# NHTSA recall 16V361000

A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.

- Published by: NHTSA \(United States\)
- Campaign number: 16V361000
- Manufacturer's number: TKC\-16
- Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
- Reported: 2016\-05\-25
- Owners notified: 2016\-08\-24
- Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
- Units potentially affected: 62940

## What is wrong

Subaru of America, Inc. \(Subaru\) is recalling certain model year 2003\-2004 Legacy, Outback, and Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, or "Zone C.".    These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment.  In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long\-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.


## What can happen

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.


## The remedy

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016.  Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1\-856\-488\-8500.  Subaru's number for this recall is TKC\-16.    Note:  This recall covers vehicles that were not previously covered in 16V\-358 for Zone A or 16V\-359 for Zone B.


## Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1\-888\-327\-4236 \(TTY 1\-800\-424\-9153\), or go to www.safercar.gov.


## Remedy progress the manufacturer reported

- Report: Quarterly report 28, for 2023 quarter 2
- Filed with NHTSA: 2023\-07\-24
- Vehicles in the campaign: 62940
- Reported remedied: 38036 \(60%\)
- Reported unreachable: 0
- Reported removed: 20121

These are the manufacturer's totals for the whole campaign at the end of 2023 quarter 2, as filed with NHTSA. They do not say whether one vehicle has been remedied: check the VIN with the official lookups. The reports are from data as of 2026\-10\-19.

## Vehicles this campaign lists

- [2003 SUBARU BAJA](/makes/subaru/baja/2003/recalls.md). Built 2002\-05\-16 to 2004\-07\-21.
- [2004 SUBARU BAJA](/makes/subaru/baja/2004/recalls.md). Built 2002\-05\-16 to 2004\-07\-21.
- [2003 SUBARU LEGACY](/makes/subaru/legacy/2003/recalls.md). Built 2002\-03\-08 to 2004\-03\-03.
- [2004 SUBARU LEGACY](/makes/subaru/legacy/2004/recalls.md). Built 2002\-03\-08 to 2004\-03\-03.
- 2003 SUBARU OUTBACK. Built 2002\-02\-14 to 2004\-03\-08.
- 2004 SUBARU OUTBACK. Built 2002\-02\-14 to 2004\-03\-08.

## Investigated as EA15001

This recall followed 1 NHTSA investigation. An investigation is NHTSA looking into a possible defect. It is not a finding that a defect exists, and it does not say that any one vehicle is affected.

- EA15001: Engineering analysis, opened 2015\-02\-24. Air Bag Inflator Rupture. AIR BAGS:FRONTAL; AIR BAGS.

From NHTSA's investigation file, as of 2026-10-19. JSON: [/v1/recalls/nhtsa/16V361000/investigations](/v1/recalls/nhtsa/16V361000/investigations)

## Bulletins for the same vehicles and component

A bulletin is the manufacturer's note to its dealers. It is not part of this recall.

- [14V471](/bulletins/10235890.md), 2023-05-08, Service bulletin
- [WQM\-49R](/bulletins/10080923.md), 2016-09-23, Service bulletin
- [WQP\-51](/bulletins/10080922.md), 2016-09-23, Service bulletin
- [WQP\-51RA](/bulletins/10080921.md), 2016-09-23, Service bulletin
- [14V\-399](/bulletins/10068678.md), 2016-06-02, Service bulletin

## Check a VIN

- [NHTSA recall lookup by VIN, United States](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls)
- [Transport Canada recall search, Canada](https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/VRDB-BDRV/search-recherche/menu.aspx?lang=eng)

JSON: [/v1/recalls/nhtsa/16V361000](/v1/recalls/nhtsa/16V361000)

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