Subaru Recalls Nearly 50,000 Vehicles Over Self-Starting Issue

Thanks to a remote starter glitch, Subaru is recalling 47,419 of its vehicles over an issue that results in the cars starting up by themselves. According to documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall affects some Legacy and Outback cars from 2010 through 2013, Impreza sedans from 2012 and 2013, and XV Crosstrek crossovers from 2013.

It turns out that if owners accidentally drop the remote starter key fob, it could trigger a glitch that starts the engine without any button on the fob being pressed. It's said that the engine may run for up to 15 minutes, and could even continue to start and stop until the remote starter battery is dead or the vehicle runs out of gas.

The NHTSA documents mentioned no reports of any accidents or injuries from the glitch, but one of the biggest safety concerns with this issue is the chance of asphyxiation from carbon monoxide buildup if the vehicle is parked in an enclosed garage. It's also said that all the vehicles affected have either automatic or continuously variable transmissions.

The recall is expected to begin by the end of April, and it only affects Subaru vehicles that are equipped with the remote starter accessory kits, meaning that OEM keyless entry fobs integrated on the vehicle key don't apply. Subaru has said that the defect doesn't pose a risk while driving, so the chances of getting an accident due to the glitch are extremely low.

[via Reuters]