# NHTSA recall 18V014000

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: 18V014000
- Manufacturer's number: TKC\-18
- Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
- Reported: 2018\-01\-09
- Owners notified: 2018\-02\-09
- Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
- Units potentially affected: 72150

## What is wrong

Subaru of America, Inc. \(Subaru\) is recalling certain 2009 Tribeca, Impreza, Forester, WRX, Legacy, and Outback vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of 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.    These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long\-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.


## What can happen

An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.


## The remedy

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge.  The recall began on February 9, 2018.  Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1\-800\-782\-2783.  Subaru's number for this recall is TKC\-18.


## 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 22, for 2023 quarter 2
- Filed with NHTSA: 2023\-07\-24
- Vehicles in the campaign: 72150
- Reported remedied: 61379 \(85%\)
- Reported unreachable: 0
- Reported removed: 6527

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

- [2009 SUBARU FORESTER](/makes/subaru/forester/2009/recalls.md). Built 2007\-12\-03 to 2009\-03\-31.
- [2009 SUBARU IMPREZA](/makes/subaru/impreza/2009/recalls.md). Built 2008\-06\-25 to 2009\-05\-29.
- [2009 SUBARU LEGACY](/makes/subaru/legacy/2009/recalls.md). Built 2008\-03\-27 to 2009\-04\-09.
- [2009 SUBARU OUTBACK](/makes/subaru/outback/2009/recalls.md). Built 2008\-03\-28 to 2009\-04\-09.
- 2009 SUBARU TRIBECA. Built 2008\-04\-01 to 2009\-04\-09.
- 2009 SUBARU WRX. Built 2008\-06\-25 to 2009\-05\-27.

## 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/18V014000/investigations](/v1/recalls/nhtsa/18V014000/investigations)

## 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/18V014000](/v1/recalls/nhtsa/18V014000)

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