2010 Subaru OutbackEnlarge Photo
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of the 2010 Subaru Outback and the 2010 Subaru Legacy. The NHTSA website has minimal details at the moment, stating only that the recall centers on the steering system and connectors, however, a nearly identical recall was issued in Australia earlier this week.
In Australia, Subaru recalled just over 8,800 Outbacks and Legacies (known there as the Liberty) due to a potential wiring flaw in the steering roll connector. According to Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, that defect could affect "the operation of the steering wheel mounted cruise or audio controls, the horn, gearshift paddles (if equipped) and possibly illuminate the airbag warning light." And unfortunately, once the airbag warning light is illuminated, the car's airbag system is disabled. None of those things are good.
Although the NHTSA site is short on info, a letter from Fuji (PDF) indicates that the U.S. recall involves the same potential problems. It's unknown how many vehicles in the States will be affected, but the manufacture dates span from February 16, 2009 through April 12, 2010, so the number could be fairly high.
If you drive a 2010 Outback or Legacy, contact your dealer, or call the NHTSA at 1-800-424-9153.