2003 Subaru Legacy Outback Base Wagon 4-door 2.5l 5 Speed 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.

4 automakers agree to $553M settlement of Takata airbag claims

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four automakers agreed to a $553 million settlement to address class-action economic loss claims covering owners of nearly 16 million vehicles with potentially defective Takata airbag inflators, according to court documents filed on Thursday. Toyota's share of the settlement costs is $278.5 million, followed by BMW at $131 million, Mazda at $76 million and Subaru at $68 million. According to a press release from Plaintiffs' Committee for Takata Airbag Product Liability Litigation, the funds for the settlement are aimed at getting more cars with faulty airbags fixed. At the time of writing, Toyota had the greatest recall completion percentage of 31.89 percent followed by Subaru with 31.37 percent. Mazda has completed repairs on 18.16 percent of affected cars, and BMW brings up the rear with 16.48 percent completion. Some settlement funds will go to an outreach campaign to increase awareness, while other funds will be used to reimburse people for any costs accrued to get their cars fixed. These costs can include rental cars, child care, lost wages, or any other reasonable costs associated with bringing in a vehicle for repairs. Furthermore, a customer support program will be funded with settlement money to handle any additional repairs or adjustments that could become necessary in the 75,000 miles following the airbag replacement. Lawsuits against Honda, Ford and Nissan have not been settled, lawyers said. Takata inflators, which can explode with excessive force and unleash metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks, are blamed for at least 16 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide. The safety defect has prompted recalls worldwide of about 100 million inflators by more than a dozen major automakers. Reporting by David Shepardson, additional details by Autoblog's Joel StocksdaleRelated Video: Government/Legal BMW Mazda Subaru Toyota

2019 Subaru Forester Buyer's Guide | What you need to know about this crossover

The 2019 Subaru Forester is its fifth generation. The popular crossover is Subaru's second-best-selling model in 2017 after the Outback, and it received subtle updates, a more rugged appearance and some new technology for the new model year. It's built on Subaru's new Global Platform, with a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase for a smoother ride and 1.4 more inches of rear legroom. There are new, more comfortable seats in front, a wider tailgate opening, more cargo room and standard EyeSight driver-assist technology and Starlink infotainment package, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Five trim levels are offered: Base, Premium, Limited, Touring and a new Sport model. All models share a CVT as the only transmission option, and the latter two are offered with a manual mode and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. With this buyer's guide, Autoblog aims to help you make an educated decision about whether to buy the 2019 Subaru Forester. We'll include safety and reliability ratings, engine specs and horsepower, fuel economy ratings and pricing. We'll also summarize what Autoblog's professional reviewers think of the Forester. Is the 2019 Subaru Forester safe? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had yet to rate the 2019 Forester as of this publication, but it gave the 2018 version an overall five-star rating, its highest possible. It gave it four stars for frontal crash protection, five stars for side crashes and four stars in its rollover crash tests. Likewise, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety hasn't evaluated the 2019 model, but it has named the Forester a Top Safety Pick for 12 consecutive years going back to 2007. That's despite the 2018 Forester earning a "marginal" rating for passenger-side small front overlap crash protection, which replicates a crash impacting a vehicle's front corner at 40 miles per hour. It earned "good" ratings in every other crash-test metric, and a "superior" rating for front crash prevention, when equipped with the EyeSight driver assist technology. The latter comes standard on the 2019 model. We'll update this once ratings are updated, but we encourage you to visit the NHTSA and IIHS websites to review ratings on the specific vehicle you're researching. Is the 2019 Subaru Forester reliable? Subarus are generally known for their reliability and longevity, and indeed, the company cites IHS Markit data that shows 97 percent of all Foresters sold in the past 10 years are still on the road.