Subaru Prepares For Largest Recall Yet

Expanding by leaps and bounds in the new millennium, Subaru effectively quadrupled its share of the U.S. market in the process. However, most of its production growth occurred in the last decade — leading to quality control problems unbefitting for a company that prides itself in sharing the same love as its customers.

Recalls are to be expected. No automaker can escape faulty components forever. But the frequency and scope of Subaru’s recalls (and scandals) over the past few years are especially bothersome, as they hint at an inability to catch mistakes, or perhaps a willingness to cut corners, as the company’s production volume targets the stratosphere. A new recall looming on the horizon will probably be the company’s largest to date.

According to Reuters, Subaru plans to recall roughly 2.3 million vehicles globally over a defective brake light switch — an issue that could potentially confuse the ignition, making it impossible to start the car. However, that’s a secondary issue of the potential confusion it could create for motorists travelling behind the vehicle.

Affected vehicles include Impreza and Forester models manufactured between 2008 and 2017, according to the automaker. The outlet reported Subaru as saying nearly 2 million of the cars hail from North America, with another 300,000 located in Japan. That’s a lot of fixing to add to the company’s already long list of recalls.

From Reuters:

Since late 2017, Subaru has been reeling from a host of problems ranging from faulty components to inspection re-dos which, coupled with weakening sales in the United States, has forced the automaker to slash its full-year profit outlook to its weakest in six years.

Quality-related issues have cast a pall on the automaker which enjoyed years of rapid growth in the United States, where it won over affluent and liberal-minded consumers with advertisements featuring slogans championing love and inclusion.

Such branding boosted the image of the tiny automaker, prompting it to ramp up production in the United States, which accounts for around 60 percent of its global sales volume.

Unfortunately, the automaker’s feel-good image is being tarnished as Subaru evolves into a larger company. Last year, Subaru admitted to falsifying fuel economy data after being faulted for decades of improper final inspection procedures in 2017.

Meanwhile, recalls have gotten out of hand. Over the last 12 months, the manufacturer halted production to address a defective power-steering unit, recalled 320,000 cars with weak valve springs, 229,000 vehicles with faulty software, and a couple hundred crossovers that made it out of the factory only partially welded.

As Subaru is growing at an incredible pace, introducing new models in the process, the company has a pretty good excuse for losing its previously admirable reputation for dependability. However, that doesn’t bode well for future growth — especially once the general public stops seeing it as the ultra-reliable brand it used to be. Subaru is losing what makes it special, and those endearing ad campaigns can’t do all of the heavy lifting. Brand loyalists will eventually smarten up and start cross shopping if the company doesn’t turn this around.

[Image: Subaru]