2019 Subaru Ascent

AFTER HAVING DRIVEN THE ASCENT FOR 30 MINUTES OR MORE, TURNED OFF VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. AFTER RENDERING THE VEHICLE IT WOULD NOT START. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, COASTED VEHICLE DOWN SLIGHT GRADE TO SIDE OF ROAD, AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT STARTED AGAIN. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED, IT WOULD NOT START AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. CONTACTED SUBARU THOUGH IT'S STARLINK PROGRAM. THEY TOLD ME TO HOLD KEYLESS STARTER BUTTON FOR 30 SECONDS, THEN TRY TO START AGAIN. AFTER DOING THIS THE CAR STARTED.

I PURCHASED VEHICLE IN DECEMBER 2018 FOR 2019 MODEL. THE ORIGINAL BATTERY ONLY LASTS SLIGHTLY OVER ONE YEAR. IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT BATTERY OF A NEW VEHICLE NORMALLY LASTS FOR MORE THAN 5 YEARS. BATTERY RAN OUT IN LESS THAN 14 MONTHS IS VERY WEIRD AS I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN AROUND 2,500 MILES ONLY. I AM STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THE BATTERY IS DEFECTIVE.

DRIVING NORMAL, 30 MPH ON A FLAT ROAD, WHEN ALL DASH LIGHTS LIT UP. RAB, BREAK, CHECK ENGINE, EVERY SINGLE DASH LIGHT AT THE SAME TIME. WE THEN LOST POWER STEERING, AND WHEN WE PULLED OVER COULDN'T GET THE CAR INTO PARK. EVENTUALLY AFTER FIGHTING WITH IT, CAR WENT INTO PARK. ATTEMPTED TO RESTART IT, AND IT DID RE-START BUT WITH THE SAME LIGHTS ON THE DASH. IT WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN AND HAD LOST POWER IN A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. CAR WAS TOWED. DEALER HAS HAD IT SINCE THEN, NOW 01/21/20 AND THEY KNOW IT'S ELECTRICAL, IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE THEY DROVE IT, BUT THEY CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

CAR WAS SHAKING WHILE IDLING/ SHIFTING HARD/ STUDDERING WHILE TRYING TO SHIFT AND NOT SHIFTING WHILE GOING UP AN INCLINE. THE TRANSMISSION WAS DAMAGED FROM THE SLACK IN THE CVT BELT AND NOW HAS TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. ALSO THE BATTERY DIED. NO DOORS WERE LEFT OPEN AND NO LIGHTS WERE LEFT ON. NO REASON TO HAVE A DEAD BATTERY OTHER THAN A LARGE PARASITIC DRAIN WHILE THE CAR IS OFF.

EVERY WEEK OR TWO THE CAR FAILS TO START. WHEN THE IGNITION BUTTON IS PUSHED, THE VEHICLE GAINS POWER BUT DOES NOT TURNOVER AND START. YOU NEED TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, LOCK THE VEHICLE AND UNLOCK THE VEHICLE AND GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS UP TO 7 TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WILL START. VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO SUBARU SERVICE DEPARTMENT 3 SEPARATE TIMES FOR UP TO 2 WEEKS AT A TIME AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO REPLICATE OR FIX THE PROBLEM.

ISSUE #1: TRANSMISSION. STARTING AROUND 8000 MILES, A LOUD SQUEALING SOUND WOULD OCCUR PERIODICALLY DURING AUTOMATIC SHIFTING. AT FIRST IT WAS ONLY WHILE OBTAINING HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND LATER IT WOULD HAPPEN AT CITY STREET SPEEDS. THE SQUEALING SOUND WOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SHUTTERING FEELING AS WELL. WE LIVE 3 HOURS FROM THE DEALER AND WERE TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE CAR WAS JUST 'GETTING TO KNOW US'. AS THIS PROBLEM PERSISTED AND WORSENED, WE WERE FINALLY BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AT 12,000 MILES AND THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND SAID WE NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THAT WAS ON 9/27/19. WE ARE AWAITING THE AVAILABILITY OF A NEW TRANSMISSION WHILE DRIVING A LOANER. ISSUE #2: ELECTRICAL ISSUE. TWICE ALL OF THE ENGINE WARNING/DASHBOARD LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 20 MPH ON A DIRT ROAD. THE FIRST TIME WAS AROUND 9800 MILES. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR AND BROUGHT THE CAR TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP (SUBARU DEALER IS 150 MILES AWAY) AND HIS COMPUTER DIAGNOSED A POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND HE REBOOTED THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. ALL SEEMED OK WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR A WHILE. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN AROUND 11,000 MILES WHILE BEING DRIVEN AT CITY STREET SPEEDS AND THE NEXT MORNING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS BACK TO NORMAL. IN TALKING TO THE SUBARU DEALER BY PHONE, THEY SAID THERE WAS PROBABLY JUST A BUG IN THE SYSTEM AND IT CAN FIX ITSELF. AT THE 12,000 MILE APPT, NO ISSUES WERE DISCOVERED WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

OUR ASCENT HAS BEEN DYING SINCE JUNE, WHICH WAS ALMOST A YEAR FROM THE DAY WE BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW (FIRST ASCENT SOLD BY OUR DEALER). IT HAS LOST TOTAL POWER ABOUT 7-8 TIMES NOW AND WE'VE HAD IT TOWED TO OUR SUBARU DEALER THREE TIMES. THE FIRST TIME THEY SAID IT WAS A DEFECTIVE BATTERY AND GAVE US A NEW BATTERY. THE SECOND TIME THE DEALER PERSON SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND BLAMED ME FOR LEAVING ONE OF THE INTERIOR LIGHTS ON OVERNIGHT THUS DRAINING THE BATTERY. THE THIRD TIME THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND AFTER THAT THEY SAID IT WAS SOME SORT OF A LOOSE CABLE AND THAT THEY HAD FIXED THE PROBLEM. SINCE THEN THE CAR HAS DIED TWO MORE TIMES. THE FIRST ONE WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS CAMPING WITH THE KIDS (WHICH HAS HAPPENED BEFORE WHILE CAMPING BECAUSE OF THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF DOORS) BUT LUCKILY HE HAD A "JUMP STARTER KIT" WHICH WE HAD ACQUIRED AFTER FEW TIMES AFTER OUR CAR DIED. AND, THAT I MUST ADD THAT IT IS A TOOL THAT SHOULD COME WITH EVERY ASCENT! THE LAST TIME WAS TODAY. PROBABLY BECAUSE THE KIDS LEFT ONE INTERIOR LIGHT ON AGAIN. THEY KEEP CLAIMING IT'S MY FAULT FOR LEAVING THE INTERIOR LIGHT ON OVERNIGHT, AND THAT THE SUBARU TECHNOLOGY REPORTING SYSTEM HAS NOTHING ABOUT THIS. ISN'T THIS AN ABSURD? UNACCEPTABLE THAT A SMALL LITTLE LIGHT CAN DRAIN THE ENTIRE BATTERY POWER ONLY OVERNIGHT. I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT HEADLIGHTS ON OVERNIGHT, IT'S ONLY ONE INTERIOR LIGHT... AND SOMETIMES NOT EVEN THAT, JUST THE FACT THAT WE OPENED AND CLOSED THE DOORS WAY TOO MANY TIMES (EG WHILE CAMPING). THIS IS VERY IRRITATING AND I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE THIS FIXED.