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The 2023 Subaru Solterra was a success right out of the gate, and Subaru of America sold its initial allotment quickly. But the Solterra and Toyota's bZ4x were recalled last week for faulty bolts on the EV that could cause the wheels to come loose. It was an embarrassment and a massive setback for the two Japanese automaker's first all-electric SUVs.
It sounds like an easy fix but apparently not. A new report from Seeking Alpha says all of the first Solterra and bZ4x models that rolled off the assembly line cannot be fixed. The report says Toyota states that there is no remedy to cure the faulty wheels available at this time, and customers will receive a free replacement vehicle pending a resolution of the problem.
How many 2023 Subaru Solterra EVs are affected?
Subaru submitted the Solterra recall to Japan's transportation ministry that said sharp turns and sudden braking could cause a hub bolt to loosen, raising the risk of a wheel coming off the vehicle. Reports say 2,600 Solterra EVs are affected by the recall.
No new electric Solterra compact SUV has been delivered to customers in the U.S., and most of the 2,600 vehicles were for Subaru retailers meant for test drives and display purposes.
With the supply chain issues and microchip shortages, production of the 2023 model year Solterra is already limited. Getting the wheel problem fixed will further delay shipments of new Soltarra models to U.S. customers who placed their orders in February.
Subaru Corporation will produce less than 7,000 Solterra models for the entire calendar year 2022. Seeking Alpha says Subaru will produce 6,500 Solterra EVs in 2022. Subaru of America has already sold its initial allotment of Solterra EVs to U.S. customers.
Where is the Subaru Solterra manufactured?
After the Solterra was developed, Subaru had to give up manufacturing control to Toyota. Toyota employees manufacture the new EV at the automaker's plant in Japan.
Subaru Corporation doesn't have enough production space for the new Solterra at its plant in Japan, where it manufactures Forester, Crosstrek, BRZ, and WRX models for its U.S. customers.
When will the 2023 Solterra be available for U.S. customers?
The 2023 Subaru Solterra was scheduled to arrive in the U.S. in June in limited numbers, but the new recall and fixing of the wheel problem will further delay shipments of the new EV. Stay tuned.
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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Comments
Old news, reported
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Old news, reported differently here with deceiving information that makes it sound worse than it really is. See all the other reports, specifically reported about the bZ4X on June 23rd. "click bate"??
You might want to retract
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You might want to retract this article.
Not a single customer has taken delivery of a Solterra yet. Literally, not a single one has even arrived at a dealer lot, let alone been sold to a consumer. The idea that they're going to be replacing vehicles is ludicrous - if Subaru said they'll give $1B and a replacement vehicle to everyone who purchased one of these vehicles, it would cost $0.00 to do so.
The reason why? When you multiply $1B plus the cost of a Solterra by the number of people who have so far completed purchase of a Solterra, the result is - you guessed it: zero.
Please tell me this article was written with extremely poorly programmed AI writing software, created by a chimpanzee after being heavily inebriated with alcohol.
I know it wasn't, and so you should be embarassed for yourself, and frightened of your future lack of job prospects.
This is par for the course
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In reply to You might want to retract by Lie Caller-Outer (not verified)
This is par for the course for Torque News.
I heard on a Youtube video from The Electric Viking that Subaru hadn't sold ONE Solterra to date and you have confirmed that.
I live in Indian Land in SC and for years have been trying to get to meet with Arman Hareyan who also lives down the road from me - don't know the exact address
We have exchanged messages but have yet to meet. He has been evasive.
This may sound strange but there have been many posts about him running a strange operation. I want say what was said exactly but you can read between the lines.
It really is confusing.