“Rattle” or “Popping” Sound From Rear Door Area – 2012 Subaru Impreza

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Bulletin Number: 12-148-13; Date: 03/27/13 Page 1 INTRODUCTION This bulletin provides a repair procedure to address a customer concern of a “rattle” or “popping” sound which could come from either of the rear door opening areas. The sound may occur over small bumps or when a twisting motion is introduced into the vehicle body at low speeds. The cause is an insufficient gap between multiple layers of the body structure where they are spot-welded together as shown in the illustrations below. NUMBER: 12-148-13 DATE: 03/27/13 APPLICABILITY: 2012MY Impreza SUBJECT: “Rattle” or “Popping” Sound From Rear Door Area SERVICE BULLETIN ATTENTION: GENERAL MANAGER q PARTS MANAGER q CLAIMS PERSONNEL q SERVICE MANAGER q IMPORTANT – All Service Personnel Should Read and Initial in the boxes provided, right. Continued… CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS. Subaru Service Bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians ONLY. They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do the job correctly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that this Service Bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. IS “ISO 14001 COMPLIANT” The international standard for excellence in Environmental Management Systems. Please recycle or dispose of automotive products in a manner that is friendly to our environment and in accordance with all local, state and federal laws and regulations. View is from above the vehicle, looking down into the L/R door jamb / floor area. 3M Ultrapro Automotive Body Sealer 08302 (or equivalent, available at most automotive jobbers) Castle Products “Endura” is a spray grease product available through their network of local distributors. To find your closest local Castle Products distributor go to http://www.castlepackspower.com or call: 1-800-876-0222 Bulletin Number: 12-148-13; Date: 03/27/13 Page 2 SERVICE PROCEDURE / INFORMATION 1. Remove the rear seat cushion and the door sill trim panel to access the affected area shown below following the procedures outlined in the applicable Service Manual. Once the seat cushion and trim are removed, road test the vehicle again to confirm the area circled in the photo below is the source of the sound. 2. Remove the sealer from the seam “A” areas shown in the photo above using a scraper. 3. Next, using a pick tool as shown in the photo below, remove the sealer from between the layers of sheet metal. Continued… Source Area of Sound, R/R Door Opening Shown Fuel level sensor access cover (for reference only). Seam “B” Seam “A” B B A A Bulletin Number: 12-148-13; Date: 03/27/13 Page 3 4. Once the sealer has been removed, using a flat-blade screw driver, carefully work it in between the layers of sheet metal and increase the gap in the areas between the spot-welds in the two “A” sections shown on page 2 first. Only spread the layers enough to allow the spray grease to penetrate (Step 7). 5. Next, road test the vehicle again to confirm whether or not the sound has been eliminated. 6. If the sound persists, repeat Steps 2 – 5 on the “B” sections shown on page 2. 7. Once the sound has been eliminated, apply the spray grease into the gaps created between the layers of sheet metal. 8. Clean off any excess spray grease from outside the gaps using a clean shop cloth with solvent or brake cleaner applied. 9. Once the area is clean and dry, apply body sealer to seal the gaps made between the spot-welds. 10. Reinstall the trim panels and the rear seat cushion to complete the repair. WARRANTY / CLAIM INFORMATION For vehicles within the Basic New Car Limited Warranty period, this repair may be claimed using the following information: LABOR DESCRIPTION LABOR OPERATION # FAIL CODE LABOR TIME Impreza RH Rear Door Sill Popping Sound Repair A900-551 OBX-25 0.7 Impreza LH Rear Door Sill Popping Sound Repair A900-552 OBY-25 0.7 Impreza Door Sill Popping Sound Repair, BOTH Sides A900-554 OBZ-25 0.9 NOTE: Up to $5.00 can be claimed in Sublet to cover the cost of body sealer and spray grease.

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