NHTSA campaign 18V012000 · Subaru campaign TKA-18
Subaru Recall 18V-012: Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode
- Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation
NHTSA recall 18V012000 (Subaru campaign TKA-18) was reported by Subaru of America, Inc. on January 9, 2018, with 64,179 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the Subaru Forester, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback and more for model years 2009–2013. Owners were notified on February 9, 2018, per NHTSA.
Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files
Is my vehicle included?
This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 18V012000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.
To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Subaru VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Key facts
- NHTSA campaign
- 18V012000 (also written 18V-012 or 18V012)
- Filed by
- Subaru of America, Inc.
- Subaru campaign number
- TKA-18
- Report received
- Potentially affected
- 64,179 vehicles (per NHTSA)
- Component
- Air Bags — Frontal — Passenger Side — Inflator Module
- Owners notified
Repair completion: 96.34% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)
NHTSA cautions against comparing completion rates across recalls or manufacturers. How try.vin reads them.
Vehicles listed for this recall
NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 18V012000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.
Subaru
Subaru B9 Tribeca
- 2012 · Vehicles built April 8, 2008 – July 3, 2013 (per NHTSA)
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Subaru Tribeca
Subaru WRX
NHTSA's recall notice
As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 18V012000.
Defect description
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 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.
Safety consequence
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.
Manufacturer remedy
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, 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 TKA-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.
Sources
Official NHTSA notice for recall 18V012000
Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.