Subaru Impreza Engine Failure Risk Results in Recall for 33k Vehicles

More than 33,000 Subaru Impreza vehicles have been recalled due to a risk that the engine may stall suddenly due to a reduction is fuel pressure, posing a serious accident risk. 

The Subaru Impreza recall was announced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on April 17, following several warranty claims where the vehicles stalled, resulting in loss of steering and inability to restart the engine. To date, no crash reports of injuries have been received.

Subaru of America first learned of the issue on January 3, after receiving a field report indicating the driver experienced a rough idle and engine stall event. After receiving several additional reports involving similar events, the manufacturer performed an engine analysis with the collected information and found the Engine Control Unit (ECU) software used to regulate the radiator fan needed to be corrected.

According to the recall documents, when North American winter fuel is used in the engines, the fuel may begin to vaporize in the fuel line under higher ambient temperature, low speed, or stopped driving conditions, resulting in decreased fuel pressure. The premature evaporation of the fuel will result in a rough idling condition, engine stall or inability to restart the engine.

Subaru has determined that the software programming of the ECU, which operates the radiator fan, was not set to a low enough temperature by the manufacturer.

The recall includes 2017 Subaru Impreza four door vehicles that were manufactured from October 18, 2016 through March 17, 2017, and 2017 Subaru Impreza Station wagon vehicles manufactured from September 23, 2016 through March 21, 2017.

The vehicles were manufactured by Subaru of America, Inc. and were distributed for sale throughout the United States to licensed dealers.

The NHTSA warns that owners should be cautious when driving the recalled vehicles and be alert for any rough idling conditions that may be an indicator of lower fuel pressure events. The recall documents warn passengers that these unexpected stall events are most likely to occur during low speed driving, stop-and-go traffic, or when the vehicle is brought to a complete stop and idling.

Subaru will begin notifying owners of the issue and supply instructions on how to schedule a repair appointment at their local dealer, where dealers will be instructed to reprogram the engine control unit to turn the radiator cooling fan on at a lower temperature, free of charge. Subaru has not yet announced its notification or repair schedule, however owners with questions may contact Subaru Customer Service at 1-800-782-2783.