← New search

2021 Subaru Ascent

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Subaru Ascent do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 52.5.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all Ascent years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 20 of 102 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Lane Departure. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

18 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Oct 23, 2022
Electrical System

Car would not start in morning. @20,000 miles. Battery dead..not even trying to turn over..Had to get car jumped then all safety features went dead..looked on Subaru sight and it showed every safety feature disabled..I did not drive car till next day to bring to dealer..next day all features fine like nothing happened..Dealer fo…

Read full complaint

Car would not start in morning. @20,000 miles. Battery dead..not even trying to turn over..Had to get car jumped then all safety features went dead..looked on Subaru sight and it showed every safety feature disabled..I did not drive car till next day to bring to dealer..next day all features fine like nothing happened..Dealer found nothing wrong. Dealer tested battery and showed fully charged..

NHTSA ODI #11490453

Mileage unknown · Oct 12, 2022
Electrical System

The battery constantly drains when the car is not in use for a very short time. It appears to be an electrical drain. I have already replaced the battery two times and the car has less than 15,000 miles. Apparently this is the same problem as in the 2016 - 2019 class action suit.

NHTSA ODI #11489008

Mileage unknown · Sep 26, 2022
Electrical System

The battery died after 2 years and 15000 miles. I was with my whole family ( 2 months old, 2 and 4 years old) away from home. I was able to reach the dealership leaving my family in a store and they said that nothing was wrong with the battery. Next day the car wouldn’t start and they finally replaced the battery under my extend…

Read full complaint

The battery died after 2 years and 15000 miles. I was with my whole family ( 2 months old, 2 and 4 years old) away from home. I was able to reach the dealership leaving my family in a store and they said that nothing was wrong with the battery. Next day the car wouldn’t start and they finally replaced the battery under my extended warranty. Today I discover that there is a class action settlement for older models of my car. I was advised to write a complain to you. Apparently they didn’t fix the problem with newer models either.

NHTSA ODI #11486448

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2022
Electrical System

The battery went dead even though the car was parked in the garage and had been driven recently. AAA was called to jump start it. The vehicle only has 5k miles on it, so it shouldn’t be having battery problems. We are lucky this happened at home.

NHTSA ODI #11458538

Mileage unknown · Mar 4, 2022
Electrical SystemLane DepartureUnknown Or Other

My mirror on my car has started melting. They told me it was a outside force, from a lighter. I told them it was electrical or something wrong from the inside of the mirror. There are forums recently posted up regarding this and Subaru has ignored them all claiming it is reflective light from the sun. That they can’t do anything…

Read full complaint

My mirror on my car has started melting. They told me it was a outside force, from a lighter. I told them it was electrical or something wrong from the inside of the mirror. There are forums recently posted up regarding this and Subaru has ignored them all claiming it is reflective light from the sun. That they can’t do anything about it. Others have replaced their mirrors 3 times now. This is a potential fire hazard and could be unsafe. They are not addressing this as it should be. https://www.thesubaruforums.com/threads/melting-side-view-mirror.12397/

NHTSA ODI #11455135

Mileage unknown · Jun 10, 2021
Electrical System

After leaving liftgate open for a while, battery was dead. Learned from website that this was known issue for Subaru’s with automated liftgate. As i was camping with no cell signal, it was super difficult to get help and this could lead to the really big issue. This is the known issue for a while and I was shocked to Leane that …

Read full complaint

After leaving liftgate open for a while, battery was dead. Learned from website that this was known issue for Subaru’s with automated liftgate. As i was camping with no cell signal, it was super difficult to get help and this could lead to the really big issue. This is the known issue for a while and I was shocked to Leane that Subaru did nothing to fix this.

NHTSA ODI #11420375

1,667 miles · Feb 8, 2021
Electrical System

AT 1667 MILES ON MY BRAND NEW SUBARU ASCENT THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED WHILE MY WIFE WAS OUT SHOPPING. THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO CHARGE TO ME, HOWEVER AT 1667 MILES THAT IS AN ISSUE. THERE IS A DEAD SUBARU ASCENT BATTERY CLUB THAT N FACEBOOK DEDICATED TO THIS ISSUE AND LAWYERS STARTING TO GET READY FOR CLASS …

Read full complaint

AT 1667 MILES ON MY BRAND NEW SUBARU ASCENT THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED WHILE MY WIFE WAS OUT SHOPPING. THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO CHARGE TO ME, HOWEVER AT 1667 MILES THAT IS AN ISSUE. THERE IS A DEAD SUBARU ASCENT BATTERY CLUB THAT N FACEBOOK DEDICATED TO THIS ISSUE AND LAWYERS STARTING TO GET READY FOR CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THIS HAPPENED. DEALER COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI #11395288

1,667 miles · Jan 24, 2021
Electrical System

MY WIFE PARKED THE VEHICLE AND WHEN SHE WENT TO START IT THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AT ONLY 1667 MILES.

NHTSA ODI #11389697

Official recalls

2

26V436000 · Equipment:other:labels

Jul 7, 2026

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will mail a new certification label to owners, free of charge. Owners may also choose to have a dealer install the new label, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed August 27, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-26.

22V907000 · Electrical System:wiring:interior/under Dash

Dec 8, 2022

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Ascent vehicles. The ground bolt that secures the ground terminal of the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater may have been improperly fastened, which could result in melting of the ground terminal and surrounding components.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A melting ground terminal increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicle away from structures and to avoid leaving the vehicle unattended while the engine is running. An owner who notices or smells smoke coming from the dash or driver's footwell area should immediately stop operating the vehicle and turn the ignition switch to the "Off" position. Dealers will replace the PTC heater ground bolts and if necessary, replace the ground wire and the connector holder, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 6, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRL-22.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.