ATTENTION:
GENERAL MANAGER
PARTS MANAGER
CLAIMS PERSONNEL
SERVICE MANAGER

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IMPORTANT - All
Service Personnel
Should Read and
Initial in the boxes
provided, right.

PRODUCT CAMPAIGN BULLETIN
APPLICABILITY: 2003-2004 Subaru Legacy and Outback
2003-2004 Subaru Baja
2004 Subaru Impreza
(including WRX and STI)

NUMBER:
DATE:
REVISED:
NHTSA ID:

WQL-48R
August 2014
August 24, 2015
14V-399

SUBJECT: Front Passenger Air Bag Inflator Replacement
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) has determined that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle
safety, may exist on certain 2003-2004 model year Subaru Legacy, Outback, and Baja
vehicles, and certain 2004 model year Subaru Impreza (including WRX and STI) vehicles.
The subject vehicles are equipped with front passenger air bag inflators which could have
been assembled with improperly manufactured propellant wafers. In the event of a crash
necessitating deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, improperly manufactured
propellant wafers inside the inflator could cause the inflator to rupture with metal fragments
striking and potentially seriously injuring the vehicle occupants.
Although the percentage of affected vehicles is unknown, this recall will involve replacing the
front passenger air bag inflator on all of the potentially affected vehicles.

AFFECTED VEHICLES
This condition may exist on certain 2003-2004 model year Legacy, Outback, and Baja
vehicles, and certain 2004 model year Impreza, WRX, and STI vehicles listed below.
Not all vehicles within these production date ranges are affected by this recall. The
potentially affected vehicles were identified based on the serial number of the front passenger
air bag inflator installed during vehicle production.
Coverage for all potentially affected vehicles must be confirmed by using the Vehicle
Coverage Inquiry function on subarunet.com. This data will be available when owner
notification begins.
MODEL YEAR

MODEL

STARTING
PRODUCTION DATE

ENDING
PRODUCTION DATE

2003

Legacy

01/22/2003

05/14/2003

2004

Legacy

03/17/2003

02/10/2004

2003

Outback

02/18/2003

04/15/2003

2004

Outback

02/28/2003

02/11/2004

2003

Baja

01/22/2003

05/06/2003

2004

Baja

03/03/2003

07/21/2004

2004

Impreza,
WRX, STI

01/08/2003

05/15/2003

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WQL-48R; Revised: August 24, 2015

Page 1

OWNER NOTIFICATION
Notification letters will be sent to owners of all potentially affected vehicles. Owner
notification is currently scheduled to begin on August 11, 2014. A copy of the Owner
Notification Letter is included at the end of this bulletin.

RETAILER AFFECTED VIN LISTS
Each Subaru retailer will receive an affected VIN list from their Zone Office when owner
notification begins. Vehicles will be assigned to retailers in the affected VIN list as follows:
•

Original vehicle owners are assigned to the original selling retailer when their current
address is within a 100 mile radius of that retailer.

•

If the original selling retailer is inactive, the VIN has been assigned to the nearest
active retailer.

•

For any new owners or when original owners live more than 100 miles from the
original selling retailer, the VIN has been assigned to the nearest active retailer.

Important: Retailer affected VIN lists include owner name and address information for
vehicles affected by this recall. This information will enable retailers to follow-up with
owners of potentially affected vehicles. The lists contain owners’ names and addresses
obtained from State Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle
registration data for any other purpose is unlawful. Accordingly, retailers are urged to
limit the use of these lists for the purpose of completion of this safety recall.

SUBARU RETAILER PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITY
Retailers are to promptly perform the applicable service procedures to correct all affected
vehicles in their inventory (new, used, demo & SSLP). Additionally, whenever a vehicle
subject to this recall is taken into retailer new or used inventory, or in for service, necessary
steps should be taken to ensure the recall correction has been made before selling or releasing
the vehicle.
New, used, demo or SSLP (Subaru Service Loaner Program) vehicles listed in a recall/
campaign that are in the retailer’s stock must be:
•

Immediately identified.

•

Tagged or otherwise marked to prevent their delivery or use prior to inspection and/or
repair.

•

Repaired in accordance with the repair procedures outlined in this Product Campaign
Bulletin.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WQL-48R; Revised: August 24, 2015

Page 2

PARTS INFORMATION
The parts required for this recall are the passenger air bag inflator module kits listed below:
PART NUMBER

APPLICABILITY

98279AE00A

Legacy, Outback, and Baja

98279FE000

Impreza, WRX, and STI

DESCRIPTION
WQL-48 Air Bag Inflator
Module Kit
WQL-48 Air Bag Inflator
Module Kit

ORDER
QUANTITY
1
1

These parts are available through normal parts ordering channels. In order to maintain an
adequate part supply, SOA requests that retailers only order quantities necessary to satisfy
anticipated demand.

PART RETURN PROCEDURES
Please read the ‘Inflator Returns’ instructions included as ‘Appendix A’ of this bulletin
carefully, as the return procedure has changed.
•

FedEx will no longer handle the return shipments.

•

A company called Stericycle will arrange pick up of the inflators and return them
to Takata.

•

Once a month or upon accumulating 200 kits for return (whichever comes first)
please call Stericycle at 1-877-650-3476 for pick up. Please see step 6 of the return
instructions.

•

Starting in September, 2015 the new inflator return instructions for pick up by
Stericycle will be included with each new air bag inflator kit. .

•

If you continue to receive inventory of inflators with the original FedEx
documentation, please follow the instructions in step 4b. of the new ‘Inflator
Returns’ instructions. DO NOT CALL FEDEX.

•

Upon claim approval, Subaru of America, Inc. will generate a Part Return Notice
requesting the old and new inflator serial number information only. DO NOT
WAIT FOR STERICYCLE TO PICK UP THE INFLATOR TO SEND THIS
INFORMATION TO THE PARTS COLLECTION CENTER (PCC).

IMPORTANT: Each removed air bag inflator must be returned directly to the supplier,
Takata USA, in the same box in which the new one was received.
The shipping box contains a bar code label, which will be used by Takata USA to document
the replacement of the old inflator with the new inflator. Therefore, it is very important
that the removed inflator be returned in the exact same box that contained the newlyinstalled inflator for that vehicle. If the original box cannot be re-used, please refer to the
shipping instructions under “Requesting a new box/ shipping labels.”
•

IMPORTANT: When affixing the shipping label to the shipping box do not obstruct
the bar code label.

•

A completed SOA Warranty Parts Tag (MSA5W402A) must be attached to the
returned inflator. The tag must contain the following information: claim number,
repair date, full 17-digit VIN, and mileage.
Continued...

Bulletin Number: WQL-48R; Revised: August 24, 2015

Page 3

SOA PART RETURN NOTICE
•

Upon claim approval, Subaru of America, Inc. will generate a Part Return Notice
requesting information only.

•

To ensure proper claim credit, the old and new inflator serial numbers must be
recorded on the Part Return Notice and sent to SOA Part Collection Center (PCC) as
instructed on the return notice.

•

The completed Part Return Notice should then be sent using the YRC web portal and
utilizing the “Ship Small Parcel” link which will direct the user to the appropriate
UPS web page application to complete the shipment. Please keep the UPS tracking
number for your records.

•

DO NOT WAIT FOR STERICYCLE TO PICK UP THE PART TO SEND THIS
INFORMATION TO THE PCC.

Under no circumstances should the air bag inflator be sent to Subaru of America, Inc.
SERVICE PROCEDURE
This Campaign involves the replacement of the inflator portion of the passenger-side front
airbag assembly. The subject inflators could have been assembled with improperly manufactured
propellant components which may affect how the assembly inflates in the event of a collision
resulting in an increased risk of injury to vehicle occupants. This procedure will outline removal
of the passenger-side airbag assembly and replacement of the inflator component and related
wiring harness.
VERY IMPORTANT: Failure to follow these service procedures carefully and correctly
may result in an accidental deployment of the inflator and potentially cause serious injury.
Please read through and understand these procedures COMPLETELY before beginning
repairs. In addition, proper operation of the airbag after reassembly may be compromised
if these service procedures are not followed.
Tools Required
DESCRIPTION
Pliers

BRAND OR TYPE
-

QUANTITY
1

Wire Cutters

-

1

Needle-Nose Pliers

-

1

Torque Wrench

Inch-Pound

1

Safety Goggles

-

1

Flat-Blade Screwdriver

-

1

Scissors

-

1

Ratchet
8 mm and 10 mm Socket
Airbag Deployment Fixture

1/4” Drive
J-39401-B

1
1 ea,
1

NOTE: Although the service procedure is similar for both Legacy / Outback / Baja and Impreza
models, there are some significant differences. For this reason, procedures for both models will
be outlined.
Continued...
Bulletin Number: WQL-48R; Revised: August 24, 2015

Page 4

CAUTION: Before starting this service procedure, perform a visual inspection of both front airbags looking for any damage or abnormality. Next, turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position
and confirm the airbag warning lamp illuminates then extinguishes normally. If it does not or if
ANY concern is noted with the airbag system, STOP and report these findings to the customer
BEFORE proceeding further. Any concerns identified with the airbag system (when no airbag
deployment has occurred), are not related to this campaign and must be addressed separately.
Even if the system has a concern, this may not preclude completion of this campaign. If you are
unsure about proceeding, document and fully diagnose the concern then contact the SOA Technical Helpline to review your findings. It is in the best interest of the retailer to fully document
any concerns found during this preliminary inspection and review with the customer BEFORE
proceeding with the campaign service procedure.
• Vehicles that do not contain Genuine Subaru air bags are not eligible for this
recall repair. For more information on identifying counterfeit air bags and how
to address related customer situations, please refer to STIS for the “Counterfeit
Air Bag Information” Dealer Advisory Bulletin dated October 25, 2012 by going
to Subarunet>Service>STIS>Online Reference - choose Publication Type: ‘Other/
Miscellaneous’ and search keywords: ‘Air Bag’).
•

Do not proceed with this repair if your inspection reveals a non-Genuine Subaru
air bag module has been installed in the vehicle. Follow the instructions described
in the “Counterfeit Air Bag Information” Dealer Advisory Bulletin and contact the SOA
Warranty Helpline to close out the WQL-48 recall coverage on the vehicle.

•

IMPORTANT: Always examine airbag modules closely before and during removal.
Confirm they match the photos of the Genuine Subaru airbag components supplied
throughout this bulletin BEFORE proceeding. The photos below are just 2 examples
of aftermarket or counterfeit airbag components identified by retailers since the release
of this campaign bulletin. These photos are being provided as only 2 examples of what
may be a wide variety of non-OEM components.