California residents that own Subaru vehicles may want to check whether they are affected by a recent recall notice. The manufacturer has recalled over 198,000 cars for a software issue involving the transmission control unit, or TCU. While there haven’t been any reports of car accidents caused by the issue, there were reports of Subaru owners being unable to shift their vehicles into drive mode.
What vehicles are included in the recall
Subaru recalled 198,255 SUVs and sedans in total. The recalled vehicles were manufactured in 2019 and 2020, and the recall includes these models:
- 2019 Subaru Ascent
- 2020 Subaru Ascent
- 2020 Subaru Legacy
If you own one of the recalled vehicles, you can contact Subaru for a free inspection and transmission replacement. Subaru will also be contacting customers beginning in February to let them know about the remedy that will be available starting in April.
The problem
According to Subaru, the problem involves a slipping transmission drive chain. The transmission could engage before it is properly secured, and the belt could slip or break. If this happens during a drive, the vehicle could lose power and create an increased accident risk.
Subaru was first made aware of this problem in 2018 and collected data for the next two years. An update was made to the defective product in 2020, but the same issue kept happening in 2021. There were 23 related reports that included:
- Inability to shift from Park to Drive
- Engine not starting
- Transmission fluid contamination
- Drive chain slipping during drives
Car manufacturers can be liable for accidents
Defective car parts can be extremely dangerous, especially when something breaks in the middle of a drive. If a car accident was a direct result of a faulty car part, the manufacturer may be liable for the victims’ injuries.
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