Subaru recalls more than 118,000 vehicles over air bag issue 

Subaru has recalled more than 118,000 vehicles due to a faulty sensor that can prevent air bags from deploying during a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday. 

The recall includes 118,723 of the automakers’ 2020-22 Outback and Legacy cars, according to documents filed Tuesday by the NHTSA. Authorities said a capacitor in the sensors for the car’s occupant detection system “may crack and short circuit,” and could stop the front passenger air bag from activating during an accident.

Subaru said it is aware of 23 technical reports and 253 warrant claims related to the issues, but noted it is not aware of any injuries resulting from this problem.

Dealers will replace the sensor on the front passenger seat free of charge, and letters will be mailed to eligible owners in May, the NHTSA said.

It is possible that during the recalled vehicles’ production process, the car’s occupant detection system may have used deformed circuit boards and caused a crack to form in a capacitor. This can cause moisture to enter the capacitor over time and lead to a short circuit, Subaru said.

If a short circuit occurs in a vehicle, the Subaru’s air bag warning lamp will illuminate, and the “front passenger’s front airbag OFF indicator” will also light up, the Japanese automaker said. 

A series of vehicle models have been recalled in recent months over air bag issues. In February, Honda recalled more than 750,000 due to faulty weight sensors, and the week prior, Toyota advised owners of some older models of Corolla and RAV4 vehicles to stop driving them due to a problem with air bags.

Last December, Toyota recalled about 1 million vehicles for potentially having air bags that may not deploy.

The Hill reached out to Subaru for further comment.