2019 Subaru Ascent

INTERMITTENTLY, APPROXIMATELY 50% OF THE TIME, A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT TRIGGER THE AIR BAG SIGNAL TO "ON". WHEN THIS STATE OCCURS, IT PERSISTS THROUGH THE PASSENGER EXITING THE VEHICLE AND RE-ENTERING AND THROUGH THE CAR BEING TURNED OFF AND THEN BACK ON. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM MAY GO AWAY HOURS LATER OR THE NEXT DAY WHEN WE RESTART THE CAR. WE HAVE NOT WITNESSED THE AIR BAG SUDDENLY ENABLING MID-RIDE AND WE HAVE NEVER SEEN THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT DISPLAYED. THE PASSENGER IS A FULL-SIZED WOMAN. HER CLOTHING IS TYPICALLY DRY AND THERE IS NO CELL PHONE ON THE SEAT. (WE ARE AWARE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS THAT MOISTURE AND ELECTRONICS CAN AFFECT THE SENSOR FOR THE ODS ON SUBARU VEHICLES). WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE CURRENT CASES UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN THE SUBARU FORESTER. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO OUR SUBARU DEALER (MICHAEL'S SUBARU OF BELLEVUE). WE HAVE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR THIS FOUR TIMES IN TOTAL, AND IT HAS STAYED AT THEIR FACILITY FOR A WEEK TWICE. THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THEY WILL VERIFY THAT ON ONE OF THE VISITS THE SENSOR WAS IN THE INCORRECT STATE (NOT ENABLED) WHEN WE BROUGHT IN THE VEHICLE AND THEY READ THE CODE. THEY ALSO SAW THAT THE PASSENGER EXITING AND RE-ENTERING THE VEHICLE DID NOT ENABLE THE AIR BAG, NOR DID TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF AND ON AGAIN.

THE CAR WILL EMIT WHITE HEAVY SMOKE ON START. THE WHITE SMOKE SMELLS LIKE BURNED PLASTIC/OIL. THE ISSUE WAS REPORTED TO SUBARU CORPORATE AND VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SERVICE FOR INSPECTION. A VIDEO WAS RECORDED AND SENT TO BOTH DEALER AND CORPORATE BUT ISSUE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. THE ISSUE STILL PERSISTS FOR MORE THAN 3 MONTHS AND SUBARU COULD NOT RESOLVE IT. THIS IS A CONCERN TO MY FAMILY SAFETY AND TO THE ENVIRONMENT. SECOND ISSUE WAS WITH SPRING ASSEMBLY BOTH FRONT AND BACK HAS TO BE REPLACED AS DEFECTIVE.

WAS TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AROUND 65 MPH, TINY PEBBLE HIT WINDSHIELD, CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD. WE HAD IT IMMEDIATELY REPAIRED BY A PROFESSIONAL THE NEXT DAY. VEHICLE SAT IN A GARAGE OVERNIGHT, NEVER USED AFTER THE REPAIR AND THE NEXT DAY, 12 INCH LONG CRACK IN WINDSHIELD, NOT REPAIRABLE AT THIS POINT. ALSO, NEVER EVEN MADE ONE PAYMENT ON THE VEHICLE BEFORE THIS OCCURRED AND DIDNT EVEN HAVE 1K MILES.

THE WINDSHIELD HAS LOT OF LITTLE ROCK DINGS IN IT WHICH NO OTHER WINDSHIELD ON ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED HAD. WHEN I PUT SUBARU'S REPLACEMENT NEW WINDSHIELD ON IT COULD HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. THE DAMAGE OF THE MAJOR CRACK IS DUE TO OUTSIDE INFLUENCE THAT I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD AND I HAVE NO WINDSHIELD INSURANCE BUT THE SMALL DINGS HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE I PAY $826.65. THE MAJOR CRACK HAPPENED WHILE IN MOTION AS WELL AS THE MANY SMALL DINGS ON THE HIGHWAY AND A FEW ON CITY STREETS.

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.

I HAVE THE SAME STEERING TROUBLE'S AS THE COMPLAINT FILED ON MAR. 03/19. I WAS TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE LANE ASSIST HAS SOME STEERING CONTROL. (COMPUTER STEERING ME) THEY ALSO SHOWED ME HOW TO TURN LANE ASSIST OFF. I DID NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE IN CONTROL. NOW A FEW WEEKS INTO DRIVING WITH THE LANE CONTROL OFF, THE CAR HAS RETURNED TO CORRECTING ITSELF AND CONSTANTLY TELLS DRIVER THAT THIS SYSTEM HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. HAS SUBARU MADE A BOEING MISTAKE?

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.