ATTENTION:
GENERAL MANAGER

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PARTS MANAGER

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CLAIMS PERSONNEL

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

SERVICE MANAGER

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© 2023 Subaru of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

PRODUCT CAMPAIGN BULLETIN
APPLICABILITY:
SUBJECT:

2023MY Ascent

NUMBER: WRH-23

Safety Recall/STOP SALE - Tire Bead Damage

DATE:

04/07/23

NHTSA ID:

TBD

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

Carline

Production Date Range

2023

Ascent (w/20” wheels)

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.
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: WRH-23; Date: 04/07/23

Page 1 of 3

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.
PART INFORMATION:
The tires are to be ordered using the normal ordering process through the Subaru Tire Center.
Part Description

Part Number

Quantity

FALKEN ZIEX ZE001 A/S 245/50/20

45HR0ZE001AS

4

SERVICE PROCEDURE / INFORMATION:
STEP 1: Using a wax pen or tape, mark the position of ALL four wheels.
STEP 2: Replace ALL four tires following the Service Procedures supplied in the applicable Service
Manual.
STEP 3: Using a unibit, drill bit, or hole saw, CAREFULLY drill one hole in the sidewall of ALL
four tires above the DOT number. It is important to perform this step to confirm the tires cannot be
re-used in any way. See the example images below.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WRH-23; Date: 04/07/23

Page 2 of 3

STEP 4: 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.

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

Labor Operation #

Labor Time

Fail Code

4 OEM TIRES R&R

A112-104

1.0

WRH-23

NOTES:
•

Tire shipping costs and up to $20.00 dollars can be claimed for tire disposal in sublet.

•

Part number SOA635009 is to be used for maximum of two wheel weights per wheel used.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
•

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.

Bulletin Number: WRH-23; Date: 04/07/23

Page 3 of 3