This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Car just doesnt start and needs to be jumped randomly, yet dealership service dept could find no probelms. Also wierd lags, noises occuring while driving. This car is too new and has 18,000 miles on it, shouldnt be having these types of problems. Happened numerous times since purchase 2019 and 2020, most recent Jan 2021 brought into dealership service larry miller Subaru bosie id.
The engine keeps stuttering when driving and slowing down to stop at a traffic light. Couple of times, it should shut down and I have to restart the car. I do ensure the car is warmed up to a minimum of 7-10 minutes before starting. It only started recently but I am worried that this will happen more and suddenly stop when driving and me getting involved in an accident.
At only 17.6K miles, the battery in my 2019 Subaru Ascent was completely drained overnight, for no logical reason. I called Subaru roadside assistance to give me a jump and I let it run for 33 minutes then took it for a 10 min drive. The battery was dead again the next morning. Vehicle was stationary overnight and until the 10 min drive. During this time the tailgate would persistently beep, trying to open.
My fuel pump was replaced (according to the dealer) based on the most recent recall. However now it idles and runs rough just a short time after this service. I recently read there is another lawsuit or issue with this fuel pump and the symptoms are the same.
Vehicle blows out white smoke upon start up, this is a hit and miss problem. This is after the vehicle has been parked over night, but has occurred after parked for a couple of hours, it has been sent to the dealer several times
- Indio, CA, USA
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My wife and I purchased a new Subaru Ascent in February of last year. Since then intermittently there is a large blue/gray cloud of smoke that comes from the exhaust when the car is started. Have taken the car to the local dealer for repair 4 times and they replaced a part the first time but since then said that they are not able to replicate the problem. According to the assistant service manager at the dealer they have seen this problem before and Subaru America is also aware but have said "(that there is no fix for this problem)". at the second and third visits they had said "(they were going to change a part in the car but then decided not to because the representative from Subaru of America said it would not help)". the service reports for these visits only state that they are not able to replicate the problem. The dealer then said that any solutions would have to come from Subaru of America. According to Subaru of America they have not seen this problem before and they offer no remedy. From what I have learned this problem seems to be known to Subaru. I know of one person that states his "engine blew" (A2002slp@yahoo.com) after he had his car evaluated by Subaru, after many months they agreed to replace his engine. Here are some comments from others experiencing this problem https://www.ascentforums.com/threads/new-Ascent-unexpected-blue-smoke-from-exhaust-at-start-up-and-acceleration.8920/ here's a link to videos of my car: Https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ftde39F4rsz3V5E/aacljxfuchhfbrab-jksefhia"dl=0 as well as a link to a youtube thread with others stating a new engine was needed. Https://www.youtube.com/watch"V=E8cn3D4ejic I believe this problem might pose an imminent risk to any drivers of this vehicle and would welcome any help encouraging Subaru to take this matter seriously. Thanks
I have a 2019 Subaru Ascent. On July 2, my husband was driving on a rural road when out of nowhere the car started vibrating and rattling and his speed went from 60 mph down to 30 mph in a matter of seconds and the car started flashing information on the dash. And the car shut off. He got off the road and called aaa. It was an hour and a half before they got there. Nothing and nobody was around and he had to beg the tow truck driver to let him and our elderly dog ride to the nearest Subaru dealership which was about 50 miles away. I was already at the beach at emerald isle nc and had to go pick him up at parkway Subaru in jacksonville nc. This was on July 2,2020. Today, July 11, we still don't have my car back. I am thankful that parkway dealership loaned us a car to get back to raleigh where we live and bout our car, at southern states Subaru. Parkway has told us various things that could be the problem. For for several days they had to guess as the Subaru headquarters it was 'down'. as of now parkway still has my car and I have their loaner Subaru outback. This was a very dangerous situation and could have caused a crashed as well as left my 65 year old husband and dog stranded on the side of a very rural road. This is totally unacceptable and what I thought was a very reliable Subaru Ascent has greatly disappointed. Please help!!
Car shakes when it is not in motion. When the car is stopped on the road, or brakes are engaged the car will violently shake. When the car engine is starting the check engine like flashes.
Check engine light - diagnosis ' vehicle loses power after rapid acceleration above 45mph. A whooshing sound occurs and then acceleration is limited. All warning lights flash including 'check engine.' This has occurred once about a month ago and diagnosed as a poorly replaced gas cap'although it was actually on securely. It occurred 2 weeks later 3 more times within two days. I brought it in with the lights on and issue still occurring to Subaru pacific. They cleared codes and tried to recreate issue without success. They released the car back to me after corporate deferred to them. Upon driving out of dealership, the same thing happened only after acceleration above 18 mph'all warning lights back on and sputtering/jerking/loss of power. Whooshing sound. Dealer is in possession of the car again to look into it. Also, there tends to be a grey-blue hue to the exhaust each time car starts.
After having driven the Ascent for 30 minutes or more, turned off vehicle for about 15 minutes. After rendering the vehicle it would not start. The first time this happened, coasted vehicle down slight grade to side of road, and after a few minutes it started again. The second time it happened, it would not start after several attempts. Contacted Subaru though it's starlink program. They told me to hold keyless starter button for 30 seconds, then try to start again. After doing this the car started.
Fresh fuel smell from the vehicle (entering the cabin while driving and upon parking). Upon arriving home yesterday, the smell was still very strong. I went a step further and pulled the oil dipstick to check the level and to see if that's where it was originating from. Sure enough, that is where I am smelling it. I went so far as to wipe off the dipstick and check once again with the same result. I also noted that the oil level is well above the high mark. My main concern is the risk for damage to the engine given that it appears that fuel is mixing in with the oil.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign numbers: 19V856000 (engine and engine cooling) and 19V855000 (power train). The contact stated that the gps unit was inoperable. Furthermore, while at a stop sign/light, the vehicle would accelerate when the brake pedal was depressed and there was an abnormal clunking, squeaking noise detected from the steering/suspension. Also, while driving various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and shook forward and backwards, and the driver and passenger doors made an abnormal buzzing noise. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to puente hills Subaru (17801 E gale ave, city of industry, ca 91748, (626) 626-4800) multiple times and the contact was informed that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: Sr#:1-50458273772. The failure mileage was 1,000.
The car will emit white heavy smoke on start. The white smoke smells like burned plastic/oil. The issue was reported to Subaru corporate and vehicle was taken to service for inspection. A video was recorded and sent to both dealer and corporate but issue could not be replicated. The issue still persists for more than 3 months and Subaru could not resolve it. This is a concern to my family safety and to the environment. Second issue was with spring assembly both front and back has to be replaced as defective.
At 16462 miles on odometer, while driving on hi way at 65 mph vehicle lost power and started smoking severely from the tail pipes. Pulled over and shut off. Restarted several minutes later continued to smoke and would not move. Towed to dealer, they stated the PCV valve broke apart, Subaru wants them to tear down the engine to see how much damage was done. Still waiting for them to do anything, car is sitting outside in the service area not being worked on.
My new vehicle has experienced complete electrical malfunction while driving. Vehicle unexpectedly turns on all warnings and disabled all safety features to include collision and blindside monitors. As indicated by many other Subaru owners, the problems were diagnosed by Subaru to be related to a loose transmission harness. So far Subaru has not issued a recall to inspect all 2019 and 2020 Subaru Ascent transmission assembly. We are super scare of driving the vehicle with the idea that it can stall in mid driving.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10 mph, there was an abnormal noise and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted and functioned as intended. The vehicle was taken to napleton Subaru dealer (505 N perryville rd, rockford, il 61107 (877) 403-5984) on several occasions and was diagnosed that the overhead unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was also taken to be diagnosed at jamesville Subaru dealer (3519 ryan rd, janesville, wi 53545 (608) 743-9595) where they diagnosed that the stabilizer bar needed lubrication. It was unknown if the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and two case numbers were opened under 144125212915 and 1-459841535478. The failure mileage was 3,801.
When holding speed constant between approximately 20-35 mph, or under very light acceleration in this range, vehicle seems to jerk, surge, pulse, or similar. It feels similar to being in the car with someone learning to drive a manual transmission.
Almost 9500 miles, raining outside wife driving normal speed (highway driving) and eyesight stopped working and check engine light came on. Vehicle still ran. Secondly took to local subrau dealership for 10,000 service they found nothing wrong and did service. Wife left dealership and noticed car pulling to left after tires rotated. Returned to dealership, they said it was normal feathering of tires. Worried eyesight and engine can be affected with rain. Also at a few hundred more miles we now smell burning oil on and off outside of car. We have also experienced high revving motor with no foot on gas pedal.(stationary when smelling burnt oil smell and motor revving. Also once high revving while my 17 year old was city driving. Love to drive the car, hope it holds up!
Raw gas smell when vehicle is at idle or after being driven for a bit and parked in the garage. The smell comes thru the vents and fills the garage after I park the vehicle. Gas mileage is also being effected it seems, and is low.
Within my first two weeks (200-300 miles) of owning the vehicle I was told by stevens creek Subaru that the car was not safe to drive and here we are again. Another failed strut. So by deduction, it's unsafe to drive but that hasn't stopped Subaru from putting me back in it, fully aware that the strut has failed verified at 20,000 miles but problem started 12,000 miles ago. In motion this is a problem everywhere. Safety issue. Subaru is not making me drive for almost a month with a failed strut, waiting on parts. Let's talk about brakes next... so they replaced the front pads with "special" brakes, hand delivered from Japan. Why" what are these "special" pads and how are they different? I really want to know what's different about these? are they softer? will they wear out faster" I'm not honestly thrilled that they resurfaced the rotors. Again... brand new car... brand new rotors... now they have extra "wear" as a result of the bad brakes from the factory and they will wear out faster. Would have preferred them to be replaced. This only adds additional out of warranty costs to me in the end. Especially if the new pads also wear quicker. Safety we just blindly applied the ECU firmware upgrade with no pre-drive test to verify the problem. Which was why the car was left overnight in the first place initially. So we have no documentation of the issue just that we flashed the firmware. From my tests the past two mornings it seems better and possibly resolved but again, this should have been properly documented and tested and was not. The surging engine condition / transmission gear ratio hunting problem was never verified by the dealer. They blindly flashed the firmware and also didn't road test after the fact. There also still an undiagnosed transmission problem. Additionally there's many more things wrong with my car but your form limits me to three at a time.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Boise, ID, USA