Coding Error Forces Subaru To Crush 293 Ascents, Will Give Owners New Replacement

Subaru will have to destroy 293 examples of the 2019 Ascent built in July due to a coding issue with the welding robots at Subaru’s Indiana Automotive plant.

In a recall report issued to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Subaru revealed that the Ascent models in question are missing critical spot welds required on the vehicle’s B-pillars which hold the second-row door hinges.

Consequently, Subaru says the structural integrity of the Ascent could be compromised, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash. Improper coding on the welding robots is to blame.

The Ascents involved in the recall were assembled between July 13 and July 21 but for some reason, not all Ascents built during these dates are missing the spot welds. Subaru hasn’t said why some are missing the welds and others aren’t but asserts it discovered the problem on July 21.

Owners will enjoy that new car smell for a second time.

Obviously, Subaru won’t be able to repair the vehicles in question like with most recalls. Instead, it will send all 293 examples to the crusher.

Fortunately for the automaker, only nine examples had landed in the hands of customers before the issue was noticed. The remaining vehicles were either on dealer lots or in transit.

In a statement, Subaru said it started to contact customers of potentially affected vehicles on July 26.

“All potentially affected vehicles will be inspected by an SIA factory representative, and if the vehicle is missing any spot welds, the vehicle will be replaced with a new one. There is no physical remedy available; therefore, any vehicles found with missing welds will be destroyed,” the company said.