What breaks most · 2019 to 2026 model years
Subaru Ascent problems by year
Owners have filed 1,024 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Subaru Ascent across model years 2019 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2019 for electrical system complaints, 2020 for electrical system complaints and 2021 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2023, 2024 and 2022.
- Years to check closely: 2019, 2020, 2021
- Fewest complaints: 2023, 2024, 2022
- Complaints on file
- 10242019 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2019439 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 3312 fires · 25 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 10kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 25Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 439 | 10 | 9 | Electrical system (160) | |
| 320 | 6 | 5 | Electrical system (101) | |
| 102 | 3 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (19) | |
| 55 | 6 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (14) | |
| 43 | 4 | 4 | Brakes (10) | |
| 50 | 3 | 1 | Visibility (23) | |
| 14 | 1 | 1 | Steering (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) |
What fails on the 2019 Subaru Ascent
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 36% |
160 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2019 Subaru Ascent |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 20% |
87 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 15% |
66 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 13% |
58 | 2 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 11% |
47 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2019 Subaru Ascent |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
26 | 2 | Shop brakes parts for the 2019 Subaru Ascent |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
16 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2019 Subaru Ascent |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 3% |
15 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
The battery is draining so quick that the car doesnt start at all. The battery drained completely in 3 days and it’s happening more often.
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My car refused to start-pressed the ignition and it sputted, lots of lights went on and off and then the running lights came on and stayed on and ran the rest of the battery out. Had to charge it for hours to get it started again.
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Every time I go out of park there is a massive clubking noise from under the car. It's actually a super common item with these cars I am seeing as well in other forums. I believe this could lead to sheared parking brakes in the future.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Subaru Ascent years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2019, 2020, 2021 carry the most filings on the Subaru Ascent. The 2019 alone has 439 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Subaru Ascent problem?
On the 2019 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 160 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Subaru Ascent problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Subaru Ascent complaints that include mileage is about 10,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.