2020 Subaru Ascent

CVT transmission skips in high gear and shudders randomly while driving down the road. Randy Marion in Hickory NC is where we purchased and replaced the rear transfer clutch and insists the problem has been corrected. It is not. Our regular mechanic and Moderna Subaru of Boone NC both agree the transmission is bad. It has been sitting at the dealership for 2 months while all parties argue over who is responsible for repair. (Original selling dealership, Subaru of America, 3rd party warranty) meanwhile I have no car but am expected to make payments. There are no warning lights or indicatator lamps to show an issue which is even more scary. I do not feel safe driving the vehicle without repair as the stutter and slipping between gears can cause hesitation that could cause an accident or worse. We did not test drive the vehicle at high gear and that was our mistake, but I drove it on a trip 2 days after purchasing and it had transmission issues the entire time. Dropped back off at dealership Monday morning and have been dealing with headaches since then.

Reporting a serious incident with my 2020 Subaru Ascent at 21k miles. On October 16th, a burning plastic smell and white smoke from the floorboard forced an immediate stop; I had to call the fire department for safety. The vehicle's battery has been replaced thrice, and the radio system frequently resets. Despite a Subaru recall fix in February meant to prevent such issues, the problem persists, raising major safety concerns. With 20+ years in electrical engineering, I've noted consistent electrical issues with this car. I urgently request NHTSA intervention for an immediate and thorough investigation, holding Subaru accountable for ensuring vehicle safety.

The hood shakes alot. I've taken it in a couple of times. They say it's in the design. I fear that the hood is going to come up some day and cause an accident. It lifts and shakes to the side. Even a passenger noticed it and was scared after seeing it. I'm stuck with the car, but am afraid when on the road. I bought it brand new. Have had it almost 4byears. Only have 27,000 miles on it. I'm afraid to drive it!

Since purchasing our 2020 Subaru Ascent, the transmission slips, resulting in a lengthy wait time until it revs to the next gear, and then there is a palpable "jolt" as the transmission appears to move into the next gear. In addition, when I press the gas pedal to accelerate, there is a definite hesitation before the car actually accelerates. Previously, we had brought the car in to the Subaru dealership for service regarding this issue, but Subaru indicated that there has not been a problem and they did not open the transmission to look at it. We are also concerned about transmission-related problems given the recent recall of the 2020 Subaru Ascent. We know this has a CVT transmission but in this case we know that this problem is not normal. (We have family members and friends with CVT transmissions.) We are bringing the 2020 Subaru Ascent in again this week, pointedly indicating these concerns with the transmission. Please advise.

Pretty much from day 1, Ascent smells of gasoline in the cabin after parking the car either inside or outside, shade or shine, hot or cold, day or night, flat or not surface.. after having parked it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a quick trip or a long one, it can still happen after parking. Fumes come out of the vents up front. The concerning part is we have a toddler, which I suspect the NHTSA would have an issue breathing in hydrocarbons, let alone any passenger. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does it lasts a solid five minutes or so. Mentioned to Subaru at time of CVT recall, not even mentioned they checked it out on my paperwork. I even waited to say anything until our car was broken in and all possible lube/other off-gassing components to stabilize.