Another day, another recall. This time, it affects the 2019 Subaru Outback and 2019 Subaru Legacy. And it sounds serious, too, as Subaru is offering to buy back a few thousand cars if they’re found to have the defect.
The issue is that certain welds that are located on the duct under the cowl panel could have been improperly applied during production, according to the recall notice. This could lead to a “long-term reduction in body strength,” which sounds less than ideal. So, in the event of a crash, the car might not hold up like it’s supposed to, which we can imagine could be quite dangerous.
As NBC News reports, the defect allegedly occurred at a supplier’s factory. During the production process, the spot-welder tip gets cleaned and reshaped by a sort of grinding machine. But that machine could have gotten blocked by “excess metal chips/powder,” which made the welder less effective.
The notice claims that 1,965 2019 model year Outbacks and 142 2019 model year Legacies are potentially affected. If you recently bought one of these two cars, definitely check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s site. Otherwise, Subaru will notify owners in the coming weeks.
Since the recall affects brand-new cars, there’s a good chance that a lot of them haven’t been delivered yet. Subaru expects the actual number of affected cars that have made their way into customer hands to be between 12 and 20, however. The company says that it’s checking the entire population, but the defect rate is low and it estimates that just 200 cars are affected in total, according to a spokesperson.
If a customer car is found to be defective, presumably by the car turning instantly and without warning into an accordion, the customer will be given the option of either having the car returned to the production facility for a free repair, an exchange or a repurchase.
“We are offering a replacement vehicle as to not inconvenience the owners as the cars are brand new,” the Subaru spokesperson confirmed. A Legacy starts at $22,545 and an Outback starts at $26,345 before they’re fully loaded.