general problems of the 2020 Subaru Ascent - part 2

Oil leak(s) (found cam carriers leaking, front timing cover leaking, oil cooler leaking, upper and lower oil pan leaking. Recommend engine reseal). Massive oil leaks found in car due to rtv sealant. Subaru uses rtv silicone sealant (formed-in-place gaskets) instead of traditional rubber gaskets for many sealing surfaces (cam carriers to heads, timing cover, oil pans, etc. ). Transmission failure at 37,000miles which needed replacement. In dealership service for 52 days at that time. Transmission symptoms continued after replacement. Car hesitates while accelerating making it dangerous to accelerate to speed needed to merge into traffic. Same transmission symptoms occurring now that were present prior to complete transmission failure in 11/2021 that left me in middle of busy freeway with a disabled car. Subaru not taking transmission symptoms seriously. Continuous brush off from service and Subaru. Car is a lemon. Subaru not standing by product. Oil should not be leaking from every orfice of engine.

Since last Nov 2021, I have had this Ascent into the shop several times due to a 'chirping' or 'speaking' sound that comes from the underside of the middle o/t vehicle. I have come to find out through the service department that the primary differential has a batch of defective parts, and the entire differential needs to be rebuilt (21 parts total are being replaced). It has taken about 3 months to get parts in. The squeak was an annoyance. However the situation got significantly worse when the wheels would not synchronize when turning - which should be unheard of because there are supposed to be sophisticated traction controls and such in place to prevent that very condition.

I was crossing a four lane road going 20mph when there was a loud noise, which sounded like my transmission, then I could not accelerate my car. Thankfully I was able to coast across the road without being hit by another car to a safe parking spot. My check engine light, check transmission, and check eyesight lights all went on. (later mysubaru only sent me an email saying my engine and eye sight lights were on). I was unable to put my car in reverse but could put it into park. My lights, radio and ac stayed on until I turned my car off. A tow truck came and towed my car to the nearest Subaru dealership (which was not my dealership since I was away on vacation). There are less than 20,000 miles on my car, my transmission failing is unacceptable and thankfully did not happen on a highway which I drive on a lot. The dealership confirmed it is indeed a transmission issue and Subaru agreed to tow it to my dealership near my house.

I stopped at a stoplight, when it turned green I stepped on the gas, the car lurched forward but would not move, engine was running. I was sitting on a 4-lane highway and my car would not move. Warning lights then appeared on my dashboard. Car was towed to a Subaru dealer who replaced the transmission after 5 days.

My mother pulled off of interstate 85 in north carolina and while preparing to turn of the exit ramp the car lurched forward and then back. The transmission chain had snapped, and it seems similar to what was going on with the 2019 Subaru Ascent. This one is 2020, and had 16000 miles approximately. The vehicle had to be towed.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle was shaking and the transmission was slipping. There was an abnormal squeaking noise detected from the brakes. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the brakes were replaced but, however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the other failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

2800 miles on vehicle. Today lost power twice going up steep hill (electrical functions still intact, was accelerating uphill and was similar to shifting into neutral then re-accelerated after 10-15 seconds, driving approx 30mph). Narrowly avoided collision due to slippery road, did briefly roll backwards before braking. Not sure I will ever be willing to put my kids back in this nearly-new vehicle.

Cvt began slipping intermittently around 28000 miles. This usually occurs in the 55-65 mph range at 2000-3000 rpm. Slipping is indicated by approximately 300 rpm change and a noticable hesitation in vehicle motion.

Loss of power (intermittent) while driving at a constant lower speed and occasionally during acceleration. Additionally, when going up a hill the automatic transmission drops in gears which significantly increases rpms then once on flat road the vehicle takes some time to change gears. If I hit the gas pedal once at the top of the hill, the rpms go past 3. 5. So I wait until the car switches gears before pressing the gas pedal.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that upon parking on an incline, the gear shifter failed to move out of park and excessive effort was needed to move the gear shifter. The contact also stated that an abnormal grinding sound was coming from the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 21v955000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 5,074. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Dangerous automatic back up brakes apply when not needed when backing up a trailer on incline (driveway for instance). This can only be disabled by finding the disable button on the video infotainment system, and re-engages as soon as the car is shifted to drive as is often necessary in the back and forth of parking a trailer.

Fyi: report is being submitted by CO-owner in nc. Reported incident occurred in florida. At around 20,000 miles the dashboard lit up like a christmas tree and the vehicle began having acceleration issues. At the end of the commute to work, approx 55 miles, the transmission stopped responding to the accelerator and no gear would engage. Driver was able to coast the remaining 500 meters to work. Car was towed to Subaru and after troubleshooting the computer system with Subaru of America the technicians and Subaru of America decided it was a transmission issue. Transmission was replaced with a new transmission free of charge under warranty. Vehicle is currently being repaired at time of report. Time may tell if this is a more widespread issue or simply a random occurrence.

Jerky acceleration between 35-50 mph. Cvt "switching gears" up and down. Noticed at 600 miles. This happens sporadically , when it does happen the jolt snaps my head back. Brakes continue to squeal after 600 miles.

I have had my lane assist come on by its self a few times, which is very dangerous because it seems to take over and will pull on the steering wheel. I’ve also brought my car back to the dealership a handful of times to have it hooked up to a computer and also someone ride with me because the car will either hesitate to accelerate or stutters and doesn’t seem to want to go when I am between 20-30 miles an hour. Other times when I’m at a light or stop sign it hesitates also. I was told there was nothing wrong with it and they reprogrammed to transmission but it didn’t help at all.