2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i on 2040-cars

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Takata recall of 10 million replacement airbag inflators could get even larger

Takata is recalling 10 million replacement air bag inflators in the United States, the largest ever auto safety recall in history, as U.S. regulators consider whether to expand its scope to include modules that have not yet been the subject of a recall campaign.  Nearly every OEM that sells cars in the U.S. falls under the umbrella of this replacement part recall, including the Detroit Three, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Daimler, Subaru and Volkswagen (including Audi).  The 10 million inflator recall made public in early January covers inflators that were a temporary fix. The figure includes some replacement modules that never made it into customer vehicles. Several automakers, including Subaru, have already initiated campaigns to replace the previously recalled inflators with updated parts. Separately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is assessing whether to compel the recall of tens of millions of additional Takata air bag inflators that have a drying agent. It is also reviewing petitions from General Motors Co to avoid recalling more than 6 million vehicles with Takata inflators. GM has said it could cost $1.2 billion if it had to recall the vehicles. Prior to Wednesday, 41.6 million U.S. vehicles equipped with 56 million defective Takata air bags have been recalled because the inflators can explode when deployed. At least 25 deaths worldwide and more than 290 injuries have been linked to faulty Takata inflators. The Takata recalls cover about 100 million inflators among 19 major automakers worldwide. NHTSA says the cause of the inflator explosions that can emit deadly fragments is propellant breaking down after long-term exposure to high temperature fluctuations and humidity. The vehicle inflators recalled to date do not have a drying agent. Under a 2015 consent order, Takata had to provide data to U.S. regulators by Dec. 31 about whether tens of millions of additional so-called desiccated inflators need to be recalled. Acting NHTSA Administrator James Owens told Reuters the agency was reviewing data on the desiccated inflators and talking to automakers. "We are going to lean in on safety and if we detect a safety problem we will immediately take action," Owens said, adding that the agency could make a decision early in 2020.

2015 Subaru WRX: Accident, wheels and tires

I'm sure this thing is going to be a total hoot in the snow. I am not a morning person. At all. Thankfully, the Autoblog team knows this – I rarely get bothered before 8:30 AM unless it's seriously important. So when associate multimedia producer Chris McGraw started blowing up my phone at 6:45 AM on a Thursday, I knew it wasn't going to be good. "I got rear-ended in the WRX," McGraw informed me, a shaken-up tone emanating from the other end of the line. Poor guy was on his way to the gym, for his pre-office morning workout, and an older gentleman in a Chevrolet S-10 struck the back of the Subie while trudging through a traffic jam on I-696 just northeast of Detroit. Everyone was fine, and McGraw says that the dude's pickup was in significantly worse shape than our dear Subaru. But the WRX was still pretty banged up, and later that day, it was delivered to the body shop for what turned out to be a lengthy repair process. What you're looking at is $4,620.83 worth of damage. What you're looking at is $4,620.83 worth of damage, but thanks to Autoblog parent company AOL's fleet insurance policy, we were only on the hook for our $1,000 deductible. Nearly all of the rear body panels had to be replaced, as did the bumper and taillight assembly, and after several weeks of being put under the knife at Suburban Collision in Troy, MI, our Subaru has mercifully emerged good as new. The day after the 'Rex came home, I dropped it off at our trusty Subaru dealer – Hodges, in Ferndale, MI – for some routine maintenance, including finally getting its broken fuel door repaired. The whole pull-the-door-open-with-your-fingernails thing had become increasingly annoying, and I'm happy to report that everything now works as it should. And since it was part of a technical service bulletin, no money changed hands for this service. If there are any 2015 WRX owners in the greater Autoblog commentariat, I'd love to know if your cars have experienced the same issue. While at the dealer, I also signed the WRX up for one very special, very important update: the fitment of winter tires and – yes! – gold wheels. I have a strong personal belief that WR-Blue Subarus should come standard with gold wheels from the factory (like the Launch Edition STI), but since the Japanese automaker doesn't even offer these rollers on anything but the aforementioned, limited-edition STI, I took matters into my own hands.

2015 Subaru BRZ tS First Drive [w/video]

The Subaru BRZ is a brilliant driver's car: lightweight, rear-wheel-drive, tactile, nimble and fluid at speed. In terms of qualities that allow for dazzling point-to-point performance, it lacks only power and intense mechanical grip. In the US, options for tuning the BRZ to amplify its strengths or diminish its weaknesses are mostly found in the aftermarket. In Japan, meanwhile, driving enthusiasts can start with the factory-tuned model you see above: the BRZ tS. Designed and built with the engineering prowess of Subaru Tecnica International, the limited-edition tS is tuned for track competence over and above that of the base model. The intent of the tS wasn't lost on me as I stared over the front fender towards Turn 1 at Japan's Suzuka Circuit. Not just a proper place to test STI's claims of increased handling brilliance for its BRZ tune, but a perfect one. Suzuka is challenging – fast and technical in equal measure – and a playground for sorting out the margin of improvement from the standard that BRZ I know so well. Wait, Why Am I Here? Of course, Subaru didn't invite me and a half-dozen other motoring journalists to Japan for an academic exercise in JDM hotness. We were there at the behest of STI, as a first step in what will undoubtedly be a deliciously drawn-out expansion of the performance brand in North America. STI started life as the motorsports division for Subaru-parent Fuji Heavy Industries. But chances are good that you, like me, first encountered the three-letter-logo as a Cherry Blossom Red punctuation mark at the end of a WRX road or rally car. The world came to know STI through Subaru's 1990s WRC dominance and prominence in the Gran Turismo franchise. But outside of Japan the significance of the initials was known more as the designation of the top-dog Impreza, rather than a motorsport and performance engineering unit. The company is set on changing that and building STI into a performance brand that's as easily recognizable in America as M and AMG are today. That message was delivered a body in the STI Concept car at the New York Auto Show earlier this week, but as I mentioned then, we don't expect Subaru to turn up with a production-ready BRZ STI next year. First STI will deploy its parts catalog to the US, removing the half-hearted Subaru Performance Tuning parts business in the process. Next, according to a vague timeline presented in Japan, Subaru will offer a car like the tS to US customers in approximately 18 months.