Subaru of America, Inc.: Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Subaru of America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 30, 2002 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 172,564. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS WERE PRODUCED WITH AN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR LEVER IS PLACED IN THE "P" (PARK) POSITION, THE TRANSMISSION PARK MECHANISM, THAT IS INTENDED TO HOLD YOUR VEHICLE, MAY NOT ENGAGE.
The risk
THE VEHICLE COULD THEN MOVE/ROLL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION JANUARY 8, 2003. AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE SENT DURING NOVEMBER 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
11 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Subaru Baja | 38 | 10 | 3 | 5 |
| 2003 Subaru Forester | 189 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| 2003 Subaru Impreza | 62 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| 2003 Subaru Legacy | 60 | 15 | 0 | 4 |
| 2003 Subaru Outback | 93 | 15 | 1 | 7 |
| 2002 Subaru Forester | 88 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
| 2002 Subaru Impreza | 292 | 6 | 3 | 11 |
| 2002 Subaru Legacy | 54 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 2002 Subaru Outback | 143 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 2001 Subaru Legacy | 77 | 8 | 2 | 11 |
| 2001 Subaru Outback | 171 | 4 | 5 | 16 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 02V282000.
Full record for the 2003 Subaru Baja → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →