NHTSA Complaint #10822264 — 2006 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA

WE WERE IN THE LEFT LANE OF THE INTERSTATE GOING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. WITHOUT WARNING THE HOOD OF OUR 2006 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA UNLATCHED ITSELF AND THE FORCE OF THE AIRSTREAM FOLDED IT BACK PAST THE LIMITS OF ITS HINGES SHATTERING THE WINDSCREEN, SEPARATING THE REAR VIEW MIRROR FROM THE WINDSCREEN AND DISLODGING MANY PIECES OF TRIM INSIDE THE CABIN. OUR VIEW OUT TO THE FRONT ON THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE WINDSCREEN WAS COMPLETELY OBSCURED BY THE HOOD AND BY THE SHATTERED SAFETY GLASS. MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BY REFERENCING THE DIVIDER WALL AND BEGAN A SLOW DECELERATION AND MOVED TOWARD THE LEFT SHOULDER. AS THE LEFT SHOULDER PROVED TO BE TOO NARROW TO SAFELY ACCOMMODATE THE VEHICLE, SHE THEN MANEUVERED THE VEHICLE ACROSS THE INTERSTATE TOWARD THE RIGHT SHOULDER, REFERENCING TRAFFIC BEHIND US BY LOOKING OVER HER SHOULDER. SHE ALSO ACTIVATED THE FOUR WAY FLASHERS TO INDICATE TO OTHER TRAFFIC THAT WE WERE IN DISTRESS. I LOWERED MY PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW AND ASSISTED HER WITH CROSSING THE INTERSTATE BY GIVING HER RAPID INSTRUCTIONS AS TO THE LOCATIONS OF OTHER VEHICLES AND SIGNALING TO OTHER VEHICLES THAT WE WERE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. WHEN WE REACHED THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER, WE STOPPED AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. AFTER CONFIRMING NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED TO ANY PASSENGERS, I LOWERED THE HOOD AND SECURED IT. I OBSERVED THAT THE ROOF WAS DENTED IN AND THAT THE SECONDARY LATCH THAT SECURES THAT HOOD DOWN WAS NO LONGER CONNECTED TO THE HOOD. THE TWO FASTENERS HAD SHEARED YET THERE WAS NO DEFORMATION OF THE SHEET METAL AT THE ATTACH POINT OF THE HOOD AND THE LATCH. YOU COULD CONCLUDE FROM THIS THAT WHATEVER THE FASTENERS WERE WAS MADE OF SUCH AN INFERIOR MATERIAL THAT IT DID NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH TO EVEN MILDLY DEFORM THE SHEET METAL BEFORE THEY THEMSELVES FAILED. WE WERE LUCKY WE WERE NOT KILLED.