The Subaru Baja has 16 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 2003–2006. On average a defect was admitted 11.69 years after the car was built, the slowest took 17 years. The most recalled system is Air Bags (11 campaigns). Owners also filed 103 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the Subaru Baja
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Air Bags 11 Read
What's wrong. Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, Forester, 2006-2011 Impreza, Tribeca, 2003-2006 Baja, and 2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the…
Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death
Fix. Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Saab owners may contact GM at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this…
What's wrong. Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2006-2008 Impreza, Tribeca, 2006 Saab 9-2x, and 2003-2006 Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of…
Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death
Fix. Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-16. Note: This notice is only for…
What's wrong. Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback and 2006-2009 Impreza (including WRX and STI models) and Tribeca vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the…
Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death
Fix. Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-17
Fuel System, Gasoline 2 Read
What's wrong. Subaru is recalling 15,761 my 2005-2006 baja vehicles. Cracks may develop in the fuel hose connection on the outlet pressure side of the fuel pump
Risk. Fuel can leak from the hose connection. A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire
Fix. Dealers will replace the fuel pump bracket including all nipples with a new and stronger design part. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during september 2009. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783
What's wrong. Airtex Products LP (Airtex) is recalling certain model E8598M, E8518M, E8600M, E8596M, and E8597M fuel pumps manufactured July 26, 2013, and July 29, 2013 and used as aftermarket replacements on Subaru Baja's, Outback's and Legacy's. The affected fuel pumps were sold or installed into the aftermarket applications on or after July 26, 2013, and may may leak fuel from the base of a fuel line connection when the gas tank is full
Risk. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire
Fix. Airtex will notify owners, and will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Recall is expected to begin on January 2, 2014. Customers may contact Airtex at 1-800-880-3056. The recall is expected to begin during January 2014. This recall is being conducted by Airtex, not by Subaru
What's wrong. Subaru is recalling 15,761 my 2005-2006 baja vehicles. Cracks may develop in the fuel hose connection on the outlet pressure side of the fuel pump
Risk. Fuel can leak from the hose connection. A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire
Fix. Dealers will replace the fuel pump bracket including all nipples with a new and stronger design part. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during september 2009. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783
Engine And Engine Cooling 2 Read
What's wrong. On certain passenger and sport utility vehicles, the cover bolts for the engine oil control valve may not be sufficiently tightened, allowing oil to leak from around the cover gasket
Risk. If leaking oil contacts components operating at high temperatures, a fire could result in the engine compartment
Fix. Dealers will inspect and retighten the oil-flow control valve cover bolts. The recall began on october 8, 2004. Owners should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783
What's wrong. On certain sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines, the water pump pulley center hole was improperly machined
Risk. In some instances, the interference fit between the inner wall of the pulley center hole and the water pump drive shaft was not as tight as specified in the drawing specification. This could result in the water pump pulley dislodging from the water pump shaft, which can cause severe engine damage/seizure during…
Fix. Dealers will replace the water pump. Owner notification began september 12, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783
Power Train 1 Read
What's wrong. Certain sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions were produced with an improperly manufactured transmission parking rod. When the transmission selector lever is placed in the "p" (park) position, the transmission park mechanism, that is intended to hold your vehicle, may not engage
Risk. The vehicle could then move/roll without prior warning, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the automatic transmission parking rod assembly. Owner notification january 8, 2003. An interim owner notification will be sent during november 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time…
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 11.69 years |
| Slowest campaign | 17 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 92.3% |
| Campaigns on record | 16 |
Which Baja years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2005 | Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2004 | Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 2003 | Engine And Engine Cooling |
Check your own car
Each of these 16 campaigns covers a range of production, not every Subaru Baja ever built — two cars of the same year can differ by a single week at the plant. Whether yours is among them, and whether the free repair was already carried out, is answered only by the number on its windscreen: check this Baja by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
A campaign on one model says little about the brand as a whole — see how the Subaru Baja compares in the full recall check by make and model →
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Subaru Baja have?
16 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 2003–2006. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my Baja still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 11.69 years, and the slowest campaign came 17 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.
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