Subarunet Announcement
To: All Subaru Retailers
From: Subaru of America, Inc.
Date: April 5, 2023
New Safety Recall/STOP SALE: WRH-23 Tire Bead Damage
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is initiating a new safety recall and stop sale for certain 2023 model
year Ascent vehicles equipped with 20-inch wheels.
Description of the Defect and Safety Risk
The vehicles included in this recall/stop sale may be equipped with tires that were damaged during the
wheel mounting and assembly process. A misaligned bead guide arm on the tire mounting equipment
may have caused excessive stress on the tire bead during mounting, possibly causing damage to the
internal structure of the tire.
Internal damage to the tire bead may lead to structural failure of the tire and rapid tire deflation,
increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
For all potentially affected vehicles, Subaru retailers will remove and replace all four tires with new ones
at no cost to the customer. All removed tires should be rendered unusable and be disposed of according
to local regulations.
Affected Vehicles
A total of 4,409 U.S. Subaru Ascent vehicles will be affected by this recall, as listed below:
Model Year
2023

Carline
Ascent (w/20” wheels)

Production Date Range
December 1, 2022 – January 5, 2023

Not all vehicles in the production date range listed above are affected by this recall. Coverage must be
confirmed by using the Vehicle Coverage Inquiry function on subarunet.com prior to repair. This
information is now available.
Retailer Responsibility
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 $22,423
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.

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 (used, demo & SSLP). Whenever a vehicle subject to this recall is taken into retailer
inventory necessary steps should be taken to ensure the recall correction has been made before selling
or releasing the vehicle.
Owner Notification
Subaru will notify affected vehicle owners by first class mail in May. Retailers will be notified when the
owner notification has been scheduled.
Service, Parts, and Claim Instructions
The WRH-23 Product Campaign Bulletin will be available on STIS by the end of this week. The service,
parts, and claim instructions that will be included in the bulletin are listed below, so that affected stop
sale vehicles may be repaired:
PART INFORMATION:
The tires are to be ordered using the normal ordering process through the Subaru Tire Center.
Part Description
Part Number
Quantity
245/50 20.0 ZIEX ZE001 A/S FALKEN
45HR0ZE001AS
4
SERVICE PROCEDURE / INFORMATION:
REMINDER: Customer satisfaction and retention starts with performing quality repairs.
STEP 1: Replace ALL four tires following the Service Procedures supplied in the applicable Service
Manual.
STEP 2: Using a unibit, drill bit, or hole saw, CAREFULLY drill one hole in the sidewall of ALL four tires. It
is important to perform this step to confirm the tires cannot be re-used in any way. See the example
images below.

STEP 3: CONFIRM ALL the wheel nuts are torqued in a star pattern to 120 Nm (12.2kgf-m, 88.5ft-lb).

IMPORTANT:
• The 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.
•

Perform a road test when the repair is complete to confirm there are no TPMS or sound issues.

SERVICE PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION LABEL:
Type or print the necessary information on a Campaign Identification Label. The completed label
should be attached to the vehicle’s upper radiator support. Additional labels are available through
normal parts ordering channels. The part number is MSA6P1302, which comes as one sheet of 20 labels.

WRH-23

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
4 OEM TIRES R&R

Labor Operation #
A112-104

Labor Time
1.0

NOTE: Up to $20.00 dollars can be claimed in sublet for tire disposal.

Fail Code
WRH-23