[HDSkullfire2]

Big Recall Announced.. 634,000 cars equipped with Puddle Lights.

See here..

Subaru recalls vehicles for lighting issue | Reuters

Here is a quote from the report:
"... ... ... affects some Forester vehicles from model years 2009 through 2012, all Legacy and Outback vehicles from model years 2010 through 2012, and some Tribeca vehicles from model years 2006 through 2012 ... ... ..."

Additionally it says:
"... ... ... The 633,842 vehicles potentially affected by the recall may be equipped with accessory puddle lights that when lit brighten the areas under the doors, according to NHTSA documents. ... ... ..."

Steve..

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

here's the 'meat' of the issue;

............snip..........A Subaru spokesman said the recall involves only 53,999 cars equipped with the lights, but the wider number of owners must be alerted because the company does not know which cars have them.

There have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue, but there was one report of smoke, the spokesman said.

A short circuit can develop when the light or connector are exposed to an electrolytic moisture source such as road spray that has road salt in it, the NHTSA said. That can cause heat that could melt the plastic, resulting in smoke or fire.

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional harness, the NHTSA said. The recall is expected to begin next month.................snip...............

I suppose, anyone who added their own puddle lights should take note and try to perform some upgrade or mod to help protect the wiring and connectors from spray/moisture/corrosion.

 

[new2sub]

So the presumption is that a 2013 with puddle lights should be ok? I have a 13 with them .. They get completely caked in crud when driving on snow covered roads presumably due to the practically non existent splash guards that won't protect anything from splashing. They are useless as far as I can see.. I'll post something fresh to see if anyone has added any meaningful flaps to these puppies.

 

[OBnube]

So the presumption is that a 2013 with puddle lights should be ok?.......

Yep. 13's are clear. Only about 54K cars have the factory puddles. That's less than 10% of the 663K being notified. No telling how many put them on after the fact.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

any link to the actual recall doc yet?

 

[lloyd123]

here's the 'meat' of the issue;


I suppose, anyone who added their own puddle lights should take note and try to perform some upgrade or mod to help protect the wiring and connectors from spray/moisture/corrosion.

Unless you mean people who made their own lights then I would think that if you installed them yourself that Subaru would still have to take responsibility for the fix as they are an OEM accessory and come with a Subaru warranty. If they won't install the fix they should at least be requires to supply the parts and instructions to anyone who bought this accessory after the initial purchase of the vehicle.

 

[EastTeleSki]

DETROIT (AP) — Subaru is recalling nearly 634,000 cars and SUVs in the U.S. because lights beneath the doors can overheat and catch fire.

The recall affects all Outback and Legacy cars from model years 2010 and 2011. Also included are Tribeca SUVs from 2006 through 2012 and Forester SUVs from 2009 through 2012. Subaru says the Tribecas and Foresters were sold before January 2012.

The company says moisture can get into puddle lights beneath the doors and cause a short circuit that can melt plastic and cause fires. It says only 54,000 of the vehicles are equipped with the lights and will need to be repaired. But it will send letters to all owners asking them to take their cars to dealers if they have the lights.

Subaru said Thursday that there have been no crashes or fires because of the problem. The company found the problem after getting complaints about smoke coming from the lights on a small number of vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says on its website that Subaru will install an additional fuse at no cost to the owners. The recall is expected to begin in February.end of story marker




Looks like 2012 Outbacks are excluded too depending on what media outlet you read. I''l wait for the actual recall notice from Subaru.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

Unless you mean people who made their own lights then I would think that if you installed them yourself that Subaru would still have to take responsibility for the fix as they are an OEM accessory and come with a Subaru warranty. If they won't install the fix they should at least be requires to supply the parts and instructions to anyone who bought this accessory after the initial purchase of the vehicle.

But there's no way those people are gonna get a recall notice. Same for people who may have an address change that Subaru doesn't know about. But yeah, there could be more, or less, than the 59K+ vehicles mentioned. Some have had the lights added aftermarket. Perhaps when they drive in, upon seeing all OEM equipment, they will be covered regardless if the VIN shows it was factory or dealer installed. If they cobbled together something unrelated to OEM, likely they'd be rejected.
Some vehicles have been re-sold to new owners, sent to the junkyard or had the puddles removed, etc. One reason it's important to keep an eye on recall notices.

 

[adgjqetuo]

CNN has an article on this as well - interesting!

Subaru recalls 630,000 vehicles for fire risk - Jan. 3, 2013

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

still no link to the actual recall doc?

 

[vr4Legacy]

lots of "may" and "could" from what I've read.

Honestly I wondered how watertight they could be. It seems that all the recall will do is add a fuse that will blow before they overheat, not actually cure the source of the problem, which is water seepage.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

yeah, thy're just protecting the system from overheating with 250mA fuses, not from corrosion.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...dpac7L6uwCDCbLwVqGDRw&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.b2I

 

[iainb]

I don't know if it's Limited-specific but my car has puddle lights in the front doors that are not the addon accessory that are installed underneath the car.

Do we know if this recall is for the in-door lights or the accessory ones?

DETROIT (AP) — Subaru is recalling nearly 634,000 cars and SUVs in the U.S. because lights beneath the doors can overheat and catch fire.

The recall affects all Outback and Legacy cars from model years 2010 and 2011. Also included are Tribeca SUVs from 2006 through 2012 and Forester SUVs from 2009 through 2012. Subaru says the Tribecas and Foresters were sold before January 2012.

The company says moisture can get into puddle lights beneath the doors and cause a short circuit that can melt plastic and cause fires. It says only 54,000 of the vehicles are equipped with the lights and will need to be repaired. But it will send letters to all owners asking them to take their cars to dealers if they have the lights.

Subaru said Thursday that there have been no crashes or fires because of the problem. The company found the problem after getting complaints about smoke coming from the lights on a small number of vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says on its website that Subaru will install an additional fuse at no cost to the owners. The recall is expected to begin in February.end of story marker

Looks like 2012 Outbacks are excluded too depending on what media outlet you read. I''l wait for the actual recall notice from Subaru.

This says they are beneath the doors so it could be the in-door lights...

 

[hallux]

iainb, Considering they say only a small subset of vehicles is equipped with them, I'd say it's the under-car lights. The in-door lights are not limited to the Limited trim, my Premium has them also.

 

[firesail]

The puddle lights are under the car. A lot of people here including my self put aftermarket ones on. Im taking my outback in saturday for the computer recall and see whats needed for the puddle lights.

 

[iainb]

The puddle lights are under the car. A lot of people here including my self put aftermarket ones on. Im taking my outback in saturday for the computer recall and see whats needed for the puddle lights.

Why would Subaru do anything for you if you are using aftermarket lights?

BTW- The lights built into the door are puddle lights.

 

[subiesailor]

Why would Subaru do anything for you if you are using aftermarket lights?

BTW- The lights built into the door are puddle lights.

Dealers might offer self installed subaru puddle light people the fix - but some dealers will probably not be interested in applying the fix on self installed units. Unless the cost recovery for the shop time is easily billed back to Subaru for this recall fix.

Never did like those puddle lights being exposed to all the crud and road debri under the car. LOL - Thought the in door light was a smart solution back in 2001 when I got my first Subaru. Seems trying to get all fancy and add cheap plastic lights under the car like the other Auto brands sort of defeated the smart idea of the protected door lights LOL.

Hey going main stream auto market often involves doing stupid products just to say you have what the other guys have. HA HA

 

[upflying]

The puddle lights are a fire hazard? I have images of an Outback with flaming rocker panel moldings as it goes down the street. Much like this BMW with anti-car jacking flame throwers.

 

[tckelly1]

Nothing on Subaru.com or on "my Subaru" yet for our 2011 Outback Premium. We definitely have the puddle lamps. Another trip to the dealer after getting the ECU re-programmed less than a month ago...

 

[mopartodd]

Isn't it easier to just park in a spot without a puddle?