Subarunet Announcement
To: All Subaru Retailers
From: Subaru of America, Inc.
Date: November 5, 2020
New STOP SALE/Safety Recall: WRG-20 Continental Tire Recall 20T-018
Please be advised that Continental Tire the Americas, LLC (CTA) has issued a safety recall for multiple
tire lines, within the filing of NHTSA safety recall ID 20T-018. CTA’s recall includes 11,728 potentially
defective tires sold as original equipment (OE) tires and replacement tires, for various vehicle makes
and models.
One of the tire lines included in CTA’s recall, the Continental ProContactTM TX P205/55R16 89V tire,
was an OE tire for Subaru installed on certain 2020 MY Impreza vehicles equipped with 16-inch
wheels. Please note, CTA notified Subaru that only one (1) tire with this condition may have been
supplied to Subaru, but the recall includes 5,590 20MY Impreza vehicles based on traceability of tire
production week and mold number, to ensure that the potentially defective tire is captured.
While tire-related warranty coverage is the tire manufacturer’s responsibility, CTA does not have
access to Subaru vehicle owner data for recall notification purposes. Therefore, Subaru will assist CTA
in conducting this tire recall for certain 2020 MY Impreza vehicles which may contain a defective OE
tire(s).
For claim reimbursement purposes, Subaru’s recall code for CTA’s tire recall will be WRG-20.
Affected Vehicles
A total of 5,950 U.S. 2020 MY Impreza vehicles will be included in the CTA recall:
Model
Year

Carline

2020

Impreza

Vehicle
Production
Dates*
6/30/2020 8/24/2020

Tire
Production
Dates*
6/14/2020 6/20/2020

Tire line

Tire identification
marks

Continental
ProContactTM TX
P205/55R16 89V

The combination of:
DOT code 2420 + mold
number 416290
(refer to bulletin for
location detail)

* Not all vehicles in the vehicle production date range listed above are included in CTA’s tire recall,
and not all of the tires within the tire production date range listed above are defective.
Coverage for all affected vehicles must be confirmed by using the Vehicle Coverage Inquiry function on
subarunet.com. This information is now available.

Please be advised that it is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle
covered by a recall under a sale or lease until the defect is remedied. Therefore, any Authorized
Subaru Retailer failing to perform the applicable service procedures to correct all affected vehicles in
their inventory prior to the vehicle being placed in service may be subject to civil penalties of up to
$21,000 per violation (i.e., for each vehicle), as provided in 49 CFR §578.6 and will also be in breach of
the Subaru Dealer Agreement.
Reason for this Recall
The affected tires were cured for a time beyond the manufacturing specification. An over-cured tire
may result in a carcass break in the sidewall with sudden air loss or could develop a belt edge
separation which could lead to a partial or full tread/belt loss. These conditions could increase the risk
of a crash.
Remedy Repair
For all potentially affected vehicles, Subaru retailers will inspect all four tires for the tire identification
marks described above and in the Production Campaign Bulletin and replace any affected tire(s) as
necessary.
Service, Parts, and Claim Instructions
Please refer to the WRG-20 Product Campaign Bulletin, which will be available later today on STIS, for
details.
Retailer Responsibility
Please be sure to download a copy of your complete inventory report from the Vehicle Inventory
Dashboard available on subarunet.com to identify any vehicles with open recalls that may be in your
retail, CPO, and SSLP inventory.
Any vehicles listed in any recall/campaign that are in retailer stock must be:
•
•
•

Immediately identified
Tagged or otherwise marked to prevent their delivery or use prior to repair
Repaired in accordance with the repair procedures outlined in the Product Campaign
Bulletin

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 safety recall
is taken into inventory or in for service, necessary steps should be taken to ensure the repair has been
made before selling or releasing the vehicle.
Owner Notification
Owner notification letters will be sent by first class mail later this month.

WRG-20 SERVICE PROCEDURE
This procedure requires inspection of the DOT Serial Number AND Mold Number of ALL four (4) tires on an
affected vehicle. These numbers are located on the sidewall of the tire near the bead area where the tire and
wheel meet.
The tires affected by WRG-20 are Continental P205/55 R16 89V ProContact TX, size P205/55 R16 89V ONLY.
STEP 1: Perform a Vehicle Inquiry on Subarunet to confirm WRG-20 applicability. If there is an OPEN WRG-20
recall, proceed to STEP 2, otherwise this bulletin does not apply.
STEP 2: Visually inspect each tire and record the DOT Serial Number AND Mold Number of All four (4) Tires on
the Repair Order.
Tires made for use in the United States are required to have the DOT Serial Number with production week and
year on ONE sidewall of the tire near the wheel. The photo below shows 2420 meaning the tire was
manufactured during the 24th week of 2020.
•

The DOT Serial Number for tires affected by WRG-20 is 2420. If the DOT Serial Number is not
found, check the opposite side of the tire as they are only found on ONE sidewall.

•

The Mold Number for tires affected by WRG-20 is S-416290. Mold Numbers are on BOTH
sidewalls.

VERY IMPORTANT: When performing these inspections, BOTH the DOT Serial Number and the Mold
Number (circled in RED, Highlighted and In Parentheses) must match those provided above. If only one of
the 2 numbers match, the tire(s) is not affected.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There may be additional numbers next to the Mold Number (circled in BLUE above)
which may be similar or the same as the Mold Number. IGNORE these additional numbers.

STEP 3: Inspection Outcomes:
1. All four (4) tires pass inspection with no repair necessary. Document the DOT Serial and Mold
Numbers for each of the 4 tires, as this information is REQUIRED to submit a recall claim. Proceed to
the Claim Reimbursement and Entry Procedures section OR:
2.

If any (1 or more) of the tires are identified as having BOTH the specific DOT Serial and Mold
Numbers supplied in the STEP 2: Inspection section, proceed to STEP 4 below.

STEP 4 : What to Do When an Affected Tire(s) Is Identified:
CRITICAL: How to repair will be based on if the vehicle involved is either CUSTOMER-OWNED (customer has
physically taken delivery of the vehicle at some point in the past) or a NEW, IN-STOCK or SSLP vehicle.
•

When the inspection is performed on a NEW, IN-STOCK or SSLP vehicle, if any 1 or more of the tires are
found to have the specific DOT Serial and Mold Numbers shown above, replace ONLY the affected
tire(s).
• If the inspection is performed on an applicable CUSTOMER-OWNED vehicle and any of the tires are
found to have the specific DOT and Mold Numbers shown above, ALL FOUR (4) tires MUST be replaced.
When tire replacement is required, follow the Service Procedures supplied in the applicable Service Manual.
NOTE: Use a tire crayon or equivalent marker to circle the affected DOT Serial and Mold numbers for easy
identification of all affected tires. All removed tires must be tagged with a completed Subaru Warranty Parts Tag
MSA5W1901A. Instruction for processing and return of any affected (removed) tires is provided in STEP 5 below.
Helpful TIPS:
•

•

As long as any wheels removed from the vehicle are put back on the same vehicle, Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS) re-registration is NOT REQUIRED after tire replacement. The only exception to this is if a
TPMS sensor requires replacement. In that case, follow the TPMS registration procedure supplied in the
applicable Service Manual. This also reduce post-repair drive time as tire pressure readings in the MID
Combination Meter Display will not need to relearn, only adjust.
In the case of any tire replacement, road testing when the repair is complete is required to confirm a
sound repair before returning the vehicle to the customer.

STEP 5: Affected Tire Return Procedures:
ALL tires identified as having BOTH the specific DOT Serial and Mold Numbers supplied in the STEP 2:
IDENTIFICATION section must be returned to Continental per the process outlined below:
Subaru Retailers returning tires subject to this recall program are to ship these tires separately from their normal
Warranty returns. Attach a copy of the CTA Limited Warranty Claim Form (2469V) to each tire. The CTA Limited
Warranty Claim Form (2469V) can be obtained by calling: 1-888-799-2168. “RECALL” MUST be indicated in the
Reason for Removal field.
Subaru Retailers in Alaska or Hawaii should call: 1-888-799-2168 regarding tire returns.
•

When returning seven (7) or more tires: Ship via YRC, “Freight Collect” call: (800) 357-9199 (USA only)
to schedule a pickup, reference code “RECALL”.

On the Bill of Lading indicate shipment terms of “Freight Collect”. CTA will be billed for the freight charges.
Always remember to verify the tire count before signing the Bill of Lading. Stipulate on the Bill of Lading “scrap
rubber tires – freight class 60”, and “actual value not exceeding $1.00 per pound”.
•

When returning six or less tires: Ship via UPS. Call 1-888-799-2168 and request a pre-paid shipping
label.

•

Ship tires to:
Continental Tire the Americas, LLC.
854 Paragon Way
Ref. Code RECALL
Rock Hill, SC 29730

VERY IMPORTANT: NO TIRES should be returned which have not been identified as having BOTH the specified
DOT Serial and Mold Numbers supplied in this document.

Claim Reimbursement and Entry Procedures:
Credit to perform this recall will be based on properly completed repair order information. Retailers may
submit claims through Subarunet.com.
Labor Description

WRG-20 INSPECTION ONLY (ALL 4 TIRES)*
WRG-20 INSPECTION (ALL 4 TIRES) AND REPLACE 1 TIRE**
WRG-20 INSPECTION (ALL 4 TIRES) AND REPLACE 2 TIRES**
WRG-20 INSPECTION (ALL 4 TIRES) AND REPLACE 3 TIRES**
WRG-20 INSPECTION (ALL 4 TIRES) AND REPLACE 4 TIRES**

Labor
Operation #
A113-158
A113-151
A113-152
A113-153
A113-154

Labor
Time
0.2
0.6
0.9
1.2
1.5

Fail Code

WRG-20

* Enter the 4-digit DOT Serial followed by the 7-character Mold Numbers for all four tires in the four
Claim Specific Data fields on the claim (Left Front Tire Number, Right Front Tire Number, Left Rear Tire
Number, Right Rear Tire Number). Do not enter any spaces or dashes.

** Use part number SOA635325 to claim for the 205/55 16.0 PROCONTACT TX CONTINENTAL tire.

Service Program Identification Label:

WRG20

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
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SOA strongly discourages the printing and/or local storage of service information as previously
released information and electronic publications may be updated at any time.
Always check for any open recalls or campaigns anytime a vehicle is in for servicing.
Always refer to STIS for the latest service information before performing any repairs.