2020 SUBARU ASCENT Complaints

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the transmission was slipping, and there was a loud sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power while accelerating. The contact was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and left the vehicle for several hours. Upon return to the vehicle, the contact stated that the vehicle drove normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an unknown module was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and a diagnostic test was performed; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that if the failure could not be duplicated the vehicle could not be repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

Right front camera is blocked by plastic since manufacture. The adaptive cruise control and forward emergency braking do not work reliably unless the object is the left visual field. My car will accelerate into a car in front with no emergency braking. No accident. so far, because I have been able to avoid accidents by braking myself. The problem was diagnosed by Diablo Subaru of Walnut Creek. The vehicle was inspected and diagnosed by a Subaru dealership. The car tells me it cannot see the car in front. It also says it cannot see anything on haphazard basis. But it will also accelerate toward cars in front of it at close range because it cannot see.

On Friday evening, February 23, 2024 , I pulled onto my driveway and came to a complete stop before driving into the garage . I reached up and hit the garage door remote. When the door began to go up I took my foot off the brake. Instead of creeping up the driveway the car took off like a proverbial "bat out of hell" It was as if I had pushed the accelerator compltely down.to the floor board. The brakes had no effect. I smashed through the garage door,. The car jumped a six inch concrete step up, obliterated the garage cabinets and pushed the contents of the cabinets and garage wall into our family room.The car came to a rest just outside our family room. My son opened the door to the garage and yelled out to me "Are you okay" Because the engine was still racing he said "Get your foot off the accelerator' My reply was I DON'T HAVE MY FOOT N THE ACCELERATOR". I then tuned the ignition off and the ordeal was over.. It appears that the engine continued to recieve fuel irregardless of the position of the accelerator., the automatic braking system failed miserably and the the forward collision warning was malfunctioning. I am waiting for the insurance company to remove the car from the garage and do a structural assessment.. Because there may be serious structual damage I want the insurance company to remove the vehicle less the second floor collapses onto the garage. My son was on the couch just seconds before the wall "exploded". The couch was moved eight feet across the room. If a piece of debris came through the windsield I also might have been injured. The potential for serious injury to others in another set of ircumstances also scares me. The malfunction came without warning. The damages will be in the tens of thousands of dollars. I am blessed that no one was injured or killed.

I have encountered a series of persistent issues with the vehicle since its initial purchase, indicating fundamental deficiencies that warrant thorough consideration and resolution. Commencing with brake malfunctions at an exceptionally low mileage threshold, the recurrent necessity for brake replacements, despite being facilitated by the dealership on four separate occasions, underscores a notable deficiency in the vehicle's manufacturing or assembly process. Furthermore, the manufacturer's offer of $10,000 in exchange for signing a waiver relinquishing my right to file a claim is indicative of their acknowledgment of the vehicle's inherent flaws. Subsequent to this agreement, additional complications have arisen, including persistent window malfunctioning, electrical faults, exhaust system irregularities, and most notably, transmission failures, with repeated complaints culminating in a catastrophic breakdown witnessed by the dealership's service team. In light of these recurring issues, the manufacturer's proposition to repurchase the vehicle while crediting back the $10,000 initially offered and prorating mileage solely from the transmission repair fails to address the cumulative impact of the vehicle's deficiencies. It is inequitable to discount the mileage accrued during the earlier brake-related concerns, especially considering the ongoing nature of the vehicle's mechanical shortcomings. Arguably, the rescinding of the $10,000 offer necessitates a reevaluation of the waiver's validity, as its premise was contingent upon mitigating specific concerns, which have regrettably persisted. Moreover, the manufacturer's refusal to accommodate a reasonable request for mileage adjustment from the onset of the brake-related issues undermines the principles of fairness and consumer protection. Given the manufacturer's reluctance to engage in arbitration and their apparent disregard for addressing the comprehensive history of issues encountered.

The vehicle hesitates like it doesn’t want to get up to speed, despite pressing the gas pedal to accelerate. The RPM needle bounces. Dealership has not been able to “replicate the hesitation I feel when accelerating.” They originally tried to say I didn’t tell them the problem was happening when it had time to warm up, which is a lie, I have all the scheduling notes made by the employee who set the appointment up. Dealership said it passes diagnostic testing despite my serious concerns as the owner driving it daily. No lights are lit up on the dashboard which is another reason why the dealership is saying everything is fine. It’s already had a firmware update in July and the dealership is very dismissive of my concerns. I made multiple calls before appointment telling them it’s happening more frequently around 20-30 minutes of drive time and to make sure I have them the full picture well enough in advance for them to make adequate time to look at my vehicle

My car refused to start-pressed the ignition and it sputted, lots of lights went on and off and then the running lights came on and stayed on and ran the rest of the battery out. Had to charge it for hours to get it started again.

Driving at speed of 50+, the hood (both sides) wobble/raise up. Faster you drive it raises up further to the point it interferes with view. Concerned it will detach from hood struts and cause major damage

For the past month, the engine revs up higher than normal at slow and highway speeds. It had the feeling of the engine skipping gears and staying at to high of an RPM even with the accelerator being eased off. Initially it was brought to Subaru service dealer in November and they could not replicate the issue. On 12/13/23, it began to constantly go into very high RPMS, much more frequently then it had been, and the check engine light came on as well as a warning light for the automatic transmission oil temperature light. We brought it into the dealer and the evaluated and said the transmission is failing and said it is not safe to drive. We were given a loaner and they are in the process of submitting paperwork for a new transmission under their powertrain warranty.

CVT transmission skips in high gear and shudders randomly while driving down the road. Randy Marion in Hickory NC is where we purchased and replaced the rear transfer clutch and insists the problem has been corrected. It is not. Our regular mechanic and Moderna Subaru of Boone NC both agree the transmission is bad. It has been sitting at the dealership for 2 months while all parties argue over who is responsible for repair. (Original selling dealership, Subaru of America, 3rd party warranty) meanwhile I have no car but am expected to make payments. There are no warning lights or indicatator lamps to show an issue which is even more scary. I do not feel safe driving the vehicle without repair as the stutter and slipping between gears can cause hesitation that could cause an accident or worse. We did not test drive the vehicle at high gear and that was our mistake, but I drove it on a trip 2 days after purchasing and it had transmission issues the entire time. Dropped back off at dealership Monday morning and have been dealing with headaches since then.

We purchased a used 2020 Subaru Accent from a dealership on 11/16/23. Twice since that date the car would not start due to the battery not having enough charge to start it. The dealership that we bought it from stated that prior to the sale date they had a new battery installed.