2019 Subaru Ascent

GASOLINE VAPORS IN CABIN AND AROUND CAR. AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED, GASOLINE VAPORS ARE ACCUMULATING AROUND CAR. WE EXPERIENCE STRONG GASOLINE VAPORS IN OUR ENCLOSED GARAGE AFTER DRIVING (APPEARING 10-15 MINUTES AFTER TURNING CAR OFF). ALSO, AFTER DRIVING FOR EVEN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, THEN TURNING THE CAR OFF, THEN STARTING AGAIN, GASOLINE VAPORS ENTER THE CABIN THROUGH THE VENTS (IF NON-RECIRCULATING). DEALER CONFIRMED WE GASOLINE MIXED WITH OUR MOTOR OIL (DEALER CHANGED THE OIL, BUT DIDN'T CORRECT THE PROBLEM). WHILE THIS IS ALARMING ENOUGH, THE SMELL CONTINUES. THE SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE CABIN AND MY HOME GARAGE IS NOT HEALTH/SAFETY RISK FOR MY FAMILY BREATHING IN, BUT SINCE SUBARU DOESN'T KNOW A CAUSE, COULD IT BE A RISK FOR A FIRE. MY FAMILY SHOULDN'T BE DRIVING IN A BRAND NEW CAR THAT IS INTRODUCING GASOLINE VAPORS UNDER NORMAL OPERATION. OTHERS ON MESSAGE BOARDS ARE COMPLAINING OF SIMILAR ISSUES WHICH COULD POINT TO A BIGGER PROBLEM. THANK YOU!

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 SUBARU ASCENT WAS PURCHASED AUGUST 2018 (ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO) AND THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 14,000 MILES. THE CVT TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING AROUND MARCH 16TH, 2019, CAUSING INTERMITTENT VIBRATION AND LOSS OF POWER WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS WOULD OCCUR AT BOTH LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS, AND WOULD OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE CAR WOULD STRUGGLE INTERMITTENTLY TO MAINTAIN SPEED. INITIALLY THE PROBLEM WAS SPORADIC, BUT WITH EVERY DAY GREW MORE FREQUENT. AFTER BEING TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP TO BE EVALUATED, THE DEALER REPORTED THAT WHILE THE TECHNICIAN WAS TEST DRIVING THE VEHICLE, COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION OCCURRED AND THE CAR WAS NO LONGER DRIVABLE. THE DEALER HAS ORDERED A NEW TRANSMISSION TO REPLACE THIS FAILED ONE. TOTAL TIME FROM ONSET OF PROBLEM TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE IS ABOUT 2 WEEKS WITH REGULAR DAILY DRIVING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 SUBARU ASCENT. WHILE DRIVING 14 MPH IN A PARKING LOT, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE EYESIGHT PRE-COLLISION BRAKING SYSTEM; HOWEVER, IT FAILED AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A POLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,400.

WITHIN MY FIRST TWO WEEKS (200-300 MILES) OF OWNING THE VEHICLE I WAS TOLD BY STEVENS CREEK SUBARU THAT THE CAR WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND HERE WE ARE AGAIN. ANOTHER FAILED STRUT. SO BY DEDUCTION, IT'S UNSAFE TO DRIVE BUT THAT HASN'T STOPPED SUBARU FROM PUTTING ME BACK IN IT, FULLY AWARE THAT THE STRUT HAS FAILED VERIFIED AT 20,000 MILES BUT PROBLEM STARTED 12,000 MILES AGO. IN MOTION THIS IS A PROBLEM EVERYWHERE. SAFETY ISSUE. SUBARU IS NOT MAKING ME DRIVE FOR ALMOST A MONTH WITH A FAILED STRUT, WAITING ON PARTS. LET'S TALK ABOUT BRAKES NEXT... SO THEY REPLACED THE FRONT PADS WITH "SPECIAL" BRAKES, HAND DELIVERED FROM JAPAN. WHY? WHAT ARE THESE "SPECIAL" PADS AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT? I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THESE? ARE THEY SOFTER? WILL THEY WEAR OUT FASTER? I'M NOT HONESTLY THRILLED THAT THEY RESURFACED THE ROTORS. AGAIN... BRAND NEW CAR... BRAND NEW ROTORS... NOW THEY HAVE EXTRA "WEAR" AS A RESULT OF THE BAD BRAKES FROM THE FACTORY AND THEY WILL WEAR OUT FASTER. WOULD HAVE PREFERRED THEM TO BE REPLACED. THIS ONLY ADDS ADDITIONAL OUT OF WARRANTY COSTS TO ME IN THE END. ESPECIALLY IF THE NEW PADS ALSO WEAR QUICKER. SAFETY WE JUST BLINDLY APPLIED THE ECU FIRMWARE UPGRADE WITH NO PRE-DRIVE TEST TO VERIFY THE PROBLEM. WHICH WAS WHY THE CAR WAS LEFT OVERNIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE INITIALLY. SO WE HAVE NO DOCUMENTATION OF THE ISSUE JUST THAT WE FLASHED THE FIRMWARE. FROM MY TESTS THE PAST TWO MORNINGS IT SEEMS BETTER AND POSSIBLY RESOLVED BUT AGAIN, THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROPERLY DOCUMENTED AND TESTED AND WAS NOT. THE SURGING ENGINE CONDITION / TRANSMISSION GEAR RATIO HUNTING PROBLEM WAS NEVER VERIFIED BY THE DEALER. THEY BLINDLY FLASHED THE FIRMWARE AND ALSO DIDN'T ROAD TEST AFTER THE FACT. THERE ALSO STILL AN UNDIAGNOSED TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY THERE'S MANY MORE THINGS WRONG WITH MY CAR BUT YOUR FORM LIMITS ME TO THREE AT A TIME.

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. .