Subaru Forester 2013 Air Bag Recall: Explosion Risk
Subaru recalls 2013 Forester models with passenger air bag inflators that may explode during deployment, risking serious injury or death. Owners must have the inflator replaced free of charge.
Use caution until it’s fixed
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What happened, in plain English
Subaru is recalling 2013 Forester vehicles with a potential air bag inflator explosion hazard. This could cause serious injury or death if the air bag deploys. Affected owners should contact Subaru for a free replacement. Read more at govinfonow.com/recall/1251178-subaru-forester-2013-air-bag-recall-explosion-risk.
Source Summary by GovInfoNow · govinfonow.com/recall/1251178-subaru-forester-2013-air-bag-recall-explosion-risk · Updated October 6, 2026 · Official notice: NHTSA #18V012000
Cite this page
“Subaru Forester 2013 Air Bag Recall: Explosion Risk.” GovInfoNow, updated October 6, 2026. https://govinfonow.com/recall/1251178-subaru-forester-2013-air-bag-recall-explosion-risk. Based on NHTSA recall #18V012000 (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=18V012000).
Why it’s dangerous
The air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation from long-term exposure to humidity and temperature changes. This explosion can send sharp metal fragments toward occupants, causing serious injury or death.
Who’s affected
Owners of 2013 Subaru Foresters with passenger air bag modules are affected. Drivers and passengers in these vehicles face the highest risk during air bag deployment.
How to tell if you have this one
Check if your 2013 Subaru Forester has a passenger air bag module with an inflator that could explode. The recall covers vehicles sold in specific U.S. states and territories from 2009-2013.
- Brand
Subaru- Category
Vehicle
What to do — step by step
Contact Subaru
Call 1-800-782-2783 to schedule a free air bag inflator replacement.
What NHTSA says to do
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-18.
How this recall unfolded
Recall timeline
2 dated steps over 7 months.
- Recall began
- NHTSA received the defect report
Dates from the agency record only; steps without a date are left out.
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Where this comes from
The facts (hazard, remedy, dates, manufacturer) are pulled from the official NHTSA recall record. The plain-language summary and step-by-step checklist are written by GovInfoNow to make the official notice easier to act on — they don’t replace it.
- Official source: NHTSA Recall #18V012000 (September 1, 2018)
- Plain-language summary written by qwen3:4b on October 6, 2026, from the official record above. Not reviewed by a person — if it conflicts with the NHTSA notice, the notice is correct. Report an error on this page.
- GovInfoNow is an independent service and is not a government agency. We republish official NHTSA recall data; we don’t issue, amend or administer recalls.