Subaru of America, Inc.: Power Train › Driveline › Chain/Belt
Subaru of America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 9, 2021 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 198,255. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
The risk
An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-21.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Subaru Ascent | 324 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 2020 Subaru Legacy | 121 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 Subaru Outback | 904 | 6 | 7 | 19 |
| 2019 Subaru Ascent | 443 | 9 | 6 | 10 |
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 21V955000.
Full record for the 2020 Subaru Ascent → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →