2019 SUBARU ASCENT Complaints

FOUND MY BATTERY DEAD AND MY REAR TRUNK DOOR OPEN. I HAD CLOSED IT AND PARKED MY CAR IN MY GARAGE THE EVENING OF THE 4TH. I WENT TO MY GARAGE TODAY AND DISCOVERED THIS. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED. AFTER SEARCHING THE WEB, I KNOW THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THAT WILL CAUSE THE BATTERY TO GO DEAD IF THE REAR LATCH DOESN'T PROPERLY LATCH OR THE DOOR IS LEFT OPEN FOR A SPECIFIED AMOUNT OF TIME. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING. LAST TIME, I HAD TO CANCEL A DR'S APPOINTMENT WHEN I DISCOVERED IT. TODAY, I WAS JUST GOING TO MY GARAGE FOR ANOTHER PURPOSE SO DIDN'T NEED TO DRIVE ANYWHERE.

WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AROUND A TRUCK ON A HIGHWAY, THE CAR REFUSED, FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL AND EVERY LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD LIT UP. MY SPEED WAS PROBABLY AROUND 60MPH, WHEN I TRIED TO QUICKLY GET AROUND THIS TRUCK. IT WAS FULL OF FURNITURE THAT I FELT WAS LOADED IN AN UNSAFE MANNER. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE CAR HAS DONE THIS AND THE CVT CHAIN SLIP WAS SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IN A RECALL N DECEMBER. THIS TIME SUBARU SAID IT WAS A LEAKY GASKET IN THE INTER COOLER??

GOT INTO THE CAR AT HOME IN THE GARAGE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START DUE TO A DEAD BATTERY. IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE BATTERY DIED AT HOME. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY STRESSFUL IF THIS HAD OCCURRED WHILE WE WERE OUT OF TOWN AND NOT CLOSE TO A SUBARU DEALER. AFTER SUBARU REPLACED THE BATTERY, IT DIED AGAIN ON APRIL 4, 2020, ALSO AT HOME WHILE THE CAR WAS IN THE GARAGE. AT THAT TIME, THE DEALER SIMPLY RECHARGED THE BATTERY AND PERFORMED DEEP DIAGNOSTICS WHICH DID NOT INDICATE ANY SYSTEMIC ELECTRICAL ISSUE. I HAVE ATTACHED A LOG OF ISSUES WHICH POINT TO OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ISSUES THAT SUBARU HAS ACKNOWLEDGED ARE KNOWN ISSUES BUT SUBARU HAS NOT OR WILL NOT FIX THE ROOT ELECTRICAL CAUSES OF THESE ISSUES VIA A RECALL. THIS BATTERY ISSUE HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED ON OTHER SUBARU MODELS IN PRIOR YEARS. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE FILE I HAVE ATTACHED IS A LOG OF ALL PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD WITH THE CAR SINCE PURCHASING IT. MOST OF THEM ARE RELATED TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (OF WHICH THE BATTERY IS PART OF) SO FOCUS ON THOSE TOO IF APPROPRIATE.

IF NOT STARTED FOR SEVERAL DAYS IT SEEMS SLUGGISH TO START. A 10 DAY PERIOD THIS MONTH OF NOT STARTING RESULTED IN INABILITY TO START. I CALLED SUBARU STARLINK AND WAS SENT A TOW TRUCK DRIVER TO GIVE ME A "JUMP"., WHICH WORKED. I WAS TOLD BY TOW TRUCK DRIVER THAT THE ALTERNATOR SEEMED TO BE FUNCTION---BY THE DIAGNOSTICS ON HIS BATTERY JUMP STARTER. THEN HE REPORTED HE HAS HAD TO JUMP NUMEROUS NEWER SUBARU VEHICLES. LATER THAT DAY, WITH THE VEHICLE PARKED IN MY GARAGE, I BRIEFLY-- SEVERAL MINUTES, A HIGH PITCHED WHINE/ELECTRIC LIKE, COMING FROM THE PASSENGER REAR CORNER NEAR WHEEL WHEEL WHER THE FUEL INTAKE IS LOCATED. THAT SOUND STOPPED SHORTLY LATER. I HAVE STARTED MY SUBARU DAILY OR EVERY DAY TO ENSURE IT WILL START. I SUSPECT SOME ELECTRICAL ITEM MAY BE DRAINING THE BATTERY--- WHICH ALREADY SEEMS UNDERSIZED FOR ALL THE NEWER ELECTRICAL ITEMS IN NEWER VEHICLES. COULD THA FUEL SYSTEM BE AT FAULT? I HAD HEARD ABOUT A FUEL PUMP RECALL/ISSUE. I AM NOT TRUSTING THIS VEHICLE TO START---AS EXPECTED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE.

KEEPING THE REAR GATE OPEN, OR EVEN JUST OPENING AND CLOSING THE REAR GATE WHILE THE CAR IS PARKED, DRAINS THE BATTERY RAPIDLY. THIS CAN LEAVE DRIVERS STRANDED IN UNSAFE LOCATIONS. BASED ON DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER ASCENT OWNERS, THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE BOUGHT THE ASCENT AND HAPPENS REGULARLY AND FREQUENTLY. SUBARU OF AMERICA APPEARS TO BE IN DENIAL THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM AND THERE ARE LAWYERS GATHERING INFORMATION ON A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT.. *TR

LIFT GATE NOT WORKING. GETTING STUCK CLOSE AND DRAINING THE BATTERY. AT ONLY 17000 MILES WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY TWICE. WHEN TRYING TO START THE CAR WILL MAKE A VIBRATION SOUND AND ALL LIGHTS WILL COME ON BUT THE LIFT GATE IS SUSPENDED CLOSE AND THE VEHICLE WON'T START. THIS HAS HAPPENED OVERNIGHT. AND WHEN THE BATTERY IS JUMPED AND THE VEHICLE WILL START, THE LIFT GATE WILL STILL NOT OPEN. *TR

A CRACK FORMED IN THE WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING STARTING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, WHERE THE WINDSHIELD MEETS THE CAR FRAME. WE WERE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY GOING STRAIGHT, AT APPROX 75MPH AND THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS AROUND WHEN IT CRACK STARTED TO FORM. THERE WAS NO ROCK/ ITEM THAT HAD HIT THE CAR. IN LESS THAT 24 HOURS, THE CRACK GREW TO BE 3/4 ACROSS THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. THERE WAS NO AREA THAT LOOKED LIKE A "POINT OF IMPACT" AND THERE WAS NO "STAR". WHEN SPEAKING TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THAT MANY WINDSHIELDS THESE DAYS HAVE BEEN CRACKING EASIER THAN NORMAL, THAT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN MADE WELL THE LAST FEW YEARS. NO ONE AT SUBARU INFORMED ME OUT THIS WHEN I WAS BUYING THE CAR, AND THE MODEL AND YEAR HAVE BEEN ADDED TO A LIST OF KNOWN VEHICLES WITH WINDSHIELD ISSUES. *TR

I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE ALMOST 1 YEAR. THE WINDSHIELD GOT A CHIP AND SMALL "SPIDERING" HAPPENED - PHOTO 1. THEN I WAS DRIVING IN THE RAIN AND A ROCK, I'M ASSUMING, DINGED THE WINDSHIELD. DIDN'T NOTICE ANYTHING BUT IT WAS RAINING. THE NEXT MORNING I LOOK AT THE WINDSHIELD AND THERE IS A BIG CRACK - PHOTO 2. TO REPLACE THIS, BECAUSE OF EYESIGHT, IS APPROX. $2000! NO WINDSHIELD SHOULD BE THIS SENSITIVE. THERE IS A PROBLEM!! MY 2 PREVIOUS SUBARUS, 2012 IMPREZA AND 2013 FORESTER WEATHERED ROCK CHIPS LIKE TOTAL TROOPERS! THIS ASCENT, NOT SO MUCH! *TR

AFTER 4 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, IN APRIL 19 THE BATTERY DIED WHILE AT A CAMPING TRIP. FELLOW CAMPERS TRIED TO BOOST THE BATTERY TO NO AVAIL. I HAD LIMITED CELL SUPPORT. ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE CAME AND TOWED THE ASCENT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY FOUND HIGH CURRENT DRAWN FROM THE AWD SYSTEM BUT SAID THAT BESIDE A COMPLETELY DEAD BATTERY EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. THEY PROVIDE THE SAME BATTERY TYPE. IN MARCH 2020 THE CAR WOULDN'T START. CONTACTED SUBARU ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, JUMPED THE CAR. IN JUNE 2020 WHITE GETTING READY FOR A CAMPING TRIP, AFTER PACKING THE CAR, WHICH INVOLVE LEAVING THE REAR HATCH OPEN AND DOOR CONSTANTLY OPENS AND CLOSED THE CAR WOULDN'T START. USING A PORTABLE BACKUP BATTERY I WAS ABLE TO JUMP THE CAR AND GO ON MY TRIP. WHILE CAMPING I KEPT THE ENGINE RUNNING WHILE I WAS UNLOADING THE CAR. DID HE SAME WHEN I LOADED THE CAR BACK. *TR

WAS AT CHURCH ON A SUNDAY,VEHICLE WAS PARKED OUTSIDE. WHEN LEAVING HOME GETTING INTO THE VEHICLE NOTICED THERE WAS A CRACK ON FRONT WINDOW. *TR