Subaru Tribeca Recalls

The Subaru Tribeca has 19 recalls covering the entire 2006–2014 production run, with the most serious being a passenger-side frontal airbag inflator that can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin, affecting all model years from 2006 through 2014. This Takata inflator issue spans the full production run and was addressed through multiple campaigns covering different year ranges and geographic regions, including targeted filings for high-humidity states and separate campaigns for cooler-climate states. The core danger is the same across all of them: in a crash, the inflator can explode rather than deploy normally, and the resulting metal fragments can strike the front passenger, driver, or other occupants.

The 2010 model year has two door-related concerns. The inner door handle cable can catch in the window regulator mechanism when a window is operated, disengaging the latch and allowing the door to swing open while driving. This same underlying issue was also documented in a separate filing covering 2010 vehicles produced between September 2009 and March 2010.

The 2013 model year has a transmission recall involving the parking rod inside the 5-speed automatic, which can come loose and prevent the transmission from shifting out of park, leaving the vehicle immobile.

On the 2006–2008 models, a replacement ignition switch with a weak internal spring can cause the engine to shut off unexpectedly while driving, and if a crash follows, the airbags may not deploy.

The 2009 model year has a stability control sensor that can be installed incorrectly, causing unpredictable handling during hard braking or sharp turns.

Hood latch failures affect the full 2006–2014 run: both the primary and secondary latches can fail simultaneously, allowing the hood to fly open at speed and block the driver's view of the road.

The 2006 model year alone has two additional issues: dealer-installed accessory puddle lights that can short-circuit, melt, and start a fire, and an early version of the hood latch problem specific to that first production year.