2019 SUBARU ASCENT Complaints

It has been since February and they still do not have a fix for recall 21V-955 I have called the dealership several times without a solution.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

I am currently replacing my 3rd front windshield in 11 months on my 2019 Subaru Ascent (First 8.19.21, Second: 4.15.22; Third was replaced 7.5.22) from a simple rock chip. Within minutes of occurring the chip leads to significant cracking and the inability to navigate safely. It is my understanding that a class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Subaru Ascent owners due to this very issue. It is my understanding Subaru is aware of their windshields being designed at an angle making them susceptible to frequent breaking.

Please note: I have already had the windshield replaced once. This is the second windshield on this vehicle. My windshield was hit by a rock on the front passenger side and it "spidered" instantly. For the past month it has spidered a little more. After washing my car on 6/21, the spidering has extended across the windshield to the driver's side in the driver's line of sight. Washing my car didn't cause this (nor should it!) because I have driven in the rain for the past month. We have a 2013 Subaru Forester and it just now has a chip that spidered. This is not normal!! Additionally, approximately 2 weeks ago I noticed the front section of my sunroof was cracked and had spidered nearly all the way from back to front of the glass. No chip is apparent. I am paying out of pocket on these repairs because my insurance rates go up when I go through insurance. The price tag for these 2 windows is $1800. This is getting ridiculous!

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

As I am driving when I move from coasting or light throttle application to applying the throttle there is a grinding sound and hesitation/momentary lack of engagement form the transmission. This is very concerning when traveling. Per the recall notice from Subaru at any time the transmission could lock-up or quit functioning and my family and I could be left on the side of the road with an inoperable vehicle. The issue was formally acknowledged by Subaru last December (2021) and the fix for this issue was supposed to be available in May 2022. It is now mid-June with no updates. This is very frustrating! Please follow-up with the manufacturer to require them to provided a new update on when the fix will be available. Thanks!

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Battery was drained completely when rear hatch is opened for the short period of time to unload stuffs from the car. Similar situation happened when the car was about a year old. When rear hatch was opened for less than an hour to sit at rear part of the car and watch an event, battery was completely drained and we had to call road side service to restart the car. My car is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Both of my cases did not caused safety issue. But it will be a serious safety issue if it happens at a remote location where there is no other car or cell phone signal to call for help. Our family do travel to remote location where there is no cell phone signal. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I am very sure that problem can be reproduce by simply opening rear hatch for a while. When I took car to the dealer, the representative was aware of the issue but was not willing to provide free service to fix the issue because basic warranty was expired. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. It first happened when the car was about a year old (12,000 miles).

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Transmission completely failed last year April 2021 in the middle of Highway and car is stalled. Tow to dealership for transmission replacement. After almost a 1 year of driving the transmission problem is coming back with gears are slipping again. Took the car to dealership and this time they are doing the repair of transmission instead of replacement. I am not comfortable with the approach since I already bad experience and concerned about repair reliability. Called Subaru North America and waiting for resolution. There is already open recall for CVT transmission for this vehicle but no remedy yet from Subaru. It's safety concern as car broke down earlier in the middle of highway with heavy traffic.

In February 2020, my wife and I discovered fraying on the edge of the second row center seat belt on our 2019 Subaru Ascent. The belt was stuck in the connected position and would not retract into the ceiling retracting apparatus. Other than the fraying on the edge of the belt, the belt was in near-new condition. The vehicle had approximately 23,000 miles on it. She took it to the dealer, Adventure Subaru of Fayetteville. The wear pattern was substantially the same as depicted on a 2022 Subaru Outback we own, Complaint #11468872. The dealer refused to honor the belt’s lifetime warranty. The technician said the fraying was caused by an “outside influence”, possibly our dog. The dog could not have damaged the belt in the manner of the fraying and there were no teeth marks or stains on the belt. It was imperative that the belts be replaced on the spot since our five grandchildren were occasional passengers. The dealer has no records identifying the “outside influence” When the fraying was discovered on the rear center belts on our Outback in May, 2022 (Complaint #1146872), I checked all belts in the Ascent. I discovered that the right and left third row belts had the same wear pattern as on the rear center seat belt replaced in February 2020 AND as on the 2022 Outback (Complaint 1146872). The dealer honored the lifetime warranty on the belts and replaced them on June 8, 2022, when the car had mileage of 48439. The wear pattern on the belt replaced on February 20, 2020, and June 8, 2022, were substantially similar to each other and to the wear pattern on the 2022 Outback. I checked both vehicles closely to find a pinch point or some other edge that could cause the fraying. It is not possible that our dog could have chewed any belt in the pattern displayed. Attached are 8 photos of the belts replaced June 8. I could not upload two photos that exceeded the allowed size.