Subaru is recalling more than 10,000 2014 model Forester vehicles because the carpeted floor mats were not manufactured properly and can interfere with the gas, accelerator, brake or clutch pedals. Brake or accelerator pedal interference may result in high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop.
In the required NHTSA filing just made public, Subaru said that the percentage of affected vehicles likely to experience the failure is unknown, so it will replace each car’s four carpeted floor mats on all of the potentially affected vehicles.
The resin composition used for the floor mat backing was not manufactured to specification by Pretty Products in La Grange, Georgia. This can cause the floor mats to curl when exposed to heat.
Owners can contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 about recall campaign number WQH-44. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov. The NHTSA Campaign Number is 13V159.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
