2005 Subaru Legacy I Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Subaru recalling over 8,000 cars for Takata airbag inflators

We have one more automaker to chalk up recalling Takata airbag inflators. Subaru is now throwing its hat in the ring by repairing 8,557 vehicles nationwide for faulty front passenger inflators. According to the Defect Notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the problem affects 3,151 examples of the Legacy, Outback and Baja from the 2003 and 2004 model years and 5,406 units of the Impreza, including the WRX and STI (pictured above), from the 2004 model year.
As we all know by now, it's possible for the inflators to explode during airbag deployment possibly affecting not only the bag's inflation but also potentially spraying metal shrapnel at occupants. All of the affected vehicles will receive new passenger side inflators at no charge to the owner.
Seven automakers in the US announced recalls for the problem in late June affecting an estimated 2.1 million vehicles. Unlike some of the companies, Subaru is repairing all of the affected models in the US, rather just in certain warm-weather states. According to company spokesperson Michael McHale to Autoblog the reason is that "it was simpler to get everybody in there and make sure it was done." The replacement inflators should be in by the end of July, he said. Scroll down to read the recall report from NHTSA or download the full defect notice as a PDF, here.

Subaru Crosstrek gets an injection of Baja racer DNA from Crawford Performance

Subaru's idea of updating the Crosstrek is dropping a bigger, 2.5-liter flat-four engine in the engine bay. American tuner Crawford Performance has other plans for the city-friendly crossover. It turned the model into an off-roader enhanced with a lift kit, skid plates, and extra lights reminiscent of Subaru's rallying past, among other add-ons. California-based Crawford Performance knows what it takes to improve a Subaru. It's one of the companies responsible for the Crosstrek Baja Racer introduced in 2019, and it's the only aftermarket parts manufacturer ever factory-backed by Subaru. The suspension lift it developed for the second-generation Crosstrek adds 2 inches of ground clearance to the front axle and an extra inch and a half to the rear. For context, the Crosstrek sits 8.7 inches off the ground when it rolls off the assembly line, so the lift alone raises it above the 10-inch mark. Subaru didn't develop the Crosstrek for hardcore off-roading, so Crawford added tubular bumper overriders on both ends and over both rocker panels, aluminum skid plates that protect vital mechanical components from oily (and expensive) encounters with boulders, and additional lights mounted in front of the door mirrors. Spot lights and 15-inch alloy wheels wrapped by beefy tires ensure you can see what's ahead and effortlessly drive over it. Crawford kept the stock, naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter flat-four engine but Top Gear learned it installed an air-oil separator and intake spacers to increase its output from 152 to 167 horsepower. That's not a huge bump, but it should be enough to make the Crosstrek a little peppier. The four-cylinder still spins the four wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and it exhales through an upgraded exhaust for a rally car-like sound. Adventurers who want to build a lifted Crosstrek need to set aside $550 for the kit, which includes aluminum strut spacers, strut extensions, and other bits and pieces like sway bar link extensions. Other parts like the skid plates, the air-oil separator, and the tubular add-ons are sold separately. And, of course, you'll need a good set of tires. If you're not a DIYer, Top Gear reported Crawford plans to sell a fully-assembled model positioned between the production Crosstrek and a purpose-built race car. It will cost approximately $35,000 when it goes on sale.  Related Video:    

2019 Detroit Auto Show Special | Autoblog Podcast #568

This week's Autoblog Podcast is a special one, recorded from Cobo Center in Detroit, site of the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is first joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski to talk about the Toyota Supra, Ford Shelby GT500 and Subaru STI S209. Then Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder and Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale join Greg to discuss the Nissan IMs Concept, new Ford Explorer and Kia Telluride, before going over the Editors' Picks for the best cars of the Detroit Auto Show. Autoblog Podcast #568 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2020 Toyota Supra 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 2019 Subaru WRX STI S209 Nissan IMs Concept 2020 Ford Explorer (including ST and Hybrid) 2020 Kia Telluride Best in Show: 2019 Detroit Auto Show Editors' Picks Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: