2019 SUBARU ASCENT Complaints

We have had to replace battery twice and had to have auto club give us a jump start multiple times. We drive this vehicle once or twice a month, but something is causing battery to run down way to fast. Manufacturer claims we need to drive more often. I have always had one car, that burned to much fuel, and was used as an occasional vehicle, but never had this type of problem. Something needs to be provided so that battery does not leak power when it is a low use car. I don’t want the internal lights to turn on when I walk by, or for it to access the internet. I believe that this leaves us vulnerable to non-availability at a critical time. We are planning a multi-week trip and have no idea if car will start when we return. Nor is their a way to disconnect unneeded activity that is draining battery.

We observed Subaru Ascent 2019 (Limited) car handling poorly over bumpy areas, especially over bumps on turns even at speeds under 40 mph. Car feels as if it is loosing contact with the road. It is also jarring over bumps even while driving straight. In wet conditions, I do not know if I will be able to stop within the proper distance. We took the car to the dealer, that indicated front struts needed replacement. They could not provide an estimate of when struts would be available -- this was over one month ago. I am uncertain if a repair is possible to correct this apparent safety issue.

My Ascent is primarily driven in the city of San Francisco, a fairly hilly city. We have had issues with the suspension on this vehicle in the past, and I will need to install my third pair of struts in the coming weeks (the parts are currently on backorder). The CVT has also been replaced on the vehicle. The tires are routinely rotated, and we keep up with the maintenance schedule. We were driving home after dropping our daughters at school and while accelerating up a hill heard a crack. We immediately pulled over, and saw that the lower control arm had sheared.

The CVT experienced a catastrophic failure, later identified as "the chain" by a Subaru dealer mechanic. The night before the incident, the transmission "slipped" and made a metallic clunking noise when merging onto a highway. On the day of the incident, the transmission failed completely after turning onto a roadway from a stop sign. No forward or reverse power was available. Had the transmission failed the night before while merging onto a highway, with little ability to pull out of the roadway, we certainly would have been in danger. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer and the transmission failure confirmed. The transmission "stuttered" for several months previously while accelerating, though not consistently.

During an inspection at the dealership in December 2023, the tech found the oil pan to be leaking. It was resealed during the same visit. Approximately 8 months later, the same problem was found again at the dealership. It was again resealed. Upon further research, this appears to be a recurring problem on similar vehicles.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped and attempting to accelerate on several occasions, the vehicle jolted forward while shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the computer software needed to be updated. The software updated but the failure reoccurred after almost two months. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that another software needed to be updated; however, the failure reoccurred after almost two months. The contact believed that the failure was associated with Manufacturer Recall Number: 16-139-22 CVT Assembly (WRK-21) Warranty Extension (TCM reprogramming to prevent CVT chain slip). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Purchase the car two weeks ago the first night on the way home it was acting up just like it did when I test drove it and was told by the BMW dealership Aristocrat Motors in Topeka Kansas that they would fix anything that was wrong with it. On the way home I realized I didn't think it would make it back the 60 miles so I took it to Olathe Subaru they informed me that it had had transmission problems reported by the previous owners but their technician couldn't get it to do it again so the people just traded it in instead and then I got the car without them getting the transmission fixed or whatever was wrong. They are actually waiting on Subaru of America to respond to tell them what needs to be done to the car and in the process I have been two weeks with little information of what's going on. I feel the recall should have been done and the car is still a good car it just needs to be repaired correctly. Thank you for your response I look forward to hearing from you please help.

While driving on a road with a lot of hills our car sudden lost all engine power but all of the lights and engine were still on. We pulled over but kept the car on and it seem to resume power. Then about 1/8 of a mile later it happened again. We shut the car off completely for 5 minutes and turned it back on and we were able to drive it normally for another mile. It then happened three more times on our way to a safe spot to pull over. The fifth time it happened all warning lights on the dashboard turned on (see picture). The speed in which it happened varied. It is important to note that we brought it in for service on 8/8 for a standard interval service at a Subaru dealership and have brought our car in multiple times to address issues with the transmission.

There is a knocking or clunking noise at low speeds during and after turning in the front driver's side of the vehicle. Car has 17,500 miles on it. Assembled inspection suggests that tie rod (inner and outer), ball joint, stabilizer links are all intact and functioning properly. No loose components or fasteners. All bushings appear firm and intact. There is an apparent [XXX] ), though seemingly unreported issue with the front-end suspension system that dealerships and service techs can't seem to diagnose. At best, noises go away for a period of time then return. If it's an issue with a wear component then it may be that the OEM parts are deficient for use on this vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The two map lights and the part referred to as the front overhead console has a defective design which at the least stops the lights from working properly, but at the worst, can start a fire. Subaru must be aware of the problem because it routinely change them. My vehicle listed above was ready for the installation of the third console when I said to myself, this one is not under warranty so let me call Subaru. They agreed to cover part of the cost- now we are sure that Subaru knows there is a fire hazard, didn’t report it, do a voluntary recall, or notify you. Am I eligible for money for whistleblowing? So I have pictures of the melted condition, and the repair. I also made a video of the repair. You can search re-engineering Subaru ascent map light console if you want to see it. I figured the cause, developed a solution, and re-engineered it. I can, most can’t. I definitely shouldn’t have to get out a solder gun and repair the electrical components because they are defective. The problem is the design. The direction you push the light cover switch pushes the socket away from its contact. This creates a gap that causes heat that both melts the plastic, and also cracking and melting around the plate of metal that makes contact with the socket. I just soldered them together and have a light that works perfect, but i do have degraded cracked plastic around the socket, so I condenser it perhaps temporary, but better than hearing the light sizzle while arcing. Plus the lights work every time. You can search Subaru ascent maplight and will find a bunch of people asking about the problem. For some it just stops working which is the best thing. For others you get sizzleing and a dim light. The resulting arcing also causes the light to turn off improperly and results in sizzling also. That’s should not be able to happen. Off is off. Let’s get this taken care of. We dont want injuries, or accident s because the light started smoking and distracted someone.