Subaru of New Zealand will contact affected vehicle owners with a notification detailing requirements and actions required of the vehicle owner to complete the campaign.
If you have not received a letter and wish to check your vehicle status, please contact your local Authorised Subaru Centre.
You can find your nearest Authorised Subaru Centre here.
What is a vehicle safety recall, and how do I know if my vehicle has been subject to one?
A vehicle safety recall is conducted by a vehicle manufacturer in the event of a component failure (or potential failure) that may prevent the driver from controlling the vehicle in a safe and proper manner. Examples of such components include brakes, steering, suspension, headlights, and airbags. In the event that a Subaru vehicle needs to be recalled, Subaru of New Zealand will contact the current owners of the vehicles to advise them of the corrective actions required. We monitor the completed repairs and will contact owners again if the vehicle has not been fixed within a period of time.
Subaru of New Zealand only receives recall notifications and requests to complete recalls from Subaru Corporation for New Zealand new vehicles (the vehicles Subaru of New Zealand imports as an authorised partner of Subaru Corporation).
Subaru vehicles imported into New Zealand by other parties, i.e., any recall, notification, monitoring, and completion of recalls is the responsibility of the vehicle importer (manufacturer).
The primary source of customer information Subaru of New Zealand uses to contact vehicle owners is from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). We strongly encourage Subaru vehicle owners to keep their vehicle status updated and information updated when a vehicle is sold, changes address or is off road.
This will ensure that Subaru of New Zealand sends recall notification letters to the relevant affected vehicle owners.
Please visit www.nzta.govt.nz/online-services to update vehicle owner information and vehicle status.
In addition, we also request that vehicle owner information is updated on our Subaru owners registration page, as a secondary source and where we are able to update you on parts availability for a recall by email or text thanks to the immediacy of electronic notifications.
TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL
Subaru Corporation, the Japan-based manufacturer of Subaru vehicles, has advised Subaru of New Zealand that a range of Subaru vehicles equipped with Takata front passenger airbags may have an increased potential for moisture intrusion over time. These airbag inflators may fail in an accident and explode sending fragments into vehicle occupants. Failure of the airbag inflator can cause serious injury or death. For this reason, Subaru of New Zealand is conducting a safety related recall on behalf of Subaru Corporation through our nationwide network of Authorised Subaru Centres.
While there haven’t been any known Takata airbag failures in New Zealand, we take safety very seriously and want to ensure your Subaru is as safe as possible.
We strongly encourage all owners of Subaru vehicles to:
- Contact their closest Authorised Subaru Centre and check if there are any recalls affecting their vehicle.
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Ensure vehicle owner contact details and vehicle status is updated and current on NZTA www.nzta.govt.nz/online-services to enable Subaru to communicate with you if your vehicle is part of the Takata airbag recall, or if it is part of any other recall or becomes part of any other recall in the future. This is important because vehicle status is subject to change on a regular basis.
- Register your vehicle details on our Owners Registration page to enable Subaru to communicate with you as a secondary source and where we are able to update you on parts availability for a recall by email or text.
In addition, on 4 April 2018 the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs issued the Compulsory Takata Alpha Airbag Recall Order 2018, which orders a mandatory recall for a certain subset of the airbags manufactured by Takata. That order took effect on 31 May 2018. We have made the necessary preparations to comply with that order and have updated this page accordingly.
There are also a second type of Takata recalls which affects the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) vehicles, imported into NZ and these are referred to as the Takata Beta type and are not as yet mandatory, however we encourage all affected vehicle owners to have these recalls completed before they too become mandatory and move to becoming Ban Flagged if the recall has not been actioned for a considerable amount of time.
Takata Airbag or other Subaru Recall FAQs
If you have questions about the Takata Airbag or any other Recalls and how it might affect you or your vehicle, read some of the frequently asked questions below.
How do I know if my Subaru has been affected by a recall?
Contact any one of our Authorised Subaru Centres from the link below and they will be able to check recalls for your vehicle if provided with either your vehicle registration, VIN or chassis (imported cars) number. NZ new vehicle recalls may also be found on NZTA’s vehicle recall safety page online at www.vehiclerecallsafety.nzta.govt.nz/
I have received an initial Notification letter for a Recall, what do I need to do next?
In some cases, the Recall Notification letter will request you wait until a Recall Action letter is sent, in which case please do not contact the Authorised Subaru Centre yet. Subaru of New Zealand will make contact as soon as parts are available. Parts supply can take some time and the purpose of the initial notification letter is to inform you that your vehicle is affected by this recall. We ask for your understanding and patience as we await parts supply. Rest assured we will be in touch with you as soon as parts for your Subaru arrive with a second letter. In the meantime, you can register and update your contact details on our website here to ensure prompt communication through email.
I have been waiting for my second letter for a while now. Do I need to contact Subaru to let them know?
There may be some delay in receiving your second letter due to the above-mentioned parts supply constraints. Please rest assured that we will contact you with your second letter once the parts become available for your Subaru, you do not need to contact us again. If you have changed your contact details or on-sold your vehicle, please ensure this has been updated on NZTA: www.nzta.govt.nz/online-services/change-your-vehicle-address and also by updating the owner registration here. This will ensure there is no delay and we are able to get in touch as quickly as possible.
I have received my second letter regarding the Recall that identifies parts for my Subaru have arrived, what do I need to do next?
Please contact your nearest Authorised Subaru Centre to arrange a time suitable to complete the recall. You can find your nearest Authorised Subaru Centre here. Whilst there haven't been any known failures in New Zealand, we take safety very seriously. It is important that you act promptly to complete the recall, as many customers are not taking action, following our notification that parts are now available to complete the inspection/replacement. It won't cost you anything and shouldn’t take long.
I have sold my vehicle, what do I need to do?
If you have on-sold the vehicle please ensure you update your information and the new owner updates their details on the NZTA website www.nzta.govt.nz/online-services/change-your-vehicle-address and get the new owner to update their details on the owners registration here.
Subaru of New Zealand receive updated owner contact details at set periods from NZTA and use this information as a primary source to contact vehicle owners affected by a recall.
I have not received any letter and think my car may be affected, what do I do?
Given the ever-evolving nature of the recall and the number of used Japanese vehicles imported everyday, it may simply be that we have not received notification of all the affected vehicles. The best form of action to ensure you are kept informed about future developments is to ensure that contact and vehicle details are correct on NZTA and your register your vehicle and contact details on our Owners registration page here.
To register or update your details with Subaru, click here. If you still have further questions, please contact Subaru by filling out the form here.
How do I find my nearest Subaru Authorised Centre?
The notification letter usually indicates the Authorised Subaru Centre and their contact details, however you're also able to locate your nearest Authorised Subaru Centre here.