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While we typically think of recalls as covering particularly dangerous mechanical or electrical defects in vehicles, truthfully they cover any defect with safety-related equipment, no matter how small. In the case of the Subaru recall we're covering here, it covers a huge number of vehicles for something that many people might not even look at. However, there are important reasons that even this seemingly minor issue is important to correct.
Subaru's Biggest SUV Makes Up The Majority Of Recalled Vehicles
The total number of vehicles recalled comes to 541,237. More than half of those are Subaru Ascents: 384,407 examples from model year 2019 to 2026. Next up is the 2025 to 2026 Subaru Forester Hybrid at 77,504, the regular Forester from the same years at 49,946, and the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid at 29,380.
The exact issue has to do with the stickers inside the doors that give information about tire pressure and vehicle weight ratings. Apparently, the gross axle weight rating (GAWR) was incorrect on all of these vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ran across some issues, and reported them to Subaru. The automaker then went through its ratings all the way back to 2003 to check for issues, resulting in this recall.
While this is just for a sticker, and one that many owners probably never pay any attention to, it's important that it's correct for more reasons than just because the law says so. These stickers are there to help owners know how much weight their vehicle as a whole, from tires to chassis, can safely carry and handle. If it's not correct, it's more likely that someone could overload their vehicle, which could lead to brakes being overwhelmed, suspension components breaking, or tires blowing out, among others.
This is also far from the only seemingly minor recall we've ever seen. Not too long ago, Ram recalled some of its 2500 heavy-duty pickup trucks due to a speed limiter that would let the truck go faster than its tires were rated for. That's of course important, because the only thing worse than a tire failure is one at high speeds. However, anyone taking a 2500 to those speeds would also probably be obliterating US speed limits.
Though, really, only one recall we've come across feels truly silly, and that would be one for the ID. Buzz's third-row seats. They were apparently too wide for having only two seatbelt provisions. Presumably the thinking is that it's too easy to fit three across back there, but the center position wouldn't have a belt. So VW had to install some trim to narrow the rearmost seat.
You Won't Even Have To Go To The Dealer
The good news about this recall is that the fix is so simple, you can do it. That's no exaggeration. According to the recall documentation, Subaru will be mailing out corrected labels that the owners are supposed to place over the old one. That's all it takes. It's arguably going to be easier than a software update. However, if any owners aren't entirely comfortable with that, they can go to the dealer to have the new label affixed there for no charge.
Source: NHTSA
