Subaru Australia recalls more than 121,000 vehicles: Forester, XV, Impreza, and WRX models impacted

Subaru has launched a major 121,754-vehicle recall to fix a potential fault which can cause the brake lights to fail (though the brakes themselves will still work), with every Forester, WRX, Impreza and XV sold over a particular timeframe impacted.

Subaru says every 2013, 2014 and 2015 model year Forester is being recalled (39,121 vehicles), as well as every Impreza sold between 2009 and 2016 (36,820 vehicles).

The XV compact SUV is impacted, too, with every 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 model year vehicle being recalled (38,252 cars). There are also 6853 WRX (MY09-14) and 708 WRX STI (MY11-14) on the recall list.

The Australian cars form part of a massive global recall expected to impact around 2.3 million vehicles - which would make this the biggest recall in the Japanese brand's history.

"The recall is due to the possibility of external contaminants potentially seeping into the Stop Light Switch housing, which may lead to a conduction failure," a statement from Subaru Australia reads.

"If the Stop Light Switch fails, the brakes will continue to work, however the brake lights will not illuminate if the brake pedal is depressed. Further, in some affected variants, the vehicle may also not be able to be restarted after the ignition has been turned off.

"If the vehicle detects that the Stop Light Switch has failed, a warning light will be illuminated in the Combination Meter Display, warning of the issue."

Subaru says the rectification work will be carried out free of charge, and that the fix should take about 30 minutes. The company is currently waiting on parts before contacting customers.

Have you ever had a vehicle recalled? Tell us about your experience below.