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Subaru, like Nissan, admits improper checks on Japan cars, expects recalls

TOKYO — Subaru on Friday said it had failed to follow proper inspection procedures for vehicles for the domestic market, an issue likely to result in a product recall and adding to a list of compliance problems at Japanese companies. The automaker said for more than 30 years, final inspections of new vehicles at its main Gunma complex north of Tokyo were sometimes conducted by inspectors who were not listed as certified technicians, violating transport ministry requirements. The automaker said it was therefore considering recalling about 255,000 vehicles including its Legacy, Forester and Impreza models produced at the complex and sold at home, at a cost of around 5 billion yen ($43.86 million). Chief Executive Officer Yasuyuki Yoshinaga at a news conference said inspectors in training for certification to sign off final checks had been approving the checks under the names of their trainers, a process the automaker followed for over 30 years without realizing it did not meet ministry requirements. "The final inspection process is very important and we acknowledge that we did not meet requirements," Yoshinaga said. "It's always been my goal to make this company good. This issue shows that we're not there yet." Subaru said it would report details of an internal investigation to the ministry on Monday, and that it needed to better communicate requirements to workers. "It's always been my goal to make this company good. This issue shows that we're not there yet." The revelation followed a similar oversight at Nissan, while Kobe Steel has been grappling with a data fabrication scandal, tarnishing Japan's reputation for quality control. Yoshinaga said the issue was discovered during an internal inspection ordered by the ministry after Nissan late last month revealed similar violations on inspections governing vehicles sold in Japan at its domestic factories. The ministry requires certified technicians to sign off on paperwork for final inspections for vehicles produced in Japan for the domestic market. The extra step does not affect product quality and is not needed for vehicles exported overseas. Toyota, Honda and other Japanese automakers on Friday said they have reported to the ministry that they found no issues with their respective inspections. Subaru shares closed down 2.6 percent on Friday after falling more than 3 percent following media reports of the improper inspections. The broader market rose 1.2 percent.

Strange iPhone discovered in guy's Subaru sparks internet mystery

Things can get pretty crazy on the internet, and even the smallest thing can catch people's attention and blow up in an instant. A lot of it is totally bogus or blatant attention seeking, but that's what makes the internet great. Well, that and cat videos. Recently, a story popped up on the internet that is both cool and real. It's the story of a mysterious iPhone, some pro-tier internet detective-ing, and the Takata airbag recall. The story started innocently enough. A guy named Alex Tom took his trusty '09 Subaru Forester into the shop to replace a faulty passenger side airbag under the Takata recall. When he picked the car up, there was a white iPhone 4s sitting on his dashboard. Thing is, the phone wasn't his. The phone was stone dead, but took a charge and booted right up. To complicate matters, it was locked and stuck in airplane mode. When he asked the shop about it, they said they found it behind the dash under the airbag. So now he had a mysterious phone that he couldn't get into to identify. So, like any modern tech-savvy individual, he turned to the internet for help. He posted a picture of the phone on Facebook along with a message asking for help tracking down its owner. What followed was a long, rambling, often hilarious collection of facetious advice, earnest help, photoshops, dumb memes, weird off-topic screeds, and everything else you might expect in a comments thread. Eventually, after getting a name from the phone and enlisting the help of an online dating site, the owner was found and the mystery solved! I'm not going to spoil the ending for you here, because you really need to read the whole saga for yourself. Lets just say that our man Alex had the answer with him all along, and the real treasure was the friends they made along the way. Related Video News Source: The Huffington Post Auto News Humor Subaru iphone Takata airbag recall mystery

2021 Subaru Forester gets small price bump, more standard features

Information for the 2021 Subaru Forester is out, and the crossover hasn’t changed a whole lot for the new year. This will be the third year of this generation of Forester, and itÂ’s also the third year in a row without a turbocharged engine option in the lineup. Subaru dropped the more powerful Forester turbo with the redesigned car in 2019, leaving a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter flat-four as the only engine option. It makes the same 182 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque this year. There are a couple notable differences from year-to-year. The responsive (turning) headlights and automatic brights previously reserved for the top trims are now standard equipment. Subaru has added a rear seat reminder system as standard — all passengers will also be reminded to buckle up before the journey with visible and audible reminders, even those in the back seat. Finally, the base price creeps up by $300 to $25,845. View 20 Photos Light packaging tweaks are also part of the model year switchover. The Base trim is the only one that doesnÂ’t have keyless entry and push-button start, as Subaru added it to the Premium trim this year. Also, the Sport trim adds blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert standard (it was previously optional). And thatÂ’s all, folks. Subaru says 2021 Foresters will start reaching dealers in October, so youÂ’ll have to wait until then if you plan on snatching up the latest model year. We're still chugging along with our long-term Forester tester. Most recently, it went to battle against the redesigned Subaru Outback. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.