Subaru Prepares For Recall Outback And Legacy Models, Cuts Back On Production

May 18, 2016 05:34 AM EDT | Katherine De Guzman

The Indiana production of Subaru has significantly been decreased as the company prepares to recall more than 50,000 new models of Legacy and Outback that were made in Lafayette.

According to Indiana Public Media, the cut back on the production as well as overtime will be freeing some parts of the vehicles for the big recall. Subaru has more than four thousand workers in Lafayette and it is possible that as many as three thousand people will not be working in the next few weeks.

Factory Vice President Tom Easterday said in a statement that they are to repair the steering issues in some of the 2016 and 2017 Legacy and Outback. These vehicles were made from February 28 to May 6. Easterday pointed out that the parts that were scheduled to be used for the overtime production will now be shipped directly to the dealer in order to help their customers needing the part to be changed, WBAA reported.

This then means that there will be less production and lower inventory until mid-June this year. This will definitely affect the sales of the company but they hope that they could make up for the losses later this 2016.

Later this year, the company plans to add more Outback and new Impreza models to their production lines. It is unclear if the workers who will be laid off for a while are the same workers who will be making the vehicles but Easterday said they plan to hire 200 more people by June.

As for the steering column problem of the vehicles recalled, the company warned the drivers via their website that the Outback and Legacy vehicles may have not been manufactured to specification as an incorrect tool setting was made during the process, Auto Week reported.

The company added in their statement, "If this condition exists, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels, increasing the risk of a crash."

People experiencing such with their cars will not be obliged to pay anything and the company said that inspection only takes 10 minutes while the replacement will take up to an hour. 

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