If you own a newer model Subaru Outback or Legacy vehicle, the carmaker wants you to keep it in the garage after determining the steering can fail. 

A total of 52,000 Outback and Legacy vehicles, including 3,500 from Canada, are involved in this recall, all from model year 2016 to 2017. Only around 20,000 vehicles are actually on the road. Dealers were ordered to stop the sale of the remaining cars until they can be fixed.

According to a notice [PDF] posted with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the vehicles may contain steering columns that may have been manufactured improperly by a parts supplier.

The issue can cause the steering wheel to rotate freely, leading the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Subaru says the issue was uncovered on May 3 when the owner of a 2016 Outback reported problems.

The carmaker, along with its engineers and a parts supplier, were able to duplicate the issue during an inspection of the vehicle.

The Inspection revealed no conclusive root cause of concern. The steering column was collected and returned to vendor’s lab for further disassembly and inspection for final results.

The carmaker — which did not specify if any injuries or crashes were tied to the issue — says that owners will be notified of the recall. Until an inspection of the steering column can be conducted, owners are advised not to drive their vehicle.

If the vehicle contains a steering column with one of the affected lot numbers, the steering column must be replaced.

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(NOTE: Post has been updated to include a breakdown of cars that had already been sold and cars still on dealers’ lots)

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