Subaru is recalling nearly 30,000 of vehicles after it was discovered that the electronic parking brake may not work as intended, posing a rollaway risk.
According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, components in the vehicle that control the parking brake can crack with vehicle use over time, which can lead to the brake warning lamp lighting up but the parking brake not engaging. If the parking brake does not engage, the vehicle could roll away if it isn’t left in the proper gear when parked.
Approximately 27,175 of its 2010 to 2014 Legacy sedans and Outback SUVs with manual transmissions are included in the recall. Vehicles with automatic transmissions are not included in the recall. The majority of the vehicles (over 19,00) are Outback crossovers, while the rest are Legacy sedans.
While dealers were made aware of the recall on Sept. 14, notification is still going out to vehicle owners and everyone affected will be notified. If you own a 2010 to 2014 Legacy sedan or Outback SUV, check to see if yours is included in the recall by entering your vehicle identification code on the NHTSA’s website.
If your car is affected by the recall, dealers will replace the recalled component at no cost to you. If parts are not available, you will be notified and then re-notified once parts are available.
A Subaru spokesman told Consumer Reports that they are not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem. If you have questions regarding the recall, you can contact Subaru customer service at 844-373-6614. Subaru’s number for the recall is WTV-81.
Some Legacy and Outback vehicles are also included in the Takata airbag recall, so if you own one of the vehicles and have not gotten that taken care of, you should do that as soon as possible as well.