Subaru is asking owners of its first electric vehicle (EV) to park them until the automaker has a chance to check whether the wheels are properly attached. It’s the latest development in an alarming and embarrassing recall that gave both Subaru and Toyota a black eye last year.
The 2023 Subaru Solterra is Subaru’s first EV, but it isn’t entirely a Subaru. Subaru builds the Solterra in partnership with Toyota. It’s largely the same vehicle as the Toyota bZ4X, with a few cosmetic differences.
Toyota sold a handful of bZ4X SUVs last year before discovering an alarming problem – the wheels could separate from the car while driving. The company took several months to develop a solution, but ultimately repaired the cars and resumed selling them. The repair was simple – it involved tightening hub bolts.
Subaru had not sold any Solterras when the problem was discovered, so it didn’t need to announce a similar recall. It did have more than 1,100 models in transit to dealers, however. The company hired contractors to repair the cars in port.
Now, Subaru says, it has “identified an issue with vehicles repaired at two port locations by one particular team of contractors.” Because the contractor “did not properly complete the repair procedure” on all cars, dealers need to inspect them.
The fix remains simple – dealers will check to ensure that the hub bolts are properly tightened, and tighten them if needed. But Subaru is asking owners not to drive the cars until that process is complete.
Recall repairs are always free. But millions of us miss recall notices every year and unknowingly drive recalled vehicles. Find out if your car needs any free safety repairs at our easy recall center.
