SUBARU 2003 SUBARU OUTBACK Recall
Check Your Product
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Product
2003 SUBARU OUTBACK
Brand
SUBARU
Lot Codes / Batch Numbers
Not specified in NHTSA notice. Check official source for details.
Products Sold
Model Year 2003
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2003 SUBARU OUTBACK vehicles due to air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module issues. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehi.
Summary derived from NHTSA notice
Reason for Recall
As stated by NHTSA
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Reported concern (NHTSA)
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Recommended Action
Per NHTSA guidance
Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V-399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V-763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.
Verify this information on the official source
For complete details and official instructions, check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) directly.
View official NHTSA recall noticePage updated: Jan 10, 2026