Hyper-flash recall notice
 

I haven't seen this posted anywhere else, but I just received a recall notice for the hyper-flash issue that many have experienced.

The recall number is WRM-23.

Not sure is this is Canada specific or global.

The recall states that there are currently no parts available to resolve the issue.

I have posted about it with links to the documents on the NHTSA website in the issues section. It's in a stickied post.

I'm waiting on my letter since I've got an Oct '22 build date.

Is that number assigned by Subaru? Wasn't sure if the Canadian vs US recall numbers might be different if they are derived by the government agency directing the recall or from the company who builds the car.

The US recall number is the same.

I just had a random thought that "Hyper-Flash" would be a sweet name for some sort of crazy fluorescent paint colour (sort of like that one that they do on the Corvette and Camaro recently, that highlighter yellow-green). Imagine a special edition BRZ with that as a custom colour with matching interior accents...and that colour name as a bit of a self-deprecating in-joke... Thanks for listening to my stream-of-consciousness, stay tuned for more tangential nonsense...

I've only ever had the hyper-flash when its like deathly cold out (-20s or -30s) and even then it disappears as the car warms up. Is that typical to everyone's experience? I sort of forget its even an issue except for a few weeks in January/February.

Cool, I'm not on the forums much these days.

I'm an EE by degree, and the description of the issue is a typical description of a circuit which has a meta-stability issue.

I guess I'll get to leave my care with the dealer for a day when they eventually have the parts for the repair.

When I first bought the car I could the blinkers to hyperflash very easily regardless of temperature and even in the dark; which seems to go against the rational for the recall. However, the longer I've owned the car the less it has done it, and I can't even remember the last time it's happened. Been months since it has happened.

When I was getting the hyperflash, it seemed like I could control it based on how I applied the blinker lever. If I did a really fast jab-like flick, it would hyperflash, but when I slowed down the movement of the level, it would blink normally.

Either way, the dealer swirled up the piano black tops of the lights before I bought the car and I'm looking forward to some fresh new ones.

Has anyone received the second letter from Subaru officially notifying them parts are available and to schedule a service appointment to get the problem fixed?

The first notification letter showed up in early November and stated a follow up notice was expected to be sent in December when parts became available. I still haven't seen a follow up letter, but received an e-mail from my purchasing/servicing dealership stating my car had an outstanding safety recall that must be fixed right away. I found this interesting because I've normally seen the official notification show up from the automaker first and was then contacted by a dealership. Not the other way around.

Something I find interesting too was after the initial recall notice released in December, a VIN lookup at Subaru didn't show any pending recalls, but it did at the NTHSA site. Once the e-mail dropped yesterday, I get reminders in the MySubaru app and it shows up on the Subaru recall site now too. Apparently, they don't care to list it until there are parts available to fix the problem.

Yes. I got mine the other day.

I went to the local dealer and they ordered all the parts including fasteners. Each dealership has no idea who will come to them to do the work, so it’s up to the owner to get the ball rolling.

Just another data point: I got my letter last night.

I have to do that with almost every service visit. My car is the only BRZ they see (I think they've only sold a couple other than mine), so I have to do a lot of hand holding to make sure things are done right.

Mildly annoying that this is going to take two dealer visits but similar boat - my dealer never sees BRZs so they don't keep anything on hand. Thankfully I never have to go there outside of recall or warranty work. Took my car there today for the recall "inspection" and the new tail lights will be here in a week. Bit of a waste of my time but oh well.

Got mine scheduled for 2/6. They could have done sooner, but my schedule didn't line up, so will have to wait a few weeks. Will be nice to have the hyper-flash fixed.

Got my second letter and called the dealer Friday. They wanted to do an inspection before they ordered the replacement parts. I said no way it is a 150 mile round trip. Told the guy to read the recall notice. The tail lights will be replaced no inspection needed. He agreed. Got a call Monday parts were in. Made an appointment for 8am Tuesday. Drove off at 8:20.

The turn signals are different. For the 3 blink to activate I need to move the stick a lot more than before. Also they do flash slower. No big deal.

Thanks to everyone bringing up the issues with the dealer wanting to do an inspection. The letter an the e-mail I got from my dealer makes things sound straight forward and I would not even thought about the hassle of doing an inspection for a recall that clearly states an unconditional replacement.

I'll add this to the 24-month service I've got coming up. We'll see how it goes.

I went to my dealer gave the letter to the service advisor, and said order the parts for this and they did. No inspection.

Now to see how long it takes to come in.

Please forgive me if it has already been mentioned but what parts are being replaced?

Just the tail light assemblies from what I've read. Should be a pretty quick/easy swap.

I am always leery of dealership monkeys working on my car leaving scratches and/or not installing gaskets properly resulting in leaks.

There are no gaskets on these taillights.

If they scratch it, they get to pay to fix it.

I added the recent parts and procedures for the recall into the second gen TSB database in the issues subforum.

I think it would still be useful to have this link in this thread:
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/202...3V609-1044.pdf

2 weeks later parts are in. Now to schedule...

I’m scheduled to have the replacement done on April 10th.
Anyone who has it completed before then, let us know how it went.

I had the recall done on my car last Friday and it was a pretty easy process. I was due for an oil change, so it was all rolled into one visit. I called about three weeks ago to set up the appointment and the service department ordered the parts.

The work was done pretty quickly and no issues despite my car being the only BRZ they seem to see and this was first time they did this particular recall job. The new assemblies look a little different to me, but I can't place my finger on the differences.

Before I left the have the recall done, I'd only had the the hyperflash occur on a couple occasions right after I bought the car two years ago. I thought the problem was a little over-blown. However, I discovered this was likely because my driving patterns and the direction I drive relative to the sun. Driving west to the dealership in the early morning put the sun almost level into the tail lights and they hyperflashed all the way there! For those who have had issues this whole time, I really hope this fixes things for you.

I had the update done yesterday. Letter said the process takes 45 minutes. Dealer said 2 hrs. Guess who was right. The taillight assemblies look slightly different. The tech said it might have been due to a seal but they weren't sure - my car was the first done.

No issues - everything looks good.

In what way do they look different to you?

Interesting that some dealerships demand an "inspection" before ordering - even with the VIN specific recall letter. A friend with same recall went to another nearby dealership and set up to have it done in 1 visit. weird.

The dealerships asking for an inspection aren't reading the recall notice since it clearly states the the part on every vehicle within a certain production date/VIN range must be replaced.

Rather than reading the recall notice, they are likely treating it like some recalls which are written a little more broadly such that a vehicle must be inspected to see if a certain condition exists and only after finding a problem can they order parts and perform work. In this instance, an inspection makes no sense and wastes everyone's time.

The SA who set up my appointment read the notice while I was on the phone with them, so they worked the parts order and the scheduling of the appointment all at the same time.

My advice would be for everyone to push back or call a different dealer if told to come in for an inspection.

yea, I tried scheduling an oil change/24 month service (included in 2 years free service) AND to do the recall fix. When I called I explained I received the 2 letters, both with VIN specific recall notices. Guy said they'd have to inspect it first. When I took it in I brought the letter, showed it to him - I said this is VIN specific, and look, the VIN matches my car, lol. Then he stammered out something about he couldn't order it, it had to be inspected by a tech and ordered by that tech.

That's horrible. I was in the EXACT same situation, I combined the 24-month service with the recall.

I don't see how the SA could NOT see the recall before you showed them the letter. When I called my dealership, they were able to link my phone number to the sales record of the car, the VIN and the service record for the car. It also flags any recalls and service campaigns right there on the screen. Not only did the person taking service calls (not the same person who meets you when you show up) see it, but the SA who checked me in had a huge flag pop up on his screen and was able to read it as well. I would think all this data is coming from Subaru NA and not some customer dealership system.

I had the recall on the MySubaru app and at least one e-mail as backup, but didn't need it.

oh he had it all, in fact he stupidly said something like, "the recall is VIN specific" - I couldn't help laughing out loud and said, "well, I have the specific VIN!" He said he knew. Point is they very much knew the situation, my VIN, the recall notice, everything - also bought the car from them. The SA offered a loaner car for when I bring it back in as an act of good will, lol...which is also strange - the recall notice says aprox 45 mins, why would I need a loaner for that.

I think the loaner offer is a standard thing from Subaru NA for any recall work.

I too was offered a loaner when I made the appointment and took them up on it. However, when I showed up to my appointment, they backed out of the deal because the work should take less than an hour. I was pretty ticked because I had only taken off enough time from work to get the car to the dealer and drive home again. I ended up getting back to work about a little over an hour later than expected. It was the one dark cloud over this whole event.

Got this recall done today. Dealership had the parts in stock when I called to make the appointment.

Was my first time dealing with a Subaru service center and it went well. The work took an hour and 10 minutes, there was no inspection and they did not wash my car per my request. Got the car back exactly as I gave it to them and the service writer was nice.

No complaints.

edit: 1 complaint. the inch and a half scratch they left in my drivers door jamb. thanks jerks.

https://i.imgur.com/tmXRFkm.jpeg