2021 Subaru Ascent Complaint Log

Car purchased in August 2021. Front brake rotors and pads were replaced around 7,600 miles and May 2022. They could not "cut" the rotors as they were pitted beyond being able to be cut. At 10,764 miles (August 8, 2022), the front rotors and pads were replaced again. The dealer stated the front pads had tiny chips in them and the R/F outer pad had a crack in it. The rotors also had excessive heat spots on them and small pits. The last few days the brakes have been pulsating lightly on hills and today have begun pulsating at every stop. Car now has approximately 11,700 miles on it. Subaru has been notified and I will be making an appointment with dealer on Monday.

The battery constantly drains when the car is not in use for a very short time. It appears to be an electrical drain. I have already replaced the battery two times and the car has less than 15,000 miles. Apparently this is the same problem as in the 2016 - 2019 class action suit.

Windshield is extremely soft and cracks easily. In less than 1.5 years I've owned the car I've gotten 3 chips/cracks and now a 4th major one that requires a full replacement. No car previously owned ever had this issue, not even the previous Subaru. After searching online this seems to be a common problem in Subarus, as there was a class action suit for earlier models. Yes, car is currently available for inspection until repaired. Super soft windshield - if the windshield is broken completely on a highway, it's obviously a concern and a risk. Have not taken the car in yet, but will be to get it replaced.

The battery died after 2 years and 15000 miles. I was with my whole family ( 2 months old, 2 and 4 years old) away from home. I was able to reach the dealership leaving my family in a store and they said that nothing was wrong with the battery. Next day the car wouldn’t start and they finally replaced the battery under my extended warranty. Today I discover that there is a class action settlement for older models of my car. I was advised to write a complain to you. Apparently they didn’t fix the problem with newer models either.

I found a lot of oil leaking from the oil filter cup and that would splash all around the filter area. I brought the car at the dealership and they have replaced the filter but when I checked after few days ( smoke was coming out of the hood) there was oil all over again. I bought an aftermarket filter and I installed it myself. No one drop of oil found. So I believe this a is a safety concern because the oil might catch on fire with the heat of the engine. I believe a defective oil filter design or a bad technician training or both are causing the problem.

I have a 2021 Subaru Ascent Premium with 6,000 miles. The Transmission or CVT feels odd every time i shift from Park to Drive or Reverse i feel a hard clunk additional to that every time i get in the Highway and add some RPMs to the SUV the CVT shifting feels Hard more likely like i m driving a Manual vehicle something that is not suppose to happen or feel that way. I took it to the dealer and they only found that the part that press tp brake to shift was not lubricated ( no clue the real name) and they also mention that is how the CVT works something that i don't think so and they also mention to wait for a recall.

Without anything noticeable hitting the windshield, it was fine on July 2nd 2022 and when I went to get in to drive the next morning there was a crack in the windshield.

Vehicle will jerk and shudder when accelerating and de-accelerating. Mostly between 15mph and 30mph. I’ve taken the vehicle back to the dealership and they didn’t find the issue. This prompted me to do some research online and found in one of many. There is a class action lawsuit for 2018-2019 Ascents. The 2020-2021 and 2022 models will follow suit as they have identical issues. I’m concerned the transmission will fail and I’ll have a lemon on my hands. The sudden loss of power to sometimes sudden acceleration by suddenly downshifting is a concern. The vehicle will often hesitate while it tries to figure out which gear it needs. This has been happening since day 1 of ownership.

April 25, 2022: The trunk/liftgate of the vehicle failed to detect an obstruction and closed without retracting when it came in contact with an individual's head. The impact caused a head injury, blackout, and concussion, and resulted in permanent damage to an individual (6' 2" - 190lbs). Subaru’s stated that an inspection of the vehicle was performed on May 19th and informed me that “the vehicle is operating as designed…and has met all federal specifications,” and that their inspection concluded that this is “no manufacturing defect.” Prior to the inspection, Subaru requested signed consent to inspect the vehicle's internal data which I provided. When I requested a copy of the report, Subaru informed me of their policy not to share this information despite the vehicle "operating as designed." One of the first things that we learn about computers is “Garbage in, garbage out.” My position is that if Subaru’s computers are not programmed to look for issues pertaining to incidents that contradict their message of superior safety features, then their computers will not find issues that do not reflect their preferred image. No warning messages or symptoms prior to this occurrence. Subaru's response is included in this report.

The Transmission on the vehicle was exhibiting excessive noise when shifting from park to drive and was progressively becoming undrivable with odd shifting, hard shifting, RPM fluttering, and chugging. It made progressively louder audible sounds and squeaks during cold starts when shifting from park to drive. It was brought in for service and the original transmission was replaced due to metal shavings found in the case, a direct indication of failure, with no warning lamps or codes from the onboard computers. After approximately 500 miles, the replacement transmission is exhibiting the same progressively worse drivability issues and transmissions sounds. I returned to the same dealership for service and they said they did hear the issue but needed a field technician to diagnose the issue. I have contacted the servicing dealership and Subaru America's directly and after 6 weeks, they have continued to tell me they will try to get someone to look at it, but will not set a date or time. They have refused to provide any written documentation around the issue and will not issue a repair order stating the vehicle is operating normally even after directly requesting it from both the dealer and subaru america. They have stated the documentation is internal only and cannot be shared with the consumer. The replacement transmission has 3,000 miles at this point and is exhibiting the same progressive failures. The vehicle feels unsafe because the transmission behavior is now unpredictable and erratic.

Purchased 2021 Subaru Ascent Limited outright, drove it for few months, started having pain in my right thigh that resulted in cramping and severe discomfort which affected my ability to feel the break pressure. This nearly ended up causing a couple of near miss rear end collisions. The pain got so bad that it caused me to lay prone and apply muscle cream to the affected area then remain prone for like 15 minutes before being able to continue driving until the pain returns. I consulted my Doctor and went through all the hoops to get an MRI, steroids, pain meds, heating pads, etc, without results or elevation. Ive tried cushions, padding and every possible seat adjustment still without any relief. I am scheduled for surgical consultation over this matter with strong possibility of surgery. There are thousands of Subaru owners throughout the web suffering from this same issue which has been medically classified by physical therapy professionals as " Subaru Sciatica Syndrome". The poorly designed seat has hard bolsters that jam into my thigh causing the sciatic pressure that causes the abnormal break pressure sensation. Therefore meeting two requirements for investigation. Subaru USA is aware of this problem and has banned me from posting anything educational on all their websites informing owners to the solution and action available. I had the seats looked at by an experienced car upholstery shop and repairs were estimated, submitted to Subaru upon their request, only to be denied.

First transmission was replaced after months of trying to get the issue diagnosed. Symptoms included severe hesitation when trying to accelerate, shuttering, and feeling of jerking between gears even though it's a CVT. This escalated to shuttering while driving on the highway. Because the problem was intermittent, my car spent a great deal of time in the shop trying to get a diagnosis. After much back-and-forth with Subaru of America, the transmission was replaced at 48,000 miles. I asked for an extended warranty beyond the 60k warranty due to the fact that it took so long to get the first issue properly fixed. They said no. Less than 3,000 miles later and I'm having the same jerking/hesitation issues. The dealership technician says he cannot duplicate the problem, and SOA still refuses to honor an extended warranty. My 60k warranty is almost up and I fear that I will end up paying for a new transmission or worse, end up in an accident due to the poor performance issues. Subaru will do nothing about this known issue.

The battery went dead even though the car was parked in the garage and had been driven recently. AAA was called to jump start it. The vehicle only has 5k miles on it, so it shouldn’t be having battery problems. We are lucky this happened at home.

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving approximately 20 mph and making a slight right turn, the steering wheel did not respond and the vehicle drifted to the left and crashed into the guard rail. Prior to the incident the driver indicated the steering wheel felt wobbly and unstable. There were no injuries reported. The police was called to scene and the vehicle was towed away. No further information was available. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The failure mileage was 10,000.

Brake rotors, front and back warp. Rotors have been replaced and resurfaced multiple times. The vehicle is over-sized for the braking hardware included with the vehicle. I have spoken to the dealer multiple times and they are aware of the undersized brake component issue across this model line. Although promised, Subaru has not addressed the issue and it is a safety hazard in hilly terrain.

My mirror on my car has started melting. They told me it was a outside force, from a lighter. I told them it was electrical or something wrong from the inside of the mirror. There are forums recently posted up regarding this and Subaru has ignored them all claiming it is reflective light from the sun. That they can’t do anything about it. Others have replaced their mirrors 3 times now. This is a potential fire hazard and could be unsafe. They are not addressing this as it should be. https://www.thesubaruforums.com/threads/melting-side-view-mirror.12397/

The vehicle has a parasitic battery draw. I purchased a new gel cell (Redtop) battery, the most powerful one that fits the car, and was reimbursed by Subaru. The car battery still goes totally dead after about one week, even with occasional driving. I have to carry a jump battery in case I am traveling to insure that I can get the car started when I stop.

THE MOON ROOF/SUNROOF HAS LEAKED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER HAS TRIED TO FIX IT ON THREE OCCASIONS. IT CONTINUES TO LEAK- IT LEAKS WATER INTO THE FRONT EYESIGHT CAMERAS CAUSING THEM TO NOT WORK & CUT OFF SPORADICALLY. THE WATER LEAKS INTO THE CAB CAUSING THE HEADLINER TO BE WET, THE FLOORBOARD AND THE ENTIRE CONSOLE AND CUP HOLDERS FILLS UP WITH WATER. I HAVE HAD IT AT THE DEALERSHIP ON THREE OCCASIONS DEC 2012 JAN 2021 NOV 11 2022 AND IT HAS NOW HAPPENED A 4 TH TIME ON NOV 15 2022 AND IS STILL NOT REPAIRED. I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT MY VEHICLE FOR 34 DAYS. IT HAS LESS THAN 18,000 MILES ON IT.

Unknown. I am smelling gasoline in the cabin of the car. A LOT of fumes fill my garage when I start the car. The car sometimes accelerates when I put it in park, resulting in more fumes. Fuel efficiency is lower than expected as well.

It is actually the lane centering system. Even a gentle hand on the wheel, which is required, will gradually pull you to one side of the lane. When ever you lift your hand or when the car thinks you have gone to far one way or the other it will throw you into the other lane, into a car, motorcycle, semi, or even off a cliff. This system is so dangerous I cant believe it hasnt been recalled. If using this you will get thrown one way or the other several times during most trips. Dealer states its normal and I got that in writing.

The car constantly over-corrects when it tries to keep me centered in a lane on the highway. It always over-corrects to the left shoving me to the left into the adjoining lane, and potentially side swiping vehicles in the adjoining lane. It never over-corrects to the right. I reported this to the dealer and I was told that this is normal.

At 1 month old with 1,661 miles - the driver's side window started showing a cracked line that began to grow throughout the course of driving on a Saturday afternoon.

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle shut down completely. A message indicating that the vehicle had unexpectedly stopped, and to check the vehicle as the remote start had failed was displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road safely and waited until the vehicle cooled down. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. However, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that they could not assist as the dealer diagnosed that no issues were found. The failure mileage was 300.

The lane keeping assist pull abruptly into the other traffic lane when traveling on the highway for example when on a 4 lane road with two lane in the same direcstion and passing a semi truck the steering assist abruptly pulls the car into the truck's lane and requires immediate hard handed reaction to keep the car from hitting the truck. The lane assist on this subaru vehicle is more dangerous than it is helpful. Subaru is terribly un response to request for help although the car is less than 1-year old and has a mult-year extended warranty---subaru's customer service is the worst we've experienced. BTW my son's Honda Acura's lane assist is excellent!

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact returned to the vehicle and noticed a crack on the windshield. The crack was on the lower driver’s side of the windshield and moving upward. There was no impact to the windshield to cause the fracture. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,141.

When operating the 2021 Ascent, I experience intermittent problems at various shift-points in the CVT and at various RPMs. The transmission seems to shudder and slip between shift-points, and the shuddering sensation is so severe that it transfers up through the steering column and the steering wheel shakes. I have brought the vehicle to my dealership (Kocourek Subaru in Wausau), and they have acknowledged that the shuddering is taking place and even documented it in the 18K service invoice. They ran it through the protocols for NHTSA TSB 10185089, and were not able to achieve fluctuation in the gear ratio. Since the TSB test, the dealership again took the vehicle and has had it for ca. three-weeks, and have tested it, replicated the issues described above, downloaded data, sent data to Subaru of America, replaced some kind of sensor associated with the CVT, and sent additional data to Subaru of America, and are awaiting a response from SOA as to the next steps.

On several occasions while using the lane centering feature, vehicle has taken a sudden violent move to the left into the on coming lane. No warning lights illuminated. Problem hasn’t been replicated by dealer.

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway and making a left turn, the steering wheel locked up and the contact could not turn the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle and the steering wheel to unlocked. The failure recurred with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,200.

The windshield cracked without impact.

Three chips have showed up on my windshield. I called the dealer when I saw it. They said all customers pay out of pocket. Then I recently saw that there is an issue with the windshields. That Subaru corporate is now taking care of the issue. I am looking for information to move forward with getting my windshield fixed. It happened a few months ago.

On our first road trip in our new Ascent the windshield cracked. It rapidly spread about 18 inches. We heard no impact, saw no rock - just an ever spreading crack. We called a local Subaru dealer in Lexington, Kentucky who assured us the car was safe to drive home to Savannah. On the trip home we encountered a heavy rainstorm and noticed leakage at the crack. I am filing this after seeing the large number of Subaru owners reporting similar occurrences. We had just experienced another cracked windshield on a 2019 Subaru outback that we had repaired on 11 May 2021! There is something not quite right about this windshield in the Subarus.

Hello, my vehicle 2021 Subaru Ascent Limited with Navigation Package had it's panoramic sunroof cracked while the vehicle was parked in the garage. Upon researching the internet, it appears that this issue is systemic design or material flaw for Subaru vehicles. Reference: https://www.torquenews.com/1084/subaru-cracked-windshield-lawsuit-grows-25-million-us-vehicles Is there a way NHTSA can help get the issue addressed? Thank you!

After leaving liftgate open for a while, battery was dead. Learned from website that this was known issue for Subaru’s with automated liftgate. As i was camping with no cell signal, it was super difficult to get help and this could lead to the really big issue. This is the known issue for a while and I was shocked to Leane that Subaru did nothing to fix this.

LANE ASSIST WITH CRUISE CONTROL OVER CORRECTS. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHILE ON THE FREEWAY USING CRUISE CONTROL THE LANE ASSIST PULLED ME INTO THE OTHER LANE INTO OTHER VEHICLES. I HAVE ALMOST HIT OTHER VEHICLES. THE PULL IS TOO STRONG AND CROSSES LANES. IF NOT FIXED BY SUBARU, ACCIDENTS WILL OCCUR.

CRACK APPEARED SPIDERED ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD JUST WITHIN THE 60 MINUTES OF US LEAVING OUR CAR IN MAMMOTH CAVE STATE PARK INFORMATION CENTER PARKING LOT ON SATURDAY. SUCH A TINY CRACK SPIDERING LIKE THAT IS CONCERNING TO ME ESPECIALLY COMING FROM A 2015 SUBARU LEGACY THAT HAD THE NEW WINDSHIELD CLASS ACTION. WE DID NOT SEE THAT CRACK AT ANY TIME BEFORE. THIS WAS PURCHASED IN THE END OF FEBRUARY.

LANE ASSIST WITH CRUISE CONTROL OVER CORRECTS. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHILE ON THE FREEWAY USING CRUISE CONTROL THE LANE ASSIST PULLED ME INTO THE OTHER LANE INTO OTHER VEHICLES. I HAVE ALMOST HIT TWO OTHER VEHICLES. THE PULL IS TOO STRONG AND CROSSES LANES. I HAVE TO KEEP IT OFF. FORWARD COLLISION DOES NOT ENGAGE.

THE LANE ASSIST FEATURE (ONLY AN OPTION WHEN USING ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL; NOT THE SAME AS LANE CENTERING WHEN NOT USING THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL [THE BASICS LANE CENTERING WORKS JUST FINE]) SEEMS OVERLY AGGRESSIVE. EACH TIME I HAVE USED LANE ASSIST WITH CRUISE CONTROL, IT JERKS THE CAR VERY ABRUPTLY AT TIMES, ALMOST TO THE EXTENT OF SENDING IT INTO ANOTHER LANE IF I DO NOT INTERVENE. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE USING LANE ASSIST, SO I TURN IT OFF WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL. I AM VERY CONCERNED IT'S GOING TO CAUSE AND ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 5 TIMES NOW WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY (EVERY TIME I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO USE LANE ASSIST).

I purchased the vehicle Oct 2020. Since then the windshield has sustained 6 chips/cracks in the windshield. I found this to be unusual since I maybe have gotten 2 cracked windshields in 20+ years. I stared researching and found out this is an ongoing problem with Subaru windshields. I went to the dealer and was told they can do nothing about it. Appreciate any help.

THE 2021 ASCENT HAS LANE CENTERING ASSIST WITH VERY STRICT MARGINS. IT IS A CONSTANT TUG OF WAR WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN LANE CENTERING IS ACTIVE. WHEN YOU LET THE CAR TAKE OVER, IT VIOLENTLY JERKS YOU INTO THE NEXT LANE. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN CROSS CHECKED WITH OTHER USERS ON A SUBARU FORUM AND ALL HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. THE CAR OVERCORRECTS AND IS PRONE TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AT SOME POINT. I AM LUCKY NO ONE WAS IN THE LANE NEXT TO ME WHEN THE CAR SWERVED ME INTO THE NEXT LANE. MY 2021 IS A REPLACEMENT OF A 2020 MODEL BECAUSE THE 2020 WAS DEEMED A LEMON. THE 2020 MODEL DID NOT HAVE LANE CENTERING BUT LANE KEEP ASSIST INSTEAD. THE 2020 DID NOT VIOLENTLY JERK INTO THE NEXT LANE. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO LESLIE KARPIAK AT SOA WHO HELPED ME THROUGH MY LEMON ISSUE ON THE 2020 MODEL. I REQUESTED A FULL BUY BACK AND SHE SUGGESTED I HAVE MY CAR INSPECTED AT A DEALERSHIP, BUT THAT IS A LENGTHY PROCESS AND I HAVE ALREADY SPEND 3 MONTHS IN AND OUT OF DEALERSHIPS WITH MY 2020 MODEL. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE ON ALL 2021 MODELS AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FULLY. I AM HOLDING SUBARU 100% LIABLE WHEN AN ACCIDENT OCCURS BECAUSE OF THIS LANE CENTERING ISSUE. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS ON A CONTINUOUS DRIVING BASIS. YOUR HELP AND ASSISTANCE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED FOR THE SAKE OF SAVING LIVES.

WINDSHIELD IS CRACKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON, STARTING AT THE BASE OF THE DRIVER SIDE CORNER AND SPREADING 2-5 INCHES PER DAY. NO IMPACT POINT IN WINDSHIELD.

VEHICLE WANDERS ON THE HIGHWAY. WHEN PASSING A VEHICLE ON THE ROAD THE LANE CENTERING ASSIST TRIES TO HUG THE CENTERLINE AND THE DRIVER MUST KEEP PULLING HE VEHICLE BACK TO THE CENTER OF THE PASSING LANE. A SHORT LAPSE OF STEERING COULD PULL THE VEHICLE INTO THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE BEING PASSED. FULL TIME JOB TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM WANDERING WHEN VERY LIITLE WIND AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP IT FROM WANDERING WHEN THE WIND IS BLOWING 15-20 MPH. NOT A PLEASANT RELAXING DRIVE.

THE WINDSHIELD OF OUR NEW SUBARU ASCENT TOURING 2021 JUST CRACKED ON ITS OWN ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE. THE CRACK IS NOW ABOUT 10IN AND KEEPS GETTING LONGER((

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A OWNS A 2021 SUBARU ASCENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT MID LEVEL SPEED, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE WINDSHIELD. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT A CRACK HAD INFORMED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD RIGHT ABOVE FRAME. OVER TIME, THE CRACK EXTENDED FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE TO THE MIDDLE RIGHT BELOW THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CRACK OBSTRUCTED HER VISION WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT CALLED SPORT SUBARU SOUTH (9951 ORANGE BLOSSOM TRAIL, ORLANDO, FL 32837) WHERE THEY INFORMED HER THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO SERVICE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO ATTEMPTED TO REACH THE MANUFACTURER BUT SHE WAS UNABLE TO REACH A REPRESENTATIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 360. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

MY WIFE PARKED THE VEHICLE AND WHEN SHE WENT TO START IT THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AT ONLY 1667 MILES.

AT 1667 MILES ON MY BRAND NEW SUBARU ASCENT THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED WHILE MY WIFE WAS OUT SHOPPING. THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO CHARGE TO ME, HOWEVER AT 1667 MILES THAT IS AN ISSUE. THERE IS A DEAD SUBARU ASCENT BATTERY CLUB THAT N FACEBOOK DEDICATED TO THIS ISSUE AND LAWYERS STARTING TO GET READY FOR CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THIS HAPPENED. DEALER COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED.

OUR WINDSHIELD ALREADY HAS NUMEROUS CHIPS AND ONE CRACK THAT WE REPAIRED. WE HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR SINCE OCTOBER BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE WINDSHIELD IS VERY BRITTLE. WE HAVE HAD SOME WINTER WEATHER LATELY SO THERE WAS EXCESSIVE JUNK IN THE ROAD AND SAND BUT OUR OTHER VEHICLES HAVE NOT HAD THE SAME ISSUES.