Photo: Subaru / edited by autoevolution
Codenamed GD for the sedan and GG for the five-door wagon, the second-generation Impreza is affectionately nicknamed “Bugeye” for its cutesy headlights. The first refresh is called “Blobeye” by enthusiasts, and the second facelift “Hawkeye,” also after the headlights.
Subaru has issued a recall for 130 examples of the 2004 to 2005 model year Blobeye. The affected population concerns the Impreza and Impreza WRX, with Subaru noting that suspect vehicles had received replacement front passenger airbag inflators under a previous recall.
On January 31st, the third-party contractor tasked with canvassing and mobile repair for the previous recall informed Subaru that a couple of employees may have installed the replacement front passenger airbag inflators incorrectly. Come February 3rd, the unnamed contractor located a previously repaired vehicle and confirmed that – indeed – those two employees did a pretty awful job.
Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration don’t state whether said employees didn’t follow the installation instructions down to the letter or if the instructions were incorrect.
But whoever may be to blame, Subaru is certainly glad that zero technical reports and zero warranty claims are related to this concern. The Japanese automaker isn’t aware of any crashes or injuries either. The Blobeyes will have their passenger-side airbag inflator checked by dealers, and – if necessary – have their inflators replaced with brand-new ones at no cost to affected customers.
Owner notifications will be mailed no later than April 14th according to Subaru. The 130-vehicle recall population comprises eight units of the Blobeye Impreza sedan, nine units of the wagon, 97 units of the WRX sedan, and – breathe out - 16 units of the WRX wagon.
As noted earlier, we’re dealing with 2004 and 2005 model-year vehicles. Production dates for suspect Blobeyes range from January 14th, 2003 through March 19th, 2005. Owners shouldn’t ignore the Subaru-branded envelope coming via first-class mail because an incorrectly installed inflator may not inflate as intended, thus increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.
The Impreza was redesigned for the 2024 model year in November 2022 exclusively as a five-door hatchback. Subaru also dropped the manual transmission in favor of the Lineartronic continuously variable transmission, and – just like before – engine choices include 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter boxers, both of them naturally aspirated.
The Impreza WRX became WRX in 2014 for the 2015 model year with the introduction of the VA. The VB rolled out in 2021 for 2022 with a larger engine, namely a 2.4-liter turbo boxer as opposed to the previous 2.0.
The WRX retails at $29,605 sans destination charge at the moment of reporting. Be it the six-speed manual or Subaru Performance Transmission continuously variable transmission, the 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer produces 271 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm).
On January 31st, the third-party contractor tasked with canvassing and mobile repair for the previous recall informed Subaru that a couple of employees may have installed the replacement front passenger airbag inflators incorrectly. Come February 3rd, the unnamed contractor located a previously repaired vehicle and confirmed that – indeed – those two employees did a pretty awful job.
Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration don’t state whether said employees didn’t follow the installation instructions down to the letter or if the instructions were incorrect.
But whoever may be to blame, Subaru is certainly glad that zero technical reports and zero warranty claims are related to this concern. The Japanese automaker isn’t aware of any crashes or injuries either. The Blobeyes will have their passenger-side airbag inflator checked by dealers, and – if necessary – have their inflators replaced with brand-new ones at no cost to affected customers.
Owner notifications will be mailed no later than April 14th according to Subaru. The 130-vehicle recall population comprises eight units of the Blobeye Impreza sedan, nine units of the wagon, 97 units of the WRX sedan, and – breathe out - 16 units of the WRX wagon.
As noted earlier, we’re dealing with 2004 and 2005 model-year vehicles. Production dates for suspect Blobeyes range from January 14th, 2003 through March 19th, 2005. Owners shouldn’t ignore the Subaru-branded envelope coming via first-class mail because an incorrectly installed inflator may not inflate as intended, thus increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.
The Impreza was redesigned for the 2024 model year in November 2022 exclusively as a five-door hatchback. Subaru also dropped the manual transmission in favor of the Lineartronic continuously variable transmission, and – just like before – engine choices include 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter boxers, both of them naturally aspirated.
The Impreza WRX became WRX in 2014 for the 2015 model year with the introduction of the VA. The VB rolled out in 2021 for 2022 with a larger engine, namely a 2.4-liter turbo boxer as opposed to the previous 2.0.
The WRX retails at $29,605 sans destination charge at the moment of reporting. Be it the six-speed manual or Subaru Performance Transmission continuously variable transmission, the 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer produces 271 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm).
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