National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has requested a recall of roof-mounted kits for Mazda and Subaru vehicles from aftermarket supplier Thule. According to the report the bolts of the owner-installed roof-mounted carriers might snap off “during use or without a load. The unsecured rack and load can then come loose while driving, creating a potential road hazard, possibly resulting in vehicle crash.”

The recall includes 2007-‘09 Mazda CX-7, 2007-‘09 Mazda CX-9, 2004-‘09 Mazda 3, 2006-‘09 Mazda 5, 2003-‘09 Mazda 6, 2009 Subaru Forester, 2008-‘09 Subaru Impreza; 2008-‘09 Subaru Impreza WRX STI; 2008-‘09 Subaru Impreza WRX; and 2008-‘09 Subaru Outback Sport.

Thule says there have been no reports as for bolt failure in North America, but there were seven reports on the same fact in Europe. None of the failures resulted in injuries.

In order to fix the problem, the manufacturer will mail a retrofit kit with repair instructions to owners for free. The recall will start in a few days, but if you need to contact Thule, call (800) 238-2388.