Subaru Ascent Complaints

262 consumer complaints on file.

#11651602March 30, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Have had two fuel level senders fail in one year of ownership. The dealer/manufacturer has replaced the first one, and a second replacement is pending. The failure shows inaccurate fuel levels including a full tank reading as 1/4 or less full. Subsequent refueling does not change the level reading. If the car thinks it is out of fuel, it may cease to operate (even if there is fuel in the tank).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649273March 19, 2025
ENGINE, STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The warning lights on the car flashed and the car shut down. I was on the highway. I called 911 and they told me to quickly and safely exit the car. Less than a minute later, the engine combusted and the car was engulfed in flames.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649058March 18, 2025
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
Driver side mirror shakes/vibrates excessively sometimes to the point of distorting images seen on the mirror. Many other users are reporting this issue with 2024 and 2025 Subaru Ascents. The issue has been there since the vehicle was purchased brand new. There are threads on reddit, facebook, and the Subaru Ascent forum, where many owners have reported this issue. Below is a link to a thread in the Subaru Ascent online forum. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648856March 17, 2025
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
The driver side mirror is unusable. The mirror it self shakes so much while driving you cannot see anything clearly or safely.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11646879March 6, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Transmission slipping when vehicle is cold in the morning, got into a busy street and car wouldnt move due to transmission slipping and almost got into a collision due to transmission slipping and car not moving. I was able to recreate the problem the very next day. My driveway is at an incline, the only movement on car out of my driveway is due to gravity downhill on my driveway. Issue has been present since vehicle was purchased, dealer is never able to recreate the problem. I have a video of the car while transmission is slipping and not moving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11645950March 3, 2025
AIR BAGS
I hit a car that went through a red light. Despite hitting him squarely, and my front end bending, the airbags did not deploy
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11643242February 17, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, WHEELS
My 2024 Subaru Ascent started experiencing brake issues in early January. The car would shake heavily and make noise when braking, despite having only 10,500 miles. Concerned, I contacted Subaru of America and was advised to take it to a dealership for an inspection. On 1/31/25, the dealer inspected the brakes and determined that the front rotors and brake pads needed to be replaced. Subaru of America confirmed that the dealer would order new parts for the front brakes. A few days later, I received an email from the dealership stating that the new rotors and brake pads had arrived, and they scheduled me for service on 2/14/25. However, after waiting at the dealership for three hours, I was informed that instead of replacing the rotors as initially promised, they had simply resurfaced them. The explanation given was that these were already “upgraded” rotors. This raises serious concerns for me—if these rotors were already upgraded, why did they fail before 10,000 miles? This is a clear safety issue, and I am increasingly worried that both Subaru of America and the dealership are not properly addressing the situation. I was supposed to receive brand-new rotors, yet I am now left with resurfaced ones, which does not give me confidence in my vehicle’s safety. I need a proper resolution to this issue. Potentially Subaru America should issue a safety recall for these breaks.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11642929February 15, 2025
Other/I am not sure
Were in a car accident of a speed of 32 MPH. Were told we would have to get rid of the carseat due to a hard wreck.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11642928February 15, 2025
AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Air Bags did not deploy going at 32 MPH and during a head on front collision.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11639278January 29, 2025
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
Driver's side mirror glass vibrating to blur vision when looking to rear at all travel speeds , depends on how rough road is !!!!!!!!! Had warranty work done but problem is not resolved , April 2024 to NOW STILL !
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635744January 13, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The vehicle was being driven on a public road, going roughly 45mph. I felt a very harsh studder/clunk and completely lost responsiveness from the accelerator. There was no throttle response even pumping the pedal all the way to the floor. I was able to coast to a parking area and make a safe stop. Once I was stopped, I turned the car off, back on again, and it got me the rest of the way home. This was the most severe instance of the problem, but both primary drivers of the car have experienced the accelerator going unresponsive at different times. Since this was a severe safety related concern, we took the car in for service at the dealer, but were told they were unable to reproduce the problem and did not make any repairs. We provided the dealer with a video we captured toward the end of the latest incident, but they haven't been able to find any cause. There were multiple warning lights on the dash, but no codes were stored. We did have another warning light for a brake system error, but there was no code stored and the dealer was unable to located the source of a voltage anomaly in the parking brake system. We've taken it in to another dealer service center for additional diagnostics but the original shop is refusing to provide the complete details of any diagnostics and corrections they have made, so we don't have the original data that was pulled from the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635427January 11, 2025
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
Drivers side mirror vibrates and blurs view. Subaru replaced mirror assembly but the issue persists. Dealer said they can’t fix it
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635099January 9, 2025
AIR BAGS, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was in a front end collision with a deer. Upon impact there was heavy damage to my front end and smoke coming from my engine bay. Within minutes a fire started and only a couple minutes later the entire car was engulfed. No airbags deployed during the accident, there was no collision detected by smartlink and I wasn't even notified of any issues by starlink until the car was completely burnt down and getting doused in water. It is the middle of winter and I couldn't begin to imagine how horrible that would've been had I needed to remove my 3 children from their car seats or if I would've smacked my head and passed out. I was very lucky to walk away unharmed, but many valuables were lost in my car from this.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628146December 1, 2024
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
When driving the side mirror on the driver’s side vibrates so much that it impairs the drivers ability to see anything in it. I have had the mirror replaced once and the replacement does the same thing. I was told by the dealership that it is a known issue without a solution.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626138November 19, 2024
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
Driver side mirror shakes so much while driving that it is totally unsafe. Rear view and passenger side mirrors are fine. No vibrations. I have had this problem from day one.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11623844November 6, 2024
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
Noted the driver side mirror produces a shimmying image (glass appears to vibrate) at highway speeds and when going over bumps in road at lower speeds. This produces an unsafe vision of items out of the drivers side view mirror. Subaru replaced the glass and it actually got worse. So Subaru replaced the mirror housing on the driver side however the vibrating images are still there. Passenger side view mirror is unaffected. This creates a hazard as the view in the drivers side view mirror is distorted.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11623477November 4, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that the Eyesight system was intermittently inoperable. A message indicating that the Eyesight function was disabled was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the Eyesight icon turned from green to white with a line across. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be replicated. The dealer advised the contact to keep records of occurrences of the failure. The contact followed the dealer's instructions. The contact stated that upon following up with the dealer, the dealer informed the contact that the regional field engineer had been notified of the failure and advised that there was no remedy to correct the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620864October 20, 2024
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
Driver's side mirror vibrates at highway speeds 55+ mph, so much so that images in the mirror are blurry and difficult to clearly make out distance and speed of other vehicles. Vehicle has not yet been in for service, but is scheduled at the end of October for the 6K mile service. I'll report it then and see what the dealer says. I've seen that this is reported by other owners without resolution, and now there is also a class action lawsuit filed in TX.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620620October 18, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
The 360 surround view camera system on my Subaru Ascent consistently displays a misaligned, distorted, and altered image of the vehicle's surroundings. Objects in proximity to the vehicle, including nearby cars, curbs, and obstacles, appear shifted from their actual positions, creating a false sense of clearance. This misrepresentation of the vehicle's environment makes it extremely easy to run into objects or curbs that are shown incorrectly in the camera feed. The distortion in the 360 camera’s view compromises the accuracy of its intended purpose, which is to aid in parking and close-quarters maneuvering safely. I have already experienced multiple close calls due to this issue and believe it poses a significant safety risk, especially in tight parking spaces, low visibility conditions, or when relying on the camera for backing up. The feature is marketed as a safety tool, yet its inaccurate display creates a hazard rather than preventing one. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this problem, as it compromises driver safety and can lead to property damage or accidents due to incorrect visual information provided by the vehicle's system. Attempts to Resolve: I have brought this issue to the attention of the Subaru dealership, but they have not provided a solution. The camera system remains misaligned and unreliable. Safety Concerns: The misleading camera display creates a high risk of collisions with objects or pedestrians, especially when backing up or parking in areas with limited space. This poses a serious safety hazard, particularly when drivers rely on the system's accuracy to avoid obstacles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11617822October 3, 2024
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Transmission needed a full replacement
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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