'02, '03 Impreza Seat Rail Recall
 

Make : SUBARU Model : IMPREZA Year : 2002, 2003
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 04V342000 Recall Date : JUL 09, 2004
Component: SEATS
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 84574
Summary:
ON CERTAIN SEDAN AND WAGON MODEL VEHICLES, THE LEFT FRONT BOLT THAT RETAINS THE FORWARD PART OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT TO THE SEAT SLIDE RAIL MAY LOOSEN. IF THE SEAT SLIDE RAIL BOLT LOOSENS, IT WILL EVENTUALLY FALL OUT AND THE SEAT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE SEAT SLIDE.
Consequence:
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE DRIVER MAY SUSTAIN MORE SEVERE INJURIES DUE TO THE SEAT MOVEMENT.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LEFT HAND DRIVER'S SEAT RAIL MOUNTING BOLT. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
Notes:
CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Do you think we "bug-eye" owners should be calling about this?

Hm, I remember sonicsuby having to get this fixed like a year ago or something. The whole time, they kept saying stuff like "Oh no, its not a manufacturers defect, must be something else" Don't know if its the same bolt or not, but I remember it being in the drivers seat.

And yes, since this recall is for 2002 and 2003 Imprezas, I would definintely recommend all bug eye owners to call.

[QUOTE=nKoan]Hm, I remember sonicsuby having to get this fixed like a year ago or something. The whole time, they kept saying stuff like "Oh no, its not a manufacturers defect, must be something else" Don't know if its the same bolt or not, but I remember it being in the drivers seat.

And yes, since this recall is for 2002 and 2003 Imprezas, I would definintely recommend all bug eye owners to call.[/QUOTE]
It is. I should take mine in too - even though they were to have replaced everything I wanna be sure. Here's what I'm thinking is the bolt in question - I had to tighten it to hold me over until I could convince the dealer that seat movement really is a problem.

[img]http://www.freedombound.com/matt/pictures/seatfix.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.freedombound.com/matt/pictures/seatfix1.jpg[/img]

I searched up the actual notice on the NHTSA site. Here ya go (same text as above, I just wanted to make sure we verified the source):

[url=http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsummary.cfm?rcl_campaign_id=04V342000&make=SUBARU&model=IMPREZA&veh_model_year=2003]NHTSA Impreza Recall[/url]

I Had This Fall Out, One Day I Was Driving Along And Reached Into The Back Seat To Get My Cd Case And The Seat Shifted So Much I Thought The Seat Slide Rails Came Apart. Simple Fix I Got To Work That Day Drove The Car Into The Mechanic Bay Got Some Loc-tite And Torqued The Bolt Back Down, I Repeated This On The Other Three Bolts On My Seat. Just To Be Safe. Took Maybe 20 Minutes To Do This. No Big Deal.

i've had mine come loose as well. even after replacing the seat frame, it still comes loose periodically, so i'm taking mine in for sure. also i've had the bolts that hold the seat to the body come loose. subaru needs to learn that simple lock washers do not do the job in the long run.

How would I find any recalls for my 94 if that's at all possible since it is 10 years old.

[QUOTE=SubaLegRacer]How would I find any recalls for my 94 if that's at all possible since it is 10 years old.[/QUOTE]


[url]http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm[/url]

Thanks for the tip! As usual, I-Club beats SOA in letting us know of problems. I will check my '02 WRX today. A better lock washer and/or loctite ought to do it, as leaving the car to be done by the dealer always means a day out of my life.

i had the slider frame on my seat replaced about 1 year ago because that damn bolt kept loosening. i talked to the dealer about it then, the service adviser said if it kept coming loose, i could just tighten it up myself. I've also had the bolts that attach the frame to the floor come loose on numerous occasions. i've tightened them as well per the service adviser's advice. well, the bolt came loose again over the weekend, I tigthened it, and with not even half a turn, the head of the bolt sheared off. now i've got a car that's 7k miles out of warranty, and a unsafe seat. i'm taking it in tomorrow, and will hopefully have something to report here.

i got my car fixed at Autowest in roseville today. maita was no help, they didn't even have subaru techs working on a monday. so, i had to pay $110 to get it fixed, but they tightened everything and replaced the 4 bolts that attach it to the floor with grade-8 stainless bolts.

[QUOTE=RussB]i got my car fixed at Autowest in roseville today. maita was no help, they didn't even have subaru techs working on a monday. so, i had to pay $110 to get it fixed, but they tightened everything and replaced the 4 bolts that attach it to the floor with grade-8 stainless bolts.[/QUOTE]
It's no surprise that Maita didn't help you - they suck.

Why did you have to pay? If it's a recall it should be warranty.

it wasn't the seat slide rail. it was one of the bolts that attaches the seat to the floor. sorry, my wording wasn't very clear.

when i get my recall notice in, i may seek a refund. when one bolt in the system comes loose, and parts begin to vibrate, then more parts will be damaged. this is where i believe my problem came from.

just got my letter on this recall in the mail. it's subaru recall campaign WWT-04.