Recall Alert: 2013 Subaru Outback and Legacy

Subaru is recalling 5,379 model-year 2013 versions of the Outback and Legacy due to a problem with the steering column, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured from Feb. 15 through June 15, 2012; check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb. In these cars, the inner and outer shafts of the steering column assembly could become disengaged, leading to a possible loss of vehicle control. Subaru received customer complaints about a loss of steering ability, which led to the recall investigation, the automaker said in a statement.

Subaru will start notifying affected owners today, and dealers will replace the affected parts for free. Owners can call Subaru at 800-782-2783 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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Subaru Adds Jobs, Cars to Indiana Factory

In three years, the Subaru Impreza will hail from Indiana.

Subaru imports today's Impreza, which competes with the Honda Civic, Ford Focus and other compact cars, from Japan. Its sole U.S. plant in Lafayette, Ind., builds the larger Legacy sedan, the Outback wagon and a few Tribeca SUVs. It also builds the Camry sedan in a partnership with Toyota, which owns 16.5% of Subaru.

Lafayette has two assembly lines. In 2012, Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries announced a production increase along one line by 2014 to 200,000 cars a year from the current 170,000. The other line, which assembles the Camry, has an annual capacity of 100,000 units. The Associated Press reports Fuji Heavy wants to double that capacity and add the Impreza, investing $400 million and bringing employment to 4,500 from the current 3,600.

Recall Alert: 2005-09 Subaru Outback, Legacy

Subaru is recalling certain model-year 2005-09 Outback wagons and Legacy sedans due to a problem with the brake lines that could cause corrosion, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In its April 1 recall report, NHTSA stated that the exact number of vehicles affected was still undetermined; a Reuters story puts the number around 200,000.

Affected vehicles were manufactured between December 2003 and April 2009 and registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. According to NHTSA, salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector and result in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. This could cause brake fluid leakage, which could necessitate longer stopping distances and increase the risk of a crash.

Recall Alert: 2012 Subaru Outback and Legacy

Subaru is recalling just 14 model-year 2012 Outback wagons and Legacy sedans due to a problem with the moonroof glass that could cause it to detach, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Affected vehicles were manufactured between April 6 and May 12, 2011. An inadequate amount and position of adhesive between the glass and retainer of the moonroof could cause the glass to loosen and detach while driving, creating a potential road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash, according to NHTSA.

Subaru has already notified affected owners, and dealers will inspect the condition of the glass adhesion and either apply additional adhesive or replace the moonroof glass for free, according to NHTSA. For more info, owners can call NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov.

Earlier this month, NHTSA announced that Subaru was recalling just 16 model-year 2012 Outback and Legacy vehicles also manufactured from April 6 to May 12, 2011. That recall stemmed from a problem with the windshield wiper motor and was an expansion of a previous recall from 2011.

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Recall Alert: 2012 Subaru Outback and Legacy
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Recall Alert: 2012 Subaru Outback and Legacy

Subaru is recalling just 16 model-year 2012 versions of the Outback and Legacy due to a problem with the windshield wiper motor, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It's an expansion of an earlier recall that affected model-year 2010-11 versions of the cars.

The affected vehicles were manufactured from April 6 through May 12, 2011 (check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb), and use a wiper motor cover that may overheat. This could lead to a fire.

Subaru has already notified all affected owners, and dealers will replace the wiper motor cover for free. Owners can call Subaru at 800-782-2783 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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Recall Alert: Subaru Legacy, Outback, Impreza and XV Crosstrek

Subaru is recalling 47,419 model-year 2010-13 vehicles due to a problem with the remote start system, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles use an Audiovox remote engine starter accessory and either a continuously variable automatic transmission or an automatic transmission. They include model-year 2010-13 Outbacks and Legacys, 2012-13 Imprezas and 2013 XV Crosstreks.

If the key fob is dropped, it could malfunction and randomly start the engine and continue to start and stop it until the battery in the fob is depleted or the car runs out of gas. According to Subaru, original equipment keyless entry fobs integrated on the vehicle key are not affected.

Subaru will notify owners starting in April, and dealers will replace the affected key fobs for free. Owners can call Subaru at 800-782-2783 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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Recall Alert: 633,842 Subaru Vehicles

Subaru is recalling 633,842 vehicles due to faulty lamp wiring, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The following vehicles are affected: model-year 2009-12 Foresters, 2010-11 Legacys, 2010-11 Outbacks and 2006-12 Tribecas.

These vehicles could be equipped with faulty puddle lamp wiring, which if exposed to electrolytic moisture (like road salt), could short circuit. This could lead to a fire. According to Subaru, the recall is a result of customers' complaints regarding smoke and/or fire coming out from the puddle lights.

Subaru will notify owners starting in February, and dealers will inspect and replace the affected parts for free. Owners can call Subaru at 800-782-2783 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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Honda Shines, Toyota Falls in Latest IIHS Crash Tests

The 2013 Toyota Camry sedan and Prius v hybrid (above, right) failed a new crash test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that simulates a frontal impact overlapping a small portion of the car — say, piling into a tree from your left headlight. IIHS announced today its test of 18 model-year 2013 family cars. It's the largest yet for the so-called "small overlap" frontal test that many luxury brands failed in August 2012.

At the other end, the Honda Accord sedan and nearly-defunct Suzuki Kizashi (above, left) earned IIHS' top score, Good; 11 other cars — including the Accord coupe — earned Acceptable ratings. The IIHS rates cars Good, Acceptable, Marginal or Poor. Of the 18 cars tested, the Toyotas scored Poor, but the Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Malibu and Volkswagen Jetta sedan scored Marginal.

Black Friday: Best Cars for Serious Shoppers

A successful Black Friday shopping trip is all in the planning. Bargain hunters study store ads and websites as though they're cramming for a test, and now they have less time to do so as several major chains — Sears, Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us — will open their doors on Thanksgiving evening instead of 4 or 5 a.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving.

There's one thing that Black Friday shoppers can plan before the deal-laden store circulars arrive: which car to take.

Black Friday shoppers might think bigger is better — big SUVs, minivans — when it comes to picking a car for hauling all their bargains. They're not wrong, especially if they're hoping to bag a gigantic flat-screen TV at a low price. But nimble, small cars in busy parking lots shouldn't be left out of the Black Friday fun. Here are our top picks for Black Friday haulers.

2013 Honda Crosstour: First Look

• Competes with: Toyota Venza, Subaru Outback,Nissan Murano
• Looks like: A more-lovable-looking Crosstour with some Accord design influence
• Drivetrain: New 3.5-liter V-6 with six-speed automatic
• Hits dealerships: Tuesday,Nov. 20

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the 2013 Honda Crosstour production model is that there's so little distinction to be made between it and the concept version that debuted at the 2012 New York Auto Show. Even then it was clear that this concept was only a concept, well, in concept.

Needless to say, there's not a lot to talk about in terms of brand-new features on the 2013 Crosstour, which goes on sale Tuesday — except that its base price of $27,230 is $525 less than it was in 2012 (Honda has not yet listed the car's destination fee).

Concept-car aesthetics that have made their way to the production model include more rugged exterior styling thanks to a redesigned front end and new grille. It also gets new bumper fog lights, front-diffuser designs and Accord-inspired exaggerated lower-front-intake flares. The rugged look is achieved with black composite plastic along the sill plates and front and rear bumper edges. Newly available paint colors include Kona Coffee Metallic and Mountain Air Metallic.