2008 Subaru Tribeca Recalls, Complaints & Specs
9 safety recalls list the 2008 Subaru Tribeca, and owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
9 safety recalls for the 2008 Subaru Tribeca
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Switch (electrical system)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback and 2006-2009 Impreza (including WRX and STI models) and Tribeca vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2006-2008 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), Tribeca, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2017. Subaru owners may contact Subaru…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, Forester, 2006-2011 Impreza, Tribeca, 2003-2006 Baja, and 2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2006-2008 Impreza, Tribeca, 2006 Saab 9-2x, and 2003-2006 Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer…
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Latch (latches/locks/linkages) and hood (structure)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Tribeca vehicles manufactured November 16, 2004, to January 27, 2014. Due to a possible malfunction of the hood safety system and hood lock system, the hood may open unexpectedly while driving.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will complete this recall in two phases. Phase one will involve inspection, cleaning, and lubricating the hood safety and hood lock systems. If after this is performed the hood…
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Exterior lighting
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010 and 2011 Legacy and Outback vehicles, certain model year 2006 through 2012 Tribeca vehicles sold before January 2012, and certain model year 2009 through 2012 Forester vehicles sold before January 2012. Up to 78,650 of these vehicles may have been equipped with accessory puddle lights that,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional fused-harness, free of charge. The recall began February 19, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
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Electronic stability control (esc)
Subaru is recalling 5,130 my 2008-2009 tribeca passenger vehicles. The vehicle dynamic control (vdc) g-sensor was improperly installed. This sensor is designed to be mounted in a forward facing direction but may have been installed backwards during production.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the position of the vdc g-sensor. If the sensor is found to be installed correctly, no further action is needed. If the sensor is found to be installed incorrectly (backwards), the sensor will be…
14 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2008 Subaru Tribeca have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA; 2 describe a fire. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 63,445 miles. Complaints peaked in 2016 with 4 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“Tl* the contact owns a 2008 subaru tribeca. While the vehicle was parked, the contact observed smoke coming from the front driver's side of the vehicle. There were no flames visible. The fire departme”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, June 11, 2018 · Exterior lighting
“Was driving and went to park my car, notice there was smoke coming from the passenger side where the seat is. I looked up for any recalls and there was a recall for my car 2008 subaru tribeca for exte”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, June 10, 2018 · Electrical system
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2008 Subaru Tribeca (Tribeca AWD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 18 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 16 / 21 |
| Fuel | Regular |
| EPA class | Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD |
| Engine | 6 cyl, 3.6 L |
| Transmission | Automatic (S5) |
Compare Subaru Tribeca model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Subaru Tribeca model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 Subaru Tribeca | 8 | 9 |
| 2007 Subaru Tribeca | 8 | 4 |
| 2008 Subaru Tribeca | 9 | 14 |
| 2009 Subaru Tribeca | 9 | 5 |
| 2010 Subaru Tribeca | 10 | 4 |
| 2011 Subaru Tribeca | 8 | 2 |
| 2013 Subaru Tribeca | 6 | 3 |
| 2014 Subaru Tribeca | 4 | 0 |
Checking a specific 2008 Subaru Tribeca
How do I know if my 2008 Subaru Tribeca has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 9 campaigns currently list the 2008 Subaru Tribeca; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Subaru dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 08V645000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Subaru models
- Outback9,756 complaints
- Forester6,498 complaints
- Legacy3,185 complaints
- Impreza2,651 complaints
- Crosstrek1,186 complaints
- Ascent1,033 complaints
- WRX975 complaints
- Svx291 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.