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Subaru of America has been hit with another Ascent recall, this one for certain 2019 Subaru Ascent family haulers due to a potential propeller shaft carrier mounting bolt tightening torque issue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says if the front end of the driveshaft separates, it can cause the vehicle to crash. A total of 166 U.S. made Ascent vehicles are affected by this recall.
The new 2019 Subaru Ascent, one of the five-hottest selling cars in the U.S., is manufactured at the U.S. plant in Lafayette, Indiana where an inspector found the torque of a center support brace bolt was below specification and requested the supplier to investigate. According to NHTSA documents, the supplier missed the masking process of the center support brace mounting surfaces prior to painting.
2019 Subaru Ascent
NHTSA says the mounting surfaces for the propeller shaft center support brace bolts may have been inadvertently painted on the supplier’s manufacturing line. If the mounting surfaces were painted, the support brace bolts may not retain the specified torque and both of the center support bolts could completely come out because of vibration, resulting in the front end of the propeller shaft separating, increasing the risk of a crash.
Subaru and the supplier traced the potentially affected parts to certain vehicles that were produced on June 8-11, 2019. If you have an affected Subaru Ascent you may experience irregular sounds and/or vibrations from the propeller shaft area during vehicle operation. If you do, shut off the vehicle and call your Subaru dealer.
Subaru will notify all Ascent owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft assembly, including the center support brace, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUI-94.
The 2019 Subaru Ascent 3-Row family hauler had another recall last year for major structural defects caused by missing spot welds on, or around, the B-Pillar, compromising vehicle strength. The NHTSA reported 80 possible missing body welds in the new family vehicle. The 293 affected Ascent vehicles were recalled and destroyed by Subaru of America.
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Photo credit: Subaru USA, Torque News, NHTSA
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Comments
This Ascent problem looks
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This Ascent problem looks like another supplier issue. Did Subaru ramp up production too quickly?
Literally falling apart at
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Literally falling apart at the welds...
Hardly. Maybe you should look
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In reply to Literally falling apart at by Digitaldoc (not verified)
Hardly. Maybe you should look up the definition of "literally".
So of the 40,108 Ascents made
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So of the 40,108 Ascents made YTD (as of June), there were 166 made in 4 days that had paint overspray on a part because “the mounting bolt seating surface was not properly masked prior to painting” — it’s pretty amazing that this issue was found as quickly as it was and Subaru acted quickly despite the potential for bad press.
Note the replacement part is also painted and is almost indistinguishable from the “affected” part, so much so a follow up notification to dealers had to be made with the images shown in this article (the author didn’t include the next two images from the notice). Makes it even more incredible the issue was found (I didn’t find any reports of the potential issue actually being reported, but I didn’t look too hard).
Looks like a Subaru QA
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Looks like a Subaru QA inspector found the issue.
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Excerpts from Safety Recall Report 19V-519
Component Manufacturer:
Supplier Identification :
Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc
1000 Unisia Drive Monroe GEORGIA 30655
Chronology :
June 12, 2019 – An inspector at Subaru’s U.S. production facility found the torque of a center support brace bolt was below specification and requested the supplier investigate.
June 13, 2019 – The supplier determined that the center support mounting surfaces were not being masked prior to the paint application process, as specified.
June 14, 2019 – July 1, 2019 – Subaru and the supplier traced the potentially affected parts to certain vehicles that were produced on June 8-11, 2019.
July 2, 2019 – Subaru decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall.
Description of Defect :
The mounting surfaces for the propeller shaft center support brace bolts may have been inadvertently painted on the supplier’s manufacturing line. If these mounting surfaces are painted, the support brace bolts may not retain the specified torque.
Description of the Cause :
The supplier missed the masking process of the center support brace mounting surfaces prior to painting.
Description of the Safety Risk :
In the worst case, if both of the center support bolts completely come out due to continuous vibration, the front end of the propeller shaft could separate, increasing the risk of a crash.
Subaru really needs to get
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Subaru really needs to get their act together. All of these recalls are not looking good. While these were found quickly, it is giving Subaru a bad name. I love the brand, but this needs to stop or I may not continue bragging about how great I love them.
Not too long ago the Ford
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Not too long ago the Ford Escape racked up over a dozen massive recalls
I am ordering a 2020 outback tomorrow
The Subaru recalls are blown out of proportion to other manufacturers