Subaru of America, Inc.: Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer › Motor
Subaru of America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 27, 2016 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 592,647. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Legacy vehicles manufactured November 26, 2008, to June 7, 2013, and 2010-2014 Outback vehicles manufactured January 9, 2009 to June 7, 2013. Due to contamination, components within the windshield wiper motor bottom cover may interfere with each other. If an obstruction, such as a buildup of snow or ice prevents the wiper arms from being able to stop in the parked position, the wiper motor may overheat and the bottom cover may melt.
The risk
If the windshield wiper motor overheats, the wipers may fail, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the wiper motor cover may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor bottom cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTK-71. Note: This recall supersedes recall 11V-469. All vehicles that were remedied under that campaign are affected by this campaign, and need to have their wiper motor bottom cover replaced again.
10 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Subaru Legacy | 53 | 10 | 2 | 4 |
| 2014 Subaru Outback | 208 | 10 | 2 | 14 |
| 2013 Subaru Legacy | 66 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| 2013 Subaru Outback | 297 | 12 | 6 | 18 |
| 2012 Subaru Legacy | 90 | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| 2012 Subaru Outback | 295 | 16 | 6 | 15 |
| 2011 Subaru Legacy | 167 | 16 | 2 | 7 |
| 2011 Subaru Outback | 653 | 16 | 6 | 24 |
| 2010 Subaru Legacy | 151 | 18 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010 Subaru Outback | 360 | 18 | 3 | 12 |
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 16V694000.
Full record for the 2014 Subaru Legacy → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →