Subaru of America, Inc.: Seat Belts › Rear/Other
Subaru of America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Mar 13, 2012 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 326,014. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2012 FORESTER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 26, 2007, THROUGH MARCH 13, 2012. THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR in the SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES LOCATED IN THE REAR CENTER SEATING OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES DO NOT MEET LOCKABILITY REQUIREMENTS AND FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION. SPECIFICALLY, THE ASSEMBLIES MAY NOT PERMIT PROPER INSTALLATION AND SECURE ATTACHMENT OF A CHILD RESTRAINT IN THAT SEATING POSITION.
The risk
AN INSECURE INSTALLATION OF A CHILD RESTRAINT CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO A CHILD DURING A CRASH.
The remedy
SUBARU WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR CENTER SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY WITH A NEWLY MODIFIED AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR, FREE OF CHARGE. AN INTERIM LETTER WAS MAILED ON MARCH 26, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Subaru Forester | 106 | 15 | 5 | 15 |
| 2011 Subaru Forester | 147 | 16 | 6 | 21 |
| 2010 Subaru Forester | 262 | 17 | 6 | 21 |
| 2009 Subaru Forester | 178 | 18 | 7 | 19 |
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 12V099000.
Full record for the 2012 Subaru Forester → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →