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.
The battery died after two weeks of replacing it, later revealing the alternator failed. Parts are not available, Subaru kept them My safety was at risk because the lights on my dashboard Christmas Tree'd letting me know something was wrong. Within a couple of blocks I had no power steering and was dying on a busy street. The car was so dead that I couldn't even turn on my hazard lights. The car was jumped by Subaru, the tow truck driver left and the car died two blocks later. This time in the middle of the busy street. The vehicle was towed to Subaru who replaced the battery we bought two weeks earlier. We asked if they check the charging system and they said yes. The battery light was on before we left the lot. We made them keep the car so we wouldn't die in the middle of anymore busy streets. Days later they determined it was the alternator. The car had 26,000 miles on it. I don't know what Subaru did with the parts. They said they needed them as it was a warranty replacement. The battery light never came on before the car died. First the Eye Sight Disabled light came on then many lights on the dashboard flashed on. This happened a couple blocks prior to me losing power. I found the first place I could to get off the road. Two weeks prior when the battery died, the eyesight disabled light came on and the battery light. That time I got home and we replaced the battery. Therefore when the eyesight disabled light came on, I knew something was wrong but thought I had time to get out of the way. Then everything died. The worst part is that hazard lights didn't work.
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 contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle had started jerking. The RPMs became elevated however, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
Transmission still slipping when accelerating between 20-30mph. Brought car in for recall but it continues to have the same issue. AC stopped working even when leak was fixed. Now smells like exhaust fumes when warming up the car.
This car is having constant problems with the battery failing. It especially fails when we are going to any type of trip where packing the car is a process that takes time. The battery dies on us often and is unpredictable, leaving us stuck often. I bought this car because I want a RELIABLE car. At any moment we could be stuck somewhere with my kids. No warning comes on to prevent this from happening.
Since purchasing our 2020 Subaru Ascent, the transmission slips, resulting in a lengthy wait time until it revs to the next gear, and then there is a palpable "jolt" as the transmission appears to move into the next gear. In addition, when I press the gas pedal to accelerate, there is a definite hesitation before the car actually accelerates. Previously, we had brought the car in to the Subaru dealership for service regarding this issue, but Subaru indicated that there has not been a problem and they did not open the transmission to look at it. We are also concerned about transmission-related problems given the recent recall of the 2020 Subaru Ascent. We know this has a CVT transmission but in this case we know that this problem is not normal. (We have family members and friends with CVT transmissions.) We are bringing the 2020 Subaru Ascent in again this week, pointedly indicating these concerns with the transmission. Please advise.
When the fan is on there is a strong smell of gasoline in the vehicle. This happens whether the vehicle is in motion OR is idling. The smell of gas fumes is very noticible if the fan for the heater/ac is pulling air from outside the vehicle. When the fan system is re-ciruclating the air from just the cabin, there is no smell. This is a very noticble smell and we have to drive with our windows open. My children are not able to be in this vehicle due to this smell. This is our family vehicle and daily driver. I have to drive this vehicle to work. This vehicle we have called about to multiple dealerships. They want to charge us over $300 dollars, but no one has ever heard of anything like this according to the dealers. The online forums say a completely different story. No warning lights or messages have happened. There has been no change to my gas mileage. We are current on all maintence. We have replaced the cabin and engine air filters, and we have replaced the gas cap to see if this would make a difference. It has not. There is no gas leak to the ground that is noticeable. But there is a faint gas smell in the engine area when the vehicle is running.
We own a 2020 Subaru Ascent we purchased brand new. A few weeks ago we noticed a faint gasoline smell while at a red light. I thought it was a one time occurrence but it has been happening now every time the vehicle is at idle or stopped. I have read on Subaru owner forums about 2019 to 2021 models having this issue all the way from 2100 miles to almost 90,000 miles. Many customers have had to make multiple trips to the dealership to get charged diagnostic fees and many times they say they can-??t smell the problem. I just recently contacted my dealership about this issue and found an old service recall about the low pressure fuel pump and was told to not believe everything I read online. This is the vehicle that my family uses and I-??m not sure if this is safe for them to be in and is getting to sound eerily similar to when Ford had the CO problem in their explorer and people were crashing. For the amount I paid for this vehicle and all my service intervals at the dealership and many people having the same safety concern I hope this is investigated and I won-??t have to pay for repairs.
My Subaru 2020 with 16,000 miles stalled in the middle of driving down the road in Town, I was driving 35 mph when out of nowhere the car stalled. I was able to coast/turn on to a side street. I-??m lucky the car had enough momentum to keep going or we would have been hit by traffic as the street we were on is a busy road. The car flashed all the lights when it stalled and refused to crank over, it was low on gas so I called AAA and they brought 5 gallons of gasoline and filled it. The technician then tried to get the vehicle to start but it wouldn-??t. Luckily he offered to tow it to my house for free. I have tried multiple times to get the vehicle to start and it wont. It cranks but doesn-??t actually move. I don-??t know what-??s wrong and now I have to have it towed to the the local dealership. This is the second major issue that has happened. The first one was that the transmission failed and with my car having a branded title for being stolen/recovery. Subaru would not replace the transmission at 7,600 miles and I had to find a used one to replace it with. I now just got the recall letter and have messaged Subaru about it.
Recall ID 21V-955 affecting the drive chain. Vehicle is showing signs of this (vibrations while driving). My families safety, two toddlers ages 2 and 4 are at risk. I am not comfortable driving this vehicle and it is my only car. Dealership cannot do anything as there are no parts to fix it. I need an immediate fix which is not happening.
I-??m very disappointed in the terms of the Subaru recall. Instead of just replacing the faulty transmission, they will only fix CVTs w/ evidence of problems. I reported transmission issues at my last service and was told to wait for the recall as they would charge me $175 if they couldn-??t replicate the problem. So now I have to drive until at least May (probably longer with all the other recalled cars seeking appts) w/a faulty transmission that could cause an accident, while they figure out a remedy? Plus my 2020 Ascent will be out of warranty soon (6000 miles). So I-??m stuck with paying to replace the trans, if these problems show up later? I-??ve had so many problems w/ this car incl squealing brakes (my car was in the shop for a total of more than 4 weeks before they figured out how to fix this) and a hood that came close to Detaching at highway speed -?" I had to bring the NTHSA bulletins to the dealer to get them to admit these both were known problems that could be fixed. Please insist that Subaru do the right thing by just replacing the transmission NOW rather than waiting till May to figure out a remedy and exposing the owners of this problem-plagued car to further needless risk.
Recently, we experienced another problem with our 2022 Subaru Ascent Limited. I am asking that this issue be diagnosed and corrected. On January 21, 2022, within about 15 seconds of starting the car, the engine shut off while still parked for no apparent reason. The car was able to be restarted, however the Multi-Function Display went blank, and the STARLINK Multimedia touchscreen displayed only the Starlink logo. I attempted a reset by depressing the -??home-?? button, but nothing happened. Neither the radio nor any other features would function. The car was then driven several miles and shut off. Then, after restarting it, the normal touchscreen and Multi-Function Display operated correctly, including the radio. I remain concerned however that unless this issue is diagnosed and corrected, such a shutdown could occur again in the future, possibly when driving the car, which could result in a serious accident. We have had recent problems with this car involving its electrical system. The excessive battery drain caused by the power rear gate resulted in a dead battery, producing only 8 volts. (The car had to be jump-started on two separate occasions). Subaru Pacific replaced the PRG Module (per TSB 07-155-19R), and installed a new SOA821B600 Enhanced Flooded Battery (per SOA-??s October 1, 2021 memorandum). We do not know how or if the recent unexpected engine shutdown was related to these events, but we expect that Subaru should be able to determine the cause of this failure and find a remedy.
I was taking my kids to school. On the way, we stopped at an intersection. The car all the sudden stopped while it was in the Drive gear. The electric part of the car turned on but the engine didn-??t. A police officer and a towing company came to the rescue to make sure our car didn-??t get hit. However this was a quite scary process for our kids and myself. If could have happened in the middle of the intersection or on a highway and we could have been hit. The towing company couldn-??t put the gear in the neutral and suggested an issue with TCM.They had to get a different towing track and took it to the dealer.
I recently bought my Subaru and I noticed the transmission would stall when going in to gear or changing gears and the rpm would be high, also last night I de fogged my windows and drove to my destination and noticed a crack in my windshield from the top where my eyesight is, I did not hear or see anything hit my car windshield, my car didn't give off any warning signs for either of the problems I stated, I have contacted subur 1800subur3 they say there is no recall so now talk to customer service so now I am waiting to speak to them
We purchased our 2020 Subaru Accent on 8/9/2020. On 6/9/2021, our family took a day trip to Petaluma and stopped at a park to let our toddlers play. When we returned to our vehicle in the parking lot, the ignition would not turn on the vehicle. AAA Roadside Assistance was called to the scene and the technician found no issues with the battery. He was able to get our car to start, but only by randomly placing the shift to Neutral, then turning on the ignition. We were advised to bring our vehicle in for repair, brining the car to the dealership of original purchase at Elk Grove Subaru. Following diagnostics, they stated there was an issue with the shifter, identifying "fluid leakage" and it was cleaned out. Although we have a new car warranty, they charged us for the labor out of the warranty, citing -??customer at fault-?? claiming fluid leakage caused the issue from a spilled beverage. We do not recall any beverage being spilled in our vehicle near that area. On 7/21/21, the same issue for a second time with the ignition not turning on happened once again. My husband and I were stranded in summer heat with my 2 year old son, my 1 year old daughter, and I was 30 weeks pregnant at that time. A THIRD occurrence, same issues, on 8/14/21. Our car is barely a year old. Subaru replaced the entire shifter this time, and so far no recurring issues. I thought of safety concerns if this was to happen to someone else, perhaps stranded on a busy road susceptible to oncoming traffic, or a secluded area that would pose risk of serious safety issues, or perhaps worse. One occurrence is an isolated incident, however three or more points to a significant pattern and worth investigating for a recall of this part. We took to the internet to see if anyone has experienced the same issue with this make and model and we found one video of a couple with an identical experience with the ignition randomly stopping working to start the vehicle. https://youtu.be/g--VICP26hg
The audio died two days prior to the entire car dying completely. We charged the battery, and most of the car began working except for a few random electrical areas. Seems to be a short somewhere. I have under 10,000 miles and a dead battery... highly problematic.
My wife and I purchased a new 2020 Subaru Ascent in January this year. From day one, the vehicle has been generating an excessive and potent fuel smell in the engine bay that is then pulled into the passenger cabin via the HVAC system while running. This smell is prevalent when walking around the outside of the vehicle while it is running; it is also noticeable after parking (and turning off) the vehicle in our garage as the garage fills with a raw fuel smell that takes several hours to dissipate. We are able to replicate this issue every time we drive the vehicle for more than 10 minutes in all types of driving conditions and trip durations. Outside temperature does not seem to be a factor. The vehicle has been taken into the dealership three times since purchase. On the second visit, the dealership tech verbally confirmed the fuel smell upon check-in and opted to run full diagnostics on the car, even testing the fuel pump/system, but could not identify the source of the smell. This was eventually elevated into a service request incident/ticket with Subaru of America. Two Subaru field engineers visited the vehicle, the first stated they could not replicate the problem, but the second could replicate the problem but claimed it was a running engine/burning plastic smell and was considered normal operation. The engineer's proposed remedy was to use the "recirculate air" button to prevent outside smells from being drawn into the car. > I am confident this is a fuel smell, not a typical heated engine smell as Subaru claims. > when drawn into the vehicle, the fuel smell causes lightheadedness and headaches. > using the recirculate air button is not a solution, it is a mitigation tactic, especially when that smell is continually generated by the running vehicle.
Odometer: 1,289 miles vehicle was in motion on a city street, drove 3 miles away from home. Battery light came on, vehicle started to overheat and check coolant indicator came on. Opened hood to smoke and serpentine belt had shredded. Coolant was sprayed all over under the hood. Vehicle was towed to dealership who replaced serpentine belt and appears battery light and overheating was caused from belt failure.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Aurora, CO, USA