ATTENTION:

CLAIMS PERSONNEL q

IMPORTANT - All
Service Personnel
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provided, right.

SERVICE MANAGER

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SERVICE PROGRAM BULLETIN
APPLICABILITY:

SUBJECT:

2015-2016MY Legacy 2.5L
2015-2016MY Outback 2.5L

NUMBER: WUJ-95R

Exhaust Pipe Front (EPF) Bellows Cracking

REVISED: 03/24/20

DATE: 02/11/20

INTRODUCTION:
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is initiating a service campaign for certain 2015-2016MY Legacy
and Outback 2.5L models which may experience an exhaust noise and/or odor coming from cracks at
the bellows section of the front exhaust pipe which includes the catalytic converter. A leak occurring
at the front exhaust pipe may result in deterioration of emission performance. As a result, the vehicle
may fail to meet emission levels certified by the EPA and/or California ARB.
AFFECTED VEHICLES:
Vehicles included in this service campaign are 2015-2016 Legacy and Outback 2.5L. This recall will
affect approximately 243,750 vehicles. Coverage for all affected vehicles must be confirmed by using
the Vehicle Coverage Inquiry function on subarunet.com. The affected VINs will be made available
in phases, as the owner notification letters are scheduled for release. Please refer to the ‘Owner
Notification’ section of this bulletin for more information.
Model Year

Carline

Affected Production Dates

2015-2016

Legacy

12/16/2013 - 9/30/2015

2015-2016

Outback

12/09/2013 – 9/30/2015

DESCRIPTION OF THE REPAIR:
Subaru retailers will replace the front exhaust pipe.
RETAILER RESPONSIBILITY:
Retailers are to promptly perform this repair on all affected vehicles in their inventory. Additionally,
whenever a vehicle subject to this service program is taken into inventory or in for service, necessary
steps should be taken to ensure the repairs have been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.

CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS COULD
RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.
Subaru Service Bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians ONLY. They
are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles,
or to provide information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly
trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to
do the job correctly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that this
Service Bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition.

Subaru of America, Inc. is
ISO 14001 Compliant
ISO 14001 is the international standard for
excellence in Environmental Management
Systems. Please recycle or dispose of
automotive products in a manner that is friendly
to our environment and in accordance with all
local, state and federal laws and regulations.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUJ-95R; Revised: 03/24/20

Page 1 of 12

OWNER NOTIFICATION:
Affected vehicle owners will be notified in phases based on their physical location, the emissions
specification of their vehicle (Cal-spec or Fed-spec), and parts production schedules. Listed in the
table below is the current phased mailing plan:
Date

Emissions
specification (spec)

Mailing
Phase

Assigned Retailers’
Facing RDC(s)

Applicable WUJ-95
Kit Part Number

Approximate
Quantity

February 2020

California-spec (PZEV)

PZEV 1

Coppell RDC
Ontario RDC
Portland Lombard RDC

SOA635156

50,000

February 2020

Federal-spec

FED 1

Aurora RDC

SOA635157

16,000

SOA635157

18,000

March 2020

Federal-spec

FED 2

SNE, SDC
Coppell RDC
Ontario RDC
Portland Lombard RDC

April 2020

California-spec (PZEV)

PZEV 2

SNE

SOA635156

27,000

May 2020

California-spec (PZEV)

PZEV 3

SDC

SOA635156

19,000

June 2020

California-spec (PZEV)

PZEV 4

Florence RDC

SOA635156

30,000

July 2020

California-spec (PZEV)

PZEV 5

Aurora RDC
Douglasville RDC
Lebanon RDC

SOA635156

19,000

August 2020

Federal-spec

FED 3

Douglasville RDC
Florence RDC

SOA635157

25,000

September 2020

Federal-spec

FED 4

Lebanon RDC

SOA635157

40,000

This schedule is subject to change based on parts availability.
RETAILER AFFECTED VIN LISTS:
Each Subaru retailer will receive an affected VIN list for each phased mailing from their Zone office
as the owner notification letters are released. Vehicles will be assigned to retailers in the affected VIN
list as follows. Please note that this logic has recently changed:
1. If there is a preferred retailer on file, the VIN will be assigned to the preferred retailer.
2. If there is no preferred retailer on file:
a. Original vehicle owners are assigned to the original selling retailer if their current DMV
registration address is within a 50-mile radius of that retailer.
b. If the original selling retailer is inactive, the VIN is assigned to the nearest active retailer.
c. If the owner is not the original owner, the VIN is assigned to the nearest active retailer.
PART INFORMATION:
During transportation from the supplier, the spacing between the exhaust flanges may change due
to vibration. Although the amount of this change is small, it is enough to require more force than
normal to install the EPF onto the engine during vehicle assembly. The amount of force may have
caused cracking to develop in the bellows section of the EPF resulting in exhaust leakage. Since the
area of the leak is upstream of the catalyst, emission system performance may be compromised. In
some cases, customers may notice an unusual noise and / or exhaust odor.
Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUJ-95R; Revised: 03/24/20

Page 2 of 12

Description

Part Number

Application

Cal Spec. (PZEV) Kit

SOA635156

PZEV (Cal Spec) Vehicles

Fed Spec. Kit

SOA635157

Fed. Spec. Vehicles

Insulation Pad Adhesive SOA868V9690

Both Fed and PZEV Vehicles

SERVICE PROCEDURE / INFORMATION:
REMINDER: Customer satisfaction and retention starts with performing quality repairs.
The service procedures for removal and reinstallation of the EPF assembly remain unchanged.
See “APPENDIX A” beginning on page 8 for additional Helpful Hints.
NOTE: The new EPF kit is supplied without heat shields. The heat shields used on the original EPF
will need to be CAREFULLY removed along with their fiberglass insulators and transferred to the
new part. The kit includes a complete set of replacement fiberglass insulation pads.
EPF heat shield -related repair guidelines are provided below. Always refer to the applicable
Service Manual and review the full requirements of the repair being performed. The Service Manual
procedures contain information critical to performing an effective repair the first time and every
time. This includes but is not limited to: important SAFETY precautions, proper inspection criteria,
necessary special tools, required processes and related one-time-use parts needed for a complete and
lasting repair.
(3) PREPARATION:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Record the customer’s radio station presets (and Navigation favorites where applicable) then
disconnect the ground cable from the battery sensor.
Remove the engine under cover.
CAREFULLY disconnect the Air Fuel Ratio and Oxygen Sensor harness connectors.
Disconnect the center exhaust pipe at the spring bolt connection. New nuts and spring bolts are
supplied in the hardware kit but, the springs are to be reused.
Remove the center bolt from the hanger bracket but do not unhook the exhaust pipe from it yet.
Loosen / remove and discard the six one-time use EPF flange nuts at the cylinder heads. New
nuts are also supplied in the hardware kit.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUJ-95R; Revised: 03/24/20

Page 3 of 12

IMPORTANT REMINDER / CAUTION: The EPF assembly is heavy. Use a helper if necessary
to avoid dropping it during removal.
•

Remove the center exhaust pipe from the EPF. CAUTION: The pipe may be hot.

•

Once the EPF has cooled (or if necessary), apply a penetrating oil (e.g. PB Blaster® or
equivalent as directed on the product’s container) to the sensor threads to help with removal.

•

CAREFULLY remove the Air Fuel Ratio and Oxygen Sensors from the EPF assembly.

NOTES:
• Both EPF kits (SOA635156 for CAL-spec and SOA635157 for FED-spec. vehicles) include:
○
○
○
○
○

A new EPF WITHOUT heat shields
All new fiberglass heat insulation pads
4 new clamps for the small heat shields closest to the cylinder head flanges.
A replacement hardware kit for the heat shields and spring nuts / bolts
A replacement exhaust gasket kit (cylinder head flange (2), front pipe (1) and center “donut”
(1) gaskets).

Insulation Pad adhesive p.n. SOA868V9690 must be ordered separately
and is used to secure the new insulation pads to the inside of the heat
shields prior to reassembly. The part number to use for Warranty claim
entry is SOA635314 (qty. 1). Each quart-sized (32 oz.) container has a
brush applicator cap. IMPORTANT: Always keep the cap tightly sealed
between uses for longest life. Replace the adhesive if it becomes dried out
or cannot be applied properly using the brush.

•

(4) HEAT SHIELD TRANSFER:
IMPORTANT NOTE: All heat shields are intended to be reused. USE HAND TOOLS ONLY
when removing them from the EPF to avoid breaking off the retaining studs.
•

ALWAYS wear proper eye protection

•

Use a wire brush to remove any loose rust/scale from the heat shield retaining fasteners.

•

Apply a penetrating lubricant (e.g. PB Blaster® or equivalent) as directed on the product’s
container to the heat shield fasteners to help loosen and remove them without breakage.

•

In some cases, VERY CAREFUL use of a torch or an induction heating tool may be
necessary to loosen / remove rusted / siezed heat shield hardware.

•

When the fasteners initially begin to loosen, work them back and forth while applying
additional penetrant to help lubricate the threads. TAKING YOUR TIME during this
step will help prevent breaking off fasteners and avoid heat shield replacements. Repeat as
necessary until all the heat shields have been removed from the EPF.

IMPORTANT: As each heat shield is CAREFULLY removed,
use a permanent marker to outline the shape and positioning of
each fiberglass insulation pad found on the inside of it whenever
possible. A complete set of new insulation pads is included in the
EPF kit and ALL are to be replaced at reassembly.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUJ-95R; Revised: 03/24/20

Page 4 of 12

Use a wire brush to remove any insulation and / or adhesive residue. Proper positioning of the new
insulation pads is key to achieving a rattle-free repair.

TIP: Replacing the insulation pads and swapping
each (pair) of these small shields over to the new
EPF one pipe at a time will help avoid confusion.

•

Before applying any of the new insulation pads, wipe the inside and outside of the shields
clean of any residual oil / penetrant used with a mild solvent on a clean shop cloth. Use
caution to not remove the position markings for the replacement insulation pads.

TIP: Have all the stud threads and shields going back onto the new EPF cleaned and their respective
heat insulation pads ready to apply. Doing it this way avoids having to open and close the adhesive
container repeatedly.
•

Remove the brush cap from the adhesive container and apply a small amount of the material
to each shield toward the center of where the new insulation pad will be positioned. Marking
an outline for where the adhesive should be applied can also be used as shown below.