Subaru Ascent Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability

2023 Subaru Ascent, under manufacturer basic warranty. Factory OEM battery has repeatedly failed. Voltage drops below 11.5V in normal use. Three documented failures in six weeks. SAFETY INCIDENT: Vehicle died on a public street and became completely immobilized. Brake warning light activated. Vehicle would not move even after a jump start. Passengers had to exit in a live traffic lane. A second vehicle was used to transport a replacement battery. The original battery is in my possession and available for inspection. A subsequent failure occurred when the original battery was reinstalled for a manufacturer-required diagnostic. Vehicle again would not start. KNOWN DEFECT: Subaru TSB 07-213-22R (revised 03/28/24) covers the 2023-24 Ascent battery and acknowledges the factory specification as inadequate, directing dealers to replace the battery, tray, cover, and holding rod with higher-capacity parts. This TSB was not proactively applied to my vehicle. The dealer did not identify or disclose it at earlier service visits where the battery concern was reported and "could not be reproduced." No recall or proactive owner notification has been issued. Dealers are not applying the TSB preventively. A complaint is open with Subaru of America Customer Advocacy. The manufacturer has declined to reimburse the out-of-pocket emergency replacement and has required a dealer diagnostic that has been repeatedly blocked by manufacturer/dealer procedural requirements.

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was slowly driven to the local mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. The VIN was not available.

In 2024, 2025, and 2026, I have had 2 incidents in each year where the cruise control is set to 60 to 65 mph and the cruise control then accelerates the car past 100 mph. When this occurs, tapping the break does NOT disengage the cruise control. All 6 times I have had to slam the breaks to a full dead stop while the car tries to accelerate anyway. April 4, 2026 and April 14, 2026 are the most recent occurrences and all occurrences so far for this issue have been during a downhill road incline. The dealer has dismissed the problem every time and has been unable to fix or reproduce the problem on demand. The random frequency of this problem can easily lead to a significant accident for the driver or others in the vicinity. And the lack of resolution from the Subaru dealer has lead me to report the issue here in hopes that if this is occurring for other vehicles that the company takes an actual resolution to solve the issue in their cruise control function.

My eyesight camera keeps failing, it just started like a week ago I had it scanned and it is saying there is an error with the eyesight camera, I have not had an issue with it until now.

The hood acts like it is going to come loose whenever I : 1> Meet a semi-truck on a two lane road. 2> If following a truck on interstate. 3> Driving when windy. The flex in hood is very unnerving for fear it is going to blow off when in traffic. The body shop has adjusted latch today but did not correct the issue.

Traveling back home from our vehicle downhill the vehicle started aggressively started to downshift that caused disengaging it was scary and almost wrecked into a tree. The car was very hot and smoking . We were stranded and afraid to move the car as we sat for over an hour and had to walk two miles in the dark to home with two children . We could not get tow truck or ride as we had no service.

While driving under normal road conditions at approximately 35mph, the side airbags in the vehicle deployed unexpectedly without any collision, impact, or apparent external cause. There were no warning lights, alerts, or prior indications of any system malfunction before the deployment. The sudden airbag deployment startled the driver and created an immediate safety risk, including potential loss of vehicle control and risk of injury to occupants. The vehicle had not struck anything, and there were no road hazards or events that would reasonably trigger airbag deployment. The vehicle has since been inspected by insurance representatives and a dealership, and repair estimates have been completed. At this time, the cause of the deployment remains UNKNOWN. This incident raises serious concerns about a potential defect in the airbag system or related sensors, as the airbags deployed without a triggering event.

2022 Subaru Ascent. Noticed progressive strong odor in the car. After rain had significant fluid accumulation in the front passenger ceiling, inside front passenger door (sloshing), and wet carpets on the floor on the passenger side. Serviced by Subaru dealer water specialist who reported (1) clogged moonroof drains and "popped off connector" leading to flooding of the entire front passenger ceiling; (2) detached vapor barrier in the passenger door allowing water to collect inside the door and drain into the car; (3) significant concern for mold based on the extent of damage and odor accumulating over time. Told by dealer the drains could be unclogged and they'd repair the popped off connection with a zip-tie fastener since it was not tight enough before, re-affix the vapor barrier in the door, but otherwise their expressed SAFETY concern related to the extent of suspected mold and the poor effects that would have on the health of us and our children. Told the mold was unlikely to fully remediate despite usual efforts, as it creates a fibrous web that is very difficult to ever fix, and the recommendation was that we probably not drive the car again. Told no water damage of any etiology is covered under any Subaru warranty. Dealer refused at first to give documentation about the service or recommendations. Later gave but left off mold documentation - we requested they add it back on, if we choose to sell or trade in the vehicle later we refuse to do so without the mold and associated health risks being public knowledge for a future owner of this vehicle. We also reported that our Subaru Eyesight (collision avoidance system) had been intermittently shorting out, online reports show this can be related to drain floods. No report/update thus far by Subaru on this, also not included in report. We filed a complaint with Subaru of America but have not been called back despite two weeks of repeated calls to them for an update.

The contact owns a 2026 Subaru Accent. The contact stated that there was a failure related to the brake pedal design. The contact stated that there was an approximate one-inch difference in spacing between the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal in previous model vehicles. The contact stated that there was an approximate four-inch gap between the brake and accelerator pedals, while previous models had an approximate three-inch space. The contact stated that the difference created a hazardous driving condition and increased the risk of unintended pedal application. Additionally, there were several instances where a crash could have occurred due to the pedal spacing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, it was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that several complaints were received with the same issue and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,040.

While driving the passenger door window behind the driver burst, then began falling into the car. The safety issue would have occurred if one of my grandchildren were sitting there. Also, the startling event of it just bursting and possible causing a jerk in the car. The dealer said that they have not heard of this and would not repair under warranty (brand new car, purchased in September). Police investigated and saw nothing that would have caused an outside force to break the window. No warnings

I hit a deer on CA 395 north, my braking system worked and my air bags deployed, and then my engine immediately caught fire. I’m lucky i was able to get out of the car through a back door. Every police and fire who responded said they have never seen a car catch fire after hitting a deer and i should report a vehicle malfunction

I own a 2025 Subaru Ascent Limited. At approximately 20,000 miles, one of the original tires (factory-installed) developed a straight split along the tread/shoulder area. The cut was very straight, almost like along a seam, and I could see metal/steel cords exposed through the opening. There was no major impact, curb strike, or pothole event that I’m aware of, and there was no obvious sidewall or wheel damage. The Subaru dealer inspected the tire and replaced it, but I do not have the tire in my possession, so I no longer have the exact tire brand/model or DOT number. I have photos of the damage and a repair order from the dealer showing the tire replacement. I have also reported this incident to Subaru’s customer advocate department because I am concerned this may be a safety-related tire or manufacturing issue on a relatively new vehicle with low mileage.