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2013 Subaru Tribeca
NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2013 Subaru Tribeca, covering air bags, latches/locks/linkages and power train, and 2 consumer complaints received since 2017.
The component named most often is air bags: 500 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 89.5 per 1,000 across all 2013 model-year vehicles and against 294.1 per 1,000 for the Subaru Tribeca line as a whole.
That is fewer than the average of 5.0 complaints per model year across the 8 Subaru Tribeca model years on this register.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 2017 (1); the most recent in the file is dated 9 Mar 2019.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-19.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign TKB-19).
Defect, as filed: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-19.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign TKC-19).
Defect, as filed: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-19.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign TKA-19).
Defect, as filed: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign TKA-18).
Defect, as filed: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Tribeca vehicles manufactured November 16, 2004, to January 27, 2014. Due to a possible malfunction of the hood safety system and hood lock system, the hood may open unexpectedly while driving.
Consequence: If the hood unexpectedly opens while driving, it may interfere with the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will complete this recall in two phases. Phase one will involve inspection, cleaning, and lubricating the hood safety and hood lock systems. If after this is performed the hood latch does not operate properly, it will be replaced with a new current style part. Phase two will involve installing an improved hood safety system and hood lock system. Interim notification was mailed March 4, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQX-59 (phase one) and WQY-60 (phase two).
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign WQX-59 and WQY-60); components: latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch; structure:body:hood.
Defect, as filed: Subaru of America is recalling certain model year 2014 Legacy 3.6R and Outback 3.6R and 2013 Tribeca vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through June 28, 2013 and equipped with 5-speed automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the parking rod may come loose inside the automatic transmission.
Consequence: As a result of the parking rod detaching, the transmission may not be able to be moved from the "park" position preventing the vehicle from being moved or driven. Furthermore, even with the transmission shifted into the 'park' position, the parking mechanism may not engage, and the vehicle may roll away while in the "park" position, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. The recall began during August 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall number is WQJ-46.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign WQJ-46).
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 2013 Subaru Tribeca (black) against all 2013 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 2013 | Tribeca line | All 2013 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 500 | 294.1 | 89.5 |
| Engine | 500 | 39.2 | 140.3 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 1 | 500 | 294.1 | 89.5 |
| Engine | 1 | 500 | 39.2 | 140.3 |
2 unique complaints, 2 component mentions; 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
No NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation action in the current file names this model year.
Other Subaru Tribeca model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 8 | 9 | 1,345,280 |
| 2007 | 8 | 4 | 1,345,280 |
| 2008 | 9 | 14 | 1,350,410 |
| 2009 | 9 | 5 | 1,370,663 |
| 2010 | 10 | 4 | 2,051,583 |
| 2011 | 8 | 2 | 1,956,789 |
| 2013 | 6 | 2 | 967,542 |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | 903,161 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Subaru Tribeca model years · Subaru: 29 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2013 Subaru Tribeca have?
6 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 19V008000, was reported to NHTSA on 9 Jan 2019 and concerns air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. Across all model years the Subaru Tribeca line has 17 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2013 Subaru Tribeca?
No NHTSA investigation in the current file names this model year.
What component do owners of the 2013 Subaru Tribeca complain about most?
Air Bags: 1 of 2 component mentions (500 per 1,000). Next is engine with 1. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.