Subaru recalls 600,000 vehicles for fear of accessory lamp fires

Car maker Subaru has found itself in the unenviable position of having to recall more than half a million vehicles today. The company is recalling 633,842 vehicles in total, and the models it wants back span quite a large range of years, so there are a significant number of Subaru owners affected here. Apparently, there's a problem with a fuse in an accessory light that could potentially lead to a fire, so Subaru is recalling these vehicles to check the lights and make sure they're good to go.

The good news is that there haven't been any fires reported, though there has been one reported instance of smoke. More good news: it seems that not every car recalled even has this accessory light, with Subaru saying that it believes only 54,000 vehicles are truly at risk. Still, risk of fire is enough to worry Subaru, so it wants check all of these vehicles out just the same.

Here's the problem: moisture containing salt could potentially work its way into the light's housing, and if it comes into contact with the circuit board, a fire might not be far off. Thankfully, there haven't been any reported injuries, so Subaru is getting to this problem before it causes any real damage. The cars affected by this fault includes Forester models released between 2009 to 2012, Outback and Legacy models from 2010 to 2012, and Tribeca models from 2006 to 2012.

If you own one of those cars, you should get in touch with your dealer. If you have one of the faulty lights, your dealer will install a harness on the lamp, which helps cut out the risk of fire. We'll keep you posted on any new developments with the recall, so stay here at SlashGear for more.

[via NBC News]