Subaru

Faulty Welding Robots Lead to Serious 2019 Subaru Ascent Recall

It's easy to say that the launch of the all-new 2019 Subaru Ascent isn't going quite as planned for Subaru.

The 2019 Subaru Ascent was a highly anticipated introduction for Subaru this year giving it a vehicle in the popular three-row crossover segment. As can be the case with a brand-new model, there are some growing pains in the production of this crossover, although in Subaru's case it has resulted in a serious - albeit small - recall of 293 vehicles.

The problem stems from the potential for missing B-pillar welds on these units, which would obviously affect the structural rigidity of the vehicle in the event of an accident. All 2019 Subaru Ascent crossovers are built at Subaru's Lafayette, Indiana assembly plant, but the affected units rolled off the line between July 13 and July 21.

Fortunately, only nine of those units had been sold to customers with the remaining units either still in transit or sitting in dealership inventory. The good news, though, is that not all of the 293 units were affected (including the nine sold units), but those that were affected could not be repaired and had to be destroyed. Subaru did not say how many vehicles were actually missing the welds.

Introduced at the 2017 L.A. Auto Show, the 2019 Subaru Ascent gives Subaru a mid-size, three-row CUV to go up against vehicles like the Kia Sedona, Volkswagen Atlas, Chevrolet Traverse, and many more.

NEXT: THE FORD BABY BRONCO INTRODUCES THE IDEA OF A NEW CROSSOVER OFF-ROADER

WATCH