Subaru is recalling 51,707 examples of the 2025 Forester Hybrid and 17,446 units of the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid in the United States due to an issue that could cause a fire. The company is advising owners to park these vehicles outdoors, away from buildings, and to limit the fuel level to 50% until the repair is complete.While both of these models are among Subaru's newer hybrid offerings, the problem actually has nothing to do with the additional electrical components. Instead, increased pressure in the fuel tank can cause gasoline to go up the filler neck and leak out. Obviously, gas is highly combustible, so if this occurs, the fuel could ignite, resulting in a fire. The Cause For The Recall SubaruSubaru first learned about this issue on December 23, 2025, when it received technical reports of fuel leaks at the filler in these vehicles. From December 29, 2025, to January 12, 2026, the company's engineers worked on reproducing the problem, and they were successfully able to do so, confirming the fault. From there, the automaker began investigating parts returned from the field. The issue was an insufficient seal on the fuel cap assembly.The specific issue is explained in Subaru's analysis:"If the affected vehicles are left parked when the fuel tank is near full capacity, a significant increase in ambient temperature may cause the fuel to expand, increasing the pressure in the fuel tank and causing the fuel level to rise up the filler neck. Under this condition, an insufficient seal on the fuel cap assembly may allow fuel to leak from the filler neck."Subaru has 33 technical reports about this issue occurring in the US. However, the company is not aware of any fires or injuries due to a fuel leak. It's recalling the affected vehicles out of an abundance of caution. Some of the affected 2026 Crosstrek examples are brand-new vehicles and will receive repairs before delivery to owners.At this time, it's unclear if non-hybrid models could experience a similar leak. The recall only applies to hybrid models. Subaru will begin specific owner notification through letters mailed on March 25, 2026. Dealers were notified of the recall on February 16. If owners are curious whether their vehicle is affected, they can search the VIN on Subaru's recall lookup tool. Background On These Vehicles Brett T. Evans/CarBuzz/ValnetSubaru has built hybrid versions of the Crosstrek before, but the model received an overhaul for the 2026 model year. It now comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors – a traction unit and a generator. The total output is 194 horsepower.Meanwhile, Subaru introduced the Forester Hybrid for the 2025 model year. Like the Crosstrek, it uses a hybrid-assisted 2.5-liter flat-four-cylinder that also makes 194 hp.