14V-471

Subarunet Announcement
To: All Subaru Retailers
From: Subaru of America, Inc.
Date: September 26, 2014
Update: WQM‐49 Front Passenger Air Bag Inflator Recall (NHTSA ID 14V‐471)
On August 4, 2014, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) announced a limited regional recall on certain 2003‐
2005MY Subaru Legacy, Outback and Baja vehicles, and 2004‐2005MY Subaru Impreza (including
WRX/STI) vehicles, equipped with certain TK Holdings, Inc. (Takata) front passenger air bag inflators.
Subaru has been requested by NHTSA and Takata to collect and replace the front passenger air bag
inflators from vehicles currently or previously registered in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands for evaluation to determine if the inflators could rupture and cause the air bag to inflate
abnormally when activated in a crash. The investigation is focused on these areas due to isolated rupture
incidents that occurred in Florida and Puerto Rico, on a wide variety of manufacturer makes and models,
to determine if exposure to high levels of absolute humidity may be a contributing factor to the risk of
failure.
SOA has not made a determination that a safety defect exists in these vehicles and in fact is not aware of
any incidents involving ruptured inflators on the models that will be affected by this recall.
Affected Vehicles
This limited regional recall will include certain 2003‐2005MY Subaru Legacy, Outback and Baja vehicles,
and certain 2004‐2005MY Subaru Impreza (including WRX/STI) vehicles. This will be limited to vehicles
currently or previously registered in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Model Year
2003
2004
2005
2003
2004
2005
2003
2004
2005
2004
2005
Model
Legacy
Legacy
Legacy
Outback
Outback
Outback
Baja
Baja
Baja
Impreza, WRX, STI
Impreza, WRX, STI
Starting production date
2/18/2003
3/17/2003
2/23/2004
2/18/2003
3/13/2003
2/6/2004
2/18/2003
4/7/2003
3/16/2004
1/28/2003
2/11/2004
Ending production date
6/6/2003
3/1/2004
1/26/2005
6/11/2003
3/15/2004
10/6/2004
6/6/2003
7/21/2004
10/27/2004
2/13/2004
12/10/2004
Not all vehicles within these production date ranges are covered by this recall. Coverage for all affected
vehicles must be confirmed by using the Vehicle Coverage Inquiry function on subarunet.com. This data
will be available when owner notification begins.
Description of the Safety Hazard
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of an affected passenger frontal air bag, the inflator
could rupture with metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the vehicle occupants.
SOA has elected to initiate this recall in support of NHTSA’s and the supplier’s ongoing investigation of the
risk of failure of the passenger airbag inflators installed on the vehicles listed above that are currently or
have ever been registered in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The primary goal is to protect the passengers in these areas for which there have been isolated incidents
of inflator rupture on a wide variety of manufacturer makes and models. The secondary goal is to collect
air bag inflators for analysis and testing.
Description of the Field Action
Replacement of the vehicle’s front passenger air bag inflator will be performed on all of the affected
vehicles.
Retailer Program Responsibility
Retailers are to promptly perform the applicable service procedures to correct all affected vehicles in their
inventory (used, demo & SSLP). Additionally, whenever a vehicle subject to this recall is taken into retailer
inventory, or in for service, necessary steps should be taken to ensure the recall correction has been
made before selling or releasing the vehicle.
Any vehicles listed in a recall/campaign that are in retailer stock must be:



Immediately identified.
Tagged or otherwise marked to prevent their delivery or use prior to inspection and/or repair.
Repaired in accordance with the repair procedures outlined in the Product Campaign Bulletin.
Owner Notification
Owner notification will occur on September 29, 2014. In addition to notification by mail, vehicle owners
with a valid email address and MySubaru subscribers will be notified electronically on September 30,
2014. A copy of the owner notification letter is included at the end of the WQM‐49 campaign bulletin.
Retailer affected VIN Lists will be distributed by the Zone Offices. Retailers are requested to order parts
to support scheduled customer service appointments.
Product Campaign Bulletin
The WQM‐49 product campaign bulletin is posted on the Subaru Technical Information System (STIS)
website under “Information/What’s New.” Please refer to the bulletin for repair instructions and
additional information including parts information, part return procedures, and claim submission
instructions.
IMPORTANT:
Each removed air bag inflator must be returned directly to the supplier, Takata USA, in the same box in
which the new one was received.
The shipping box contains a bar code with the serial number of the new air bag inflator, which will be
used by Takata USA to document the replacement of the old inflator with the new inflator. Therefore, it is
very important that the removed inflator be returned in the exact same box that contained the newly‐
installed inflator for that vehicle. If the original box cannot be re‐used, please refer to the shipping
instructions under “Requesting a new box/shipping labels.”
Prepaid FedEx shipping documents and shipping instructions will be included with each new air bag
inflator kit. A copy of this information is included as ‘Appendix A’ of the bulletin. A completed SOA
Warranty Parts Tag (MSA5W402A) must be attached to the returned inflator. The tag must contain the
following information: claim number, repair date, full 17‐digit VIN, and mileage.
Takata USA has assigned each Subaru retailer a ChemTrec Contract Number (CCN). As shown in step 5 of
the shipping documentation instructions, the shipping retailer must fill in their name, address, and CCN.
ChemTrec is a company that provides 24‐hour emergency response and information to hazardous
material shippers. The assigned CCN allows the Subaru retailer to ship hazardous material as an affiliate
to Takata USA’s registration with ChemTrec. This number is required on the return shipping form.
As the shipper, you are responsible for proper packing and document completion. The person packaging
the inflator must have received hazardous material training per 49CFR 172.702, and the training records
must be on file at your dealership. The US Department of Transportation will impose substantial fines
and/or penalties on the shipper if either packaging, labeling or documentation is not properly prepared
and the Customer Copy of OP 900PRP form is not kept on file for a minimum of 2 years.
IMPORTANT: Do not deploy any inflator. Return the used inflator within 1‐2 business days. The person
packing the used inflator must read and follow the provided instructions.
A list of all Subaru retailers along with their assigned CCN information is included as ‘Appendix B’ of the
bulletin and a copy of the list will be included in the box with each new air bag inflator kit. If a Subaru
retailer is unable to find their CCN, they should contact Takata USA as described in step 5 of the shipping
documentation instructions. ***Retailers should check the CCN list provided in the bulletin and in the
box of the new inflator before contacting Takata. ***
SOA PART RETURN NOTICE
Upon claim approval, Subaru of America, Inc. will generate a Part Return Notice requesting information
only. To ensure proper claim credit, the following information must be recorded on the SOA Part Return
Notice and sent to SOA Part Collection Center (PCC) as instructed on the return notice:


The FedEx Shipper Receipt # (from shipping form)
The OLD and NEW air bag inflator serial numbers
The Part Return Notice should then be returned using UPS 3rd party billing to the address listed at the
bottom of the notice. Please keep the UPS tracking number for your records.
Under no circumstances should the air bag inflator be returned to Subaru of America, Inc.