2019 Subaru Ascent

MY NEW VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED COMPLETE ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY TURNS ON ALL WARNINGS AND DISABLED ALL SAFETY FEATURES TO INCLUDE COLLISION AND BLINDSIDE MONITORS. AS INDICATED BY MANY OTHER SUBARU OWNERS, THE PROBLEMS WERE DIAGNOSED BY SUBARU TO BE RELATED TO A LOOSE TRANSMISSION HARNESS. SO FAR SUBARU HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL TO INSPECT ALL 2019 AND 2020 SUBARU ASCENT TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY. WE ARE SUPER SCARE OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH THE IDEA THAT IT CAN STALL IN MID DRIVING.

WE HAD A SERIOUS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION OF OUR NEW 2019 SUBARU ASCENT THAT HAPPENED ON JULY 27,2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 11 AM. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY IN THE SUN. THE TEMPERATURE WAS APPROXIMATELY 95 DEGREES.WE LOADED OUR DOGS IN THE REAR OF THE SUBARU ASCENT IN METAL WIRE CRATES.WE THEN CLOSED THE HATCHBACK USING THE BUTTON AND THE MOTOR FUNCTIONED PROPERLY TO CLOSE THE HATCHBACK COMPLETELY. MY WIFE THEN GOT INTO THE DRIVER SEAT OF THE VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR WITH THE PUSHBUTTON START. THE STARTER CLICKED ON AND THE ENGINE TURNED OVER ONCE BUT DID NOT START. SHE THEN PRESSED THE START BUTTON AGAIN WITH NO RESPONSE WHATSOEVER FROM THE VEHICLE. THE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING RANDOMLY. THE MAIN LCD SCREEN IN THE CENTER CONSOLE TURNED BLANK AND THEN REAPPEARED IN THE HOME SCREEN. NO OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WERE FUNCTIONAL. SPECIFICALLY WE COULD NOT OPEN THE REAR HATCH NOW AS IT IS ELECTRICALLY MOTOR DRIVEN AND THERE IS NO WAY FROM THE OUTSIDE TO MECHANICALLY OPEN THE HATCH. THIS IS A NEW 2019 SUBARU ASCENT THAT WAS PURCHASED APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS PRIOR AND HAS ONLY 1500 MILES ON IT.MY WIFE ATTEMPTED TO USE THE STARLINK HELP BUTTON INSIDE THE VEHICLE BUT THAT DID NOT WORK.I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY CABLES FROM THE BATTERY FOR A LITTLE OVER A MINUTE AND A HALF. I THEN TRIED RECONNECTING THE BATTERY CABLES AND RESTARTING THE CAR BUT NOTHING WORKED.THE CAR WOULD NOT START EVEN WITH JUMPER CABLES ATTACHED. NONE OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WERE FUNCTIONAL WITH THE JUMPER CABLES ATTACHED.I HAD TO OBTAIN A BOLT CUTTER AND CUT THE CRATE APART TO BRING THE ANIMALS OUT. I NOTIFIED A MY SUBARU DEALER OF THIS PROBLEM. THEY HAD US BRING THE CAR INTO THEIR DEALERSHIP ON MONDAY JULY 29.THEY STATED THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND ACTUALLY TALKED TO THE SUBARU SUPPORT FROM CORPORATE AND COULD NOT FIND ANY DEFECT IN THE VEHICLE. NO FIX WAS DONE

WHEN TRUNK OR DOORS ARE OPEN MORE THAN AN HOUR BATTERY WILL DRAIN TO THE POINT WHERE THE ENGINE IS UNABLE TO START. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE WITH MY VEHICLE AND I HAVE HEARD REPORTS FROM OTHER ASCENT OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. FROM WHAT I CAN TELL THE ISSUE IS CAUSED BY THE DOOR SENSORS REMAINING ON AS LONG AS THE DOOR IS OPEN EVEN IF THE ENGINE AND ACCESSORIES ARE TURNED OFF. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY BOTH TIMES IT HAPPENED, PARKED IN GARAGE. ALL LIGHTS AND OTHER ELECTRONICS WERE TURNED OFF, ONLY DOOR WAS LEFT OPEN.

I ATTEMPTED TO START MY SUBARU ASCENT AND IT WOULD NOT START. I CONTACTED SUBARU'S TOWING AND THEY CAME AND JUMPSTARTED THE CAR. THE TOWING COMPANY INFORMED ME THAT SUBARU'S ASCENT BATTERIES ARE DEFECTIVE AND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN FORCED TO JUMP A NUMBER OF THEM. I DROVE TO WORK. THE NEXT MORNING, I WOKE TO THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED SUBARU'S TOWING SERVICE, AND THEY CAME OUT AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TESTED THE BATTERY, BUT THE BATTERY DID NOT EXHIBIT FAIL CODES. SUBARU WOULD NOT REPLACE THE BATTERY, DESPITE THE TWO FAILURES. SINCE THIS TIME, I'VE HAD MULTIPLE BATTERY FAILURES AND SUBARU CONTINUES TO DENY MY REQUEST FOR REPLACEMENT.

ALMOST 9500 MILES, RAINING OUTSIDE WIFE DRIVING NORMAL SPEED (HIGHWAY DRIVING) AND EYESIGHT STOPPED WORKING AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE STILL RAN. SECONDLY TOOK TO LOCAL SUBRAU DEALERSHIP FOR 10,000 SERVICE THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG AND DID SERVICE. WIFE LEFT DEALERSHIP AND NOTICED CAR PULLING TO LEFT AFTER TIRES ROTATED. RETURNED TO DEALERSHIP , THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL FEATHERING OF TIRES. WORRIED EYESIGHT AND ENGINE CAN BE AFFECTED WITH RAIN. ALSO AT A FEW HUNDRED MORE MILES WE NOW SMELL BURNING OIL ON AND OFF OUTSIDE OF CAR. WE HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED HIGH REVVING MOTOR WITH NO FOOT ON GAS PEDAL.(STATIONARY WHEN SMELLING BURNT OIL SMELL AND MOTOR REVVING. ALSO ONCE HIGH REVVING WHILE MY 17 YEAR OLD WAS CITY DRIVING. LOVE TO DRIVE THE CAR, HOPE IT HOLDS UP!

THE BATTERY DRAINS ALL THE TIME LOCKING THE REAR HATCH. YOU CAN NOT ACCESS THE CAR FROM THE REAR. IF DOGS ARE CRATED IN THE REAR THEY ARE STUCK & THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS. I HAD TO CLIMB THROUGH THE REAR SEAT UNHOOK SEVERAL ANCHORS THAT HOLD THE CRATES DOWN, TRY TO MANEUVER ONE SIDE WAYS SO AS TO GET THE DOOR TO OPEN TO GET THE DOG OUT. IF IT WAS HOT OUT OR AN EMERGENCY, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ISSUE. IT TOOK ABOUT 20 MIN. TO GET THIS DONE. THERE IS NO OVERRIDE ON THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. THE DEALER SAID ITS THE WAY IT IS. UNTIL THE BATTERY GETS JUMPED OR CHARGED, YOU CAN'T GET IN THE REAR HATCH.

THE BATTERY KEEPS DYING WHEN I HAVE THE TAILGATE (TG) OPENED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME SUCH AS WHEN DOG TRAINING. THE FIRST TIME MY BATTERY DIED, I WAS THE LAST PERSON ON THE TRAINING GROUNDS. I CLOSED THE TG AND LIGHTS WERE FLASHING AND BEEPING FOR A FEW MINUTES. THE BATTERY DIED AND THE TG WAS SHUT AND WOULDN'T OPEN. I PANICKED B/C I COULD NOT GET MY DOGS OUT AND I WAS ALONE IN A VAST WOODED AREA. THIS IS A TERRIBLE SAFETY ISSUE B/C IF I DID NOT HAVE CELL PHONE COVERAGE THAT DAY, MY DOGS WOULD'VE BEEN TRAPPED IN THE CAR WITHOUT WATER AND I WOULD HAVE HAD TO WALK A VERY LONG WAY TO GET HELP SINCE THE SUBARU ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WILL NOT WORK WITHOUT CELL COVERAGE. IN FEB., I WAS DOG TRAINING IN AREAS OF GEORGIA WHERE THERE IS NO CELL PHONE COVERAGE. THREE DAYS IN A ROW, MY BATTERY DIED. FORTUNATELY, ANOTHER MEMBER OF OUR GROUP JUMP STARTED THE CAR. THE LOCAL DEALER IN TALLAHASSEE WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR THAT LEAVING THE TAILGATE OPEN WOULD DRAIN THE BATTERY. SUBARU SAYS THIS IS HOW THE CAR WAS DESIGNED. IN ADDITION TO INSTALLING A NEW BATTERY, THEY INSTALLED A BATTERY DISCONNECT SWITCH, WHICH I PURCHASED TO PREVENT MY BATTERY FROM DYING. EVERY TIME YOU FLIP THE SWITCH TO CUT THE BATTERY OFF, ALL THE PRESETS GO BACK TO DEFAULT AND HAVE TO BE RESET. AND NOW RANDOMLY ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS NOW COME ON AND THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM FAILS B/C SUPPOSEDLY THE SYSTEM IS SENSING A DROP IN VOLTAGE WHEN THE BATTERY DISCONNECT SWITCH IS BEING USED. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SUBARU DIDN'T THINK THIS THROUGH GIVEN THAT THEY MARKET TO THE OUTDOORSY TYPE OF PERSON, DOG OWNERS AND CAMPERS. THEY NEED SOME SORT OF FIX TO CORRECT THIS SAFETY ISSUE TO ALLOW OWNERS TO TURN OFF THE POWER TO THE TG WHEN NEEDED SO THEY ARE NOT LEFT STRANDED WHEN THEY ARE 'OFF THE GRID' AS THEIR COMMERCIALS TOUT. .

I WAS IN TRAFFIC AND THE DASH- STARTED FLASHING AND EVERYTHING AT ONCE STARTED SHUTTING OFF AND THEN BRAKE WAS APPLIED ON ITS OWN. VERY SCARY WHILE IN TRAFFIC- I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK FOR OVER 3 HOURS. DIALS: AT OIL TEMP FLASHES, ALL ELECTRONIC THINGS IS ALL OFF AND LIT. TRANSMISSION AND BRAKING ISSUES- ALL AT ONCE. CITY STREET BRADDOCK RD AND I PULLED OFF AT KINGS PARK SHOPPING CENTER IN FRONT OF WELLS FARGO AND CVS, STATIONARY.

HAVE HAD ELECTRICAL (RADIO/BLUETOOTH) ISSUES SINCE 2 WEEKS AFTER TAKING POCCESSION. BEEN IN FOR REPAIR 4 TIMES . NO RESOLVE LOOSE STEERING IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT AN APPROX.SPEED OF 65 MPH IN WINDY CONDITIONS ON NOV.3 2018 GARDEN STATE PKWY THE WIND ENCAPSULATED THE VEHICLE CAUSING INABILITY TO CONTROL. VEHICLE MOVED RELENTLESSLY SIDE TO SIDE MAKING A WHITE KNUCKLE EXPERIENCE. SIDE WINDOW LANE DEPARTURE LIGHTS WERE ALMOST ON CONSTANTLY. FELT LIKE THE WIND WAS LIFTING CAR FROM GROUND. HAD TO PULL INTO 2 REST STOPS AS STRESS OF TRYING TO CONTROL VEHICLE WAS UNPREDICTABLE AND STRESSFUL. AS FOR ELECTRONIC ISSUES DEALER REPLACED AMPLIFIERS AND PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS NEW RADIO/PHONE UNIT ORDERED BUT NOT INSTALLED DUE TO MY FILING LEMON LAW