Subaru Ascent: US recall sees nine owners get brand-new cars

Subaru of America has issued a recall for the seven-seat Ascent SUV less than a year after releasing it into the wild, and some affected owners will be getting a completely new car.

According to reports out of the US, a manufacturing fault has caused welding robots to miss "some of the spot welds around the B-pillar", meaning the vehicle's body strength could be compromised, increasing the risk of injury in a collision.

While Subaru's American division has confirmed the issue affects 293 units in total, a spokesperson for the company confirmed with Consumer Reports that only nine examples are in the hands of customers, with the remainder still on dealer lots or in transit.

Those nine affected owners will have their Ascent replaced with a completely new vehicle – considering the issue affects units built between July 13 and July 21, these owners likely won't have covered many miles. Subaru will then "destroy the flawed SUVs".

According to Consumer Reports, this isn't the first time in recent years a manufacturer has replaced vehicles as part of a recall. In February 2017, Jaguar replaced nine XFs with potentially cracked sill panels that could result in leaky fuel lines, and earlier this year 252 Volkswagens were recalled across the Eos, Golf, Passat, Tiguan and Touareg lines for a manufacturing fault.

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