Subaru Plant That Makes The Outback Shuts Down - It’s Not Shortages This Time

The Subaru plant that makes the 2022 Subaru Outback is shutting down for two weeks. See why and how it affects customers.

Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA), The U.S. plant in Lafayette, Indiana, that makes the 2022 Subaru Outback, is shutting down for two weeks starting today. This time it's not due to the microchip shortage; it's an expected two-week downtime that happens yearly.

Craig Koven, Communications and External Relations Manager for Subaru of Indiana Automotive, told Torque News, SIA is closed this week and next week "For our usual two-week summer shutdown." The shutdown gives the automaker time for routine maintenance, cleaning, and employee time off. The 2022 Outback production resumes July 12.

Subaru Corporation announced, two plants in Gunma, Japan, will shut down for one day, July 16, due to microchip shortages. "It is part of the production adjustment due to the shortage of semiconductors," a Subaru spokesperson said earlier this month.

The Subaru Yajima plant in Gunma, Japan, makes the automaker's number one selling model, the newly-refreshed 2022 Subaru Forester compact SUV. So this shutdown could have some impact on Forester supplies that are already limited.

Torque News checked with a large Subaru retailer near Denver, Colorado, and found they have one 2021 Subaru Forester model on its lot for sale. Unfortunately, the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek is also manufactured at the Gunma plant, and models may be scarce.

We found one model on the Subaru retailer's lot, and it had a "Sold" sticker on the car's windshield. Customers could see the 2022 Forester model change and 2022 Crosstrek hard to find until August.

A Subaru retailer told News 5 in Cleveland, "Subaru assures us that probably by August we'll be back to normal levels," he said.

The Subaru retailer near Denver has plenty of 2021 Subaru Outback models to sell customers, and the 2022 Outback has begun to arrive. In addition, the retailer already had two 2022 Outback midsize SUVs on the lot for customers.

Because it's a normal two-week summer shutdown for Subaru of Indiana Automotive, the 2022 Outback production should not be adversely affected. But supplies of 2022 Forester and Crosstrek may be limited until August.

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Photo credit: Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Torque News via Subaru Report