Subaru Recalls Certain 2003 Foresters
February 21, 2003
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) today announced a voluntary recall for a possible defect in the front seat belt buckle latch of certain 2003 model year Forester models. This recall involves both front seat belt buckles that were installed in approximately 500 2003-model-year Forester vehicles produced between December 9 and December 31, 2002. The seat belt may unlatch when a force less than that required by the federal motor vehicle safety standards is applied. A stop sale notice has been issued to dealers who have received any of the potentially affected vehicles. The campaign was launched as a result of out-of-specification parts found during quality assurance testing. There have been no reported injuries as a result of this condition.
Repair parts should be available during the week of February 24, 2003. Subaru will provide a campaign bulletin to dealers, and a recall notice will be sent to all registered owners who have already purchased one of the affected vehicles, advising them of the potential defect. Dealers will replace the front seat belt buckles of all potentially affected Forester vehicles.