Vehicle recall 12V099000 · March 13, 2012
2009-2012 Subaru Forester
THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR in the SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES LOCATED IN THE REAR CENTER SEATING OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES DO NOT MEET LOCKABILITY REQUIREMENTS AND FAIL TO COMPLY…
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2012 FORESTER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 26, 2007, THROUGH MARCH 13, 2012. THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR in the SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES LOCATED IN THE REAR CENTER SEATING OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES DO NOT MEET LOCKABILITY REQUIREMENTS AND FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION. SPECIFICALLY, THE ASSEMBLIES MAY NOT PERMIT PROPER INSTALLATION AND SECURE ATTACHMENT OF A CHILD RESTRAINT IN THAT SEATING POSITION.
- Consequence
- An insecure installation of a child restraint can increase the risk of injury to a child during a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear center seat belt assembly with a newly modified automatic locking retractor, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed on March 26, 2012. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
- Notes
- Subaru's recall campaign number is wqa-37.CUSTOMERS may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 12V099000
- Reported to NHTSA
- March 13, 2012
- Filed by
- SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
- Manufacturer campaign
- WQA-37
- Owner notification
- March 26, 2012
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 326,014
- Initiated by
- NHTSA’s Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance
- Components
- Seat belts › Rear/other
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Subaru Forester (2009-2012): 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009
Has your Subaru been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. A Subaru dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.