Photo: Subaru
Subaru, whose quality has gone down a lot in the past few years, recently announced that it’s recalling a handful of Outbacks and Imprezas due to the possible detachment of the windshield in a crash. On this occasion, the finger is pointed at the supplier - PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes of Troy, Michigan – for delivering a container of incorrect clearcoat.
Documents filed with the federal watchdog state that the subject container of clearcoat was introduced to the vehicle paint line on July 15th. Three days later, a post-painting inspection revealed polish marks with a degree of tackiness in the finish. Further investigation determined insufficient hardness, which prompted Subaru to look into this matter more seriously.
Come July 26th, the supplier confessed that the clearcoat delivered to the Japanese automaker’s facility was not formulated to specification. One month later, which is quite a bit of time given the supplier’s admission of guilt, Subaru started reviewing information that indicated possible concerns related to glass bonding, paint harness, and other issues (think chipping).
Better late than never, on September 15th, the indolent automaker from Shibuya concluded that “certain vehicles may not comply with the requirements set forth in federal motor vehicle safety standard 212.” The safety boffins refer to the standard for windshield mounting and to the risk posed by the potential detachment of the windshield in case of a crash.
A total of 41 vehicles are called back in the United States of America, split between 27 units of the Outback and 14 units of the Impreza. These vehicles were produced between July 18th and July 19th. The remedy, as the headline implies, doesn’t exist. Owners will be contacted by first-class mail no later than November 21st with a simple choice. More specifically, “Subaru will offer the option of either exchanging the vehicle or repurchase at no cost.”
The funny thing is, as mentioned earlier, the supplier is solely at fault for this mess rather than Subaru. On the other hand, do remember that Subaru recalled 293 examples of the Ascent in August 2018 over improper or missing welds. Nine suspect Ascents were sold to customers, and all were replaced with brand-new vehicles due to less-than-adequate structural integrity.
Come July 26th, the supplier confessed that the clearcoat delivered to the Japanese automaker’s facility was not formulated to specification. One month later, which is quite a bit of time given the supplier’s admission of guilt, Subaru started reviewing information that indicated possible concerns related to glass bonding, paint harness, and other issues (think chipping).
Better late than never, on September 15th, the indolent automaker from Shibuya concluded that “certain vehicles may not comply with the requirements set forth in federal motor vehicle safety standard 212.” The safety boffins refer to the standard for windshield mounting and to the risk posed by the potential detachment of the windshield in case of a crash.
A total of 41 vehicles are called back in the United States of America, split between 27 units of the Outback and 14 units of the Impreza. These vehicles were produced between July 18th and July 19th. The remedy, as the headline implies, doesn’t exist. Owners will be contacted by first-class mail no later than November 21st with a simple choice. More specifically, “Subaru will offer the option of either exchanging the vehicle or repurchase at no cost.”
The funny thing is, as mentioned earlier, the supplier is solely at fault for this mess rather than Subaru. On the other hand, do remember that Subaru recalled 293 examples of the Ascent in August 2018 over improper or missing welds. Nine suspect Ascents were sold to customers, and all were replaced with brand-new vehicles due to less-than-adequate structural integrity.
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