Subaru issues a second recall for electric SUV due to risk wheels could fall off

Subaru has been forced to issue a second recall in the US for its Solterra electric SUV due to under-torqued hub bolts which could cause the wheels to fall off.

The good news is that recall does not affect all Solterras and is not an inherent flaw in the car’s design. This means that, when the Solterra launches in Australia this year, there should be no concerns about wheels careening off down the road.

The recall affects 1,182 model year 2023 Subaru Solterras which were the subject of a previous recall requiring the replacement of original hub bolts.

A recall for the Subaru Solterra and its cross-company sibling, the Toyota bZ4X, was issued in the middle of 2022 after it was discovered that the hob bolt that attaches the tire “can loosen due to repeated sharp turns and sudden braking.”

In America, however, Subaru Solterra which were repaired at two port locations by a particular team of third-party contractors will have to come back in to ensure the hob bolts have been properly tightened.

According to Subaru, the third-party teams at these two unnamed port locations “did not properly complete the repair procedure resulting in the potential for significantly under-torqued bolts.”

As such, “Out of an abundance of caution, Subaru is recalling all vehicles repaired at all port locations supported by the third-party contractor.

“Vehicles without the original hub bolt concern and vehicles repaired at other facilities are not affected.”

All potentially affected vehicles will be inspected by Subaru retailers and, if necessary, retorque the hub bolts to specification. Until such a time, Subaru has instructed owners not to drive the vehicle. Towing will be offered at no cost to the customer to have the car inspected by their retailer.

To find out if a vehicle is affected, US readers can go to subaru.com/recalls. Vehicle owners can also visit NHTSA.gov/recalls and enter their 17-digit vehicle identification number for more information on this recall.

To reiterate for Australian readers, however, when the Subaru Solterra finally launches in Australia, this issue will almost certainly have been addressed. And given that a Subaru Solterra was spotted in New South Wales late last year, we can hope for news of an Australian launch in the near future.