subaru is not aware of any crashes or injuries resulting from this condition.

Notification schedule

Dealer notification

NOV 10, 2023 - NOV 10, 2023

Owner notification

JAN 08, 2024 - JAN 08, 2024