Subaru Recalls Thousands of Vehicles for Defective Windshield Wipers

Nearly 1 million Subaru vehicles are being recalled as a result of potentially faulty windshield wipers.

Fuji Heavy Industries, which owns Subaru, is recalling about 935,000 Subaru Legacy vehicles worldwide to fix an issue with their front windshield wipers, according to reports last week.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the recall today. The recall covers recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Legacy vehicles manufactured November 26, 2008, to June 7, 2013, and 2010-2014 Outback vehicles manufactured January 9, 2009 to June 7, 2013, the NHTSA notice says.

Due to contamination, components within the windshield wiper motor bottom cover may interfere with each other, according to the recall notice. If an obstruction, such as a buildup of snow or ice prevents the wiper arms from being able to stop in the parked position, the wiper motor may overheat, causing the bottom cover to melt. An overheated motor may cause the wipers to fail, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

Also, the wiper motor cover may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

Subaru is in the process of obtaining vehicle registration data, and will notify potentially affected vehicle

owners by first class mail, according to an announcement from Subaru of America to “All Subaru Retailers” dated September 26, 2016. Owners with a valid email address on file with MySubaru.com will also be notified by email. Owner notification is expected to occur in October, and retailers will be advised when the notification begins. Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor bottom cover assembly, free of charge.