Photo: Subaru, edited by autoevolution
Subaru has been pleasing its owners so much lately that they decided to take its name. Not everything is milk and honey for the carmaker, though, as its U.S. branch has recently issued a voluntary safety recall for 48,500 Outback and Legacy models to check and/or fix their steering columns.
Automotive recalls are a dime a dozen lately, but this one is a bit unusual, to say the least. According to the official NHTSA letter, the steering column on the affected Subaru vehicles “may have been improperly machined, and as a result, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels.”
Since none of the models involved features an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving system, the loss of steering ability obviously increases the risk of a crash, so this is not your average recall.
Certain model year 2016-2017 Subaru Legacy and Outback versions are affected, all of them having been manufactured between February 29, 2016, and May 6, 2016. Owners are naturally advised to stop driving their cars until they are inspected. Approximately 20,000 affected vehicles have been sold already while the rest are still on dealer lots.
To make matters slightly juicier, the recall started on Friday the 13th, and Subaru is said to cover all expenses regarding the eventual repairs and towing of the affected cars. During the recall, customers will be offered free loaners, though, so not everything is so grim as it first sounded.
Despite the severity of the potential defect, not a single crash caused by this issue has been reported so far, so if all owners do as instructed, the situation won't change.
The sixth generation of the Subaru Legacy and subsequently the fifth generation of its Outback version have only been on the market for a couple of years and are built in only two locations - Japan and America. Not yet confirmed, but it seems that the steering defect can only be found in vehicles manufactured in Lafayette, Indiana, for the U.S. market.
Since none of the models involved features an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving system, the loss of steering ability obviously increases the risk of a crash, so this is not your average recall.
Certain model year 2016-2017 Subaru Legacy and Outback versions are affected, all of them having been manufactured between February 29, 2016, and May 6, 2016. Owners are naturally advised to stop driving their cars until they are inspected. Approximately 20,000 affected vehicles have been sold already while the rest are still on dealer lots.
To make matters slightly juicier, the recall started on Friday the 13th, and Subaru is said to cover all expenses regarding the eventual repairs and towing of the affected cars. During the recall, customers will be offered free loaners, though, so not everything is so grim as it first sounded.
Despite the severity of the potential defect, not a single crash caused by this issue has been reported so far, so if all owners do as instructed, the situation won't change.
The sixth generation of the Subaru Legacy and subsequently the fifth generation of its Outback version have only been on the market for a couple of years and are built in only two locations - Japan and America. Not yet confirmed, but it seems that the steering defect can only be found in vehicles manufactured in Lafayette, Indiana, for the U.S. market.
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