Subaru Forester and Crosstrek may lose power steering

NHTSA campaign 19V065000 · Reported 2019-02-06 · Subaru of America, Inc.

high How serious is it? About this label

Steering that suddenly takes much more effort can lead to a crash; these cars were meant to be fixed before sale, so confirm the work was done on yours.

What's wrong, in plain English

A connector inside the electric power steering unit can short out. When that happens, the power assist that makes the steering wheel easy to turn stops working, and the wheel becomes much harder to turn, especially at low speeds like parking or taking a corner. None of these vehicles had been sold when the recall started, so dealers were told to inspect the steering gearbox and replace it if needed before delivery.

What you should do

1. Look up your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to check whether the repair is still open. 2. Contact your Subaru dealer or Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614 and reference recall WUC-88. 3. Have the steering gearbox inspected and replaced if necessary, free of charge.

Affected vehicles (2)

2019 Subaru Crosstrek
2019 Subaru Forester

Who to contact

Subaru — official Subaru recall lookup

Customer service: 1-844-373-6614

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

Official notice

Component: STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Forester and Crosstrek vehicles. A connector inside the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) unit may short circuit resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
Safety risk: Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: None of the affected vehicles have been sold yet. Subaru has notified dealers and they will inspect the steering gearbox, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUC-88.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.