Subaru SUVs recalled in NJ – Could catch fire

Owners of certain Subaru Ascent SUVs are being urged to park them outside and away from structures due to a fire hazard.

Subaru has issued a recall of 272,000 Ascent model SUVs from 2019 through 2022. The company says the ground terminal of the vehicle heater may not have been properly tightened during assembly, and could cause a fire.

Not only should owners park their vehicles outside, they are being told by Subaru not to leave their running vehicles unattended until they bring the vehicle to a dealer for a repair.

If you have an Ascent, and you see or smell smoke coming from the dashboard or from the driver side footwell, it could indicate the ground wire has come loose, and it melting the the surrounding parts. That could spark a fire. Shut off the engine immediately, and call for roadside assistance.

No injuries are being reported connected to this recall.

While Subaru is notifying owners of the effected vehicles, they have also set up a website where you can enter your vehicles VIN number to see if it is effected.

You can access the website here.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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