Body Problems of Subaru Ascent

2021 Subaru Ascent (VIN#***). Water found dripping down both second row seatbelts on multiple occasions during or following heavy rain, accumulated into mold growth on the carpet in front of second row seats to the front of the 3rd row seats (cargo area dry, front footwells dry). Authorized Subaru dealer technician report (dated 10/29/25 and 12/3/25 copy pasted into email) explicitly documents 'condensation build up on the interior of roof (seat belt area)' due to unlocated water intrusion. The dealer attributes this to 'leaf debris' in the front cowl area and rear hatch hinge despite the leak occurring at the rear c-pillar (and notably cargo area and front footwells showed no moisture making this physically impossible). Despite confirmed moisture exposure to critical passive restraint systems, the dealer relays that the manufacturer has issued a verbal-only warranty denial (stating no addl records exist aside from the initial technician report) and suggest the only repair be carpet replacement, with refusal of confirmation of the source of the leak and no proposal of replacing the 2nd-row seatbelt retractors nor provide a written safety guarantee. The vehicle is covered by an active 8yr/120,000-mile Subaru gold plus added security plan (agreement #*******, started on 8/2/21), yet the manufacturer is refusing to honor the contract for the defect or the resulting biohazard ('mold spouts' documented by their technicians on carpeting and into the foam). This unaddressed moisture creates an unreasonable risk of internal corrosion and failure of the seatbelt g-sensor/locking mechanisms on both sides. Also as an immunocompromised owner (due to medication for multiple sclerosis to such an extent that requires monthly ivig infusions), the documented mold is a significant health hazard. Vehicle has only 15,166 miles. Correspondence with dealer and soa as well as agreement# are available on request. Date of incident was when taken to dealership (events in summer/fall 2025).

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Driver side mirror vibrates making the view in the mirror blurry. The distorted picture causes confusion and safety hazard as it's very difficult to see in day and almost impossible at night. Vibrations are noticeable in the driver's side b pillar. According to the dealership, this is related to the car's frame, no further details were provided so far. Car has been in the service for almost two weeks due to this issue.

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The windshield on the 2021 Subaru Ascent is dangerous because it chips extremely easily. I purchased the car new in 2021 and since then I have had 7 rock chips (in all different states (TX, CA, wa) and driving conditions/speeds/roads). In the 4 years since I have owned it I have had the windshield replaced twice so I am on my 3rd windshield. Each time the rock hits, it causes a large chip to form which distracts the driver momentarily. It also creates defects in the windshield which could lead to safety issues of the windshield shattering.

The warning lights on the car flashed and the car shut down. I was on the highway. I called 911 and they told me to quickly and safely exit the car. Less than a minute later, the engine combusted and the car was engulfed in flames.

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I can’t say what caused the huge crack in the sunroof bc there is no chips on the outside and no chips or breaking point on the inside. We went to get in the car and open up the sunroof and it has a huge crack that is a known issue if you look it up online. So far we haven’t been able to get it fixed bc of the amount of money it cost to have it replaced and it can’t be done by anymore but the dealer as safelight won’t touch sunroofs. It appears that a weak glass was installed and that’s unfortunate too bc they have no intention on fixing this for us.

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I noticed that the driver's door was making an odd clicking sound when the door was closing. Upon further investigation, I found the silver door bolt holding the door to the frame was loose. I have since then had the bolt tightened.

Moving glass panel in sunroof cracked. Happened between laminations. Cannot feel crack on either face of glass. Car was parked in parking lot. No visible external impingement or reason I can see. Reporting here after googl search and seeing other Subaru owners having same issue.

2020 Subaru Ascent premium. . Rear lift gate at times will not open electronically, and sounds an “alarm” locking the mechanism which prevents it from being opened. The alarm and lockout does not stop until the battery is disconnected. The first time this occurred was at a Subaru dealership, the second time was at a location where it was necessary for me to go home to my shop to get the battery disconnected.

I am currently replacing my 3rd front windshield in 11 months on my 2019 Subaru Ascent (first 8. 19. 21, second: 4. 15. 22; third was replaced 7. 5. 22) from a simple rock chip. Within minutes of occurring the chip leads to significant cracking and the inability to navigate safely. It is my understanding that a class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Subaru Ascent owners due to this very issue. It is my understanding Subaru is aware of their windshields being designed at an angle making them susceptible to frequent breaking.

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I’m very disappointed in the terms of the Subaru recall. Instead of just replacing the faulty transmission, they will only fix cvts w/ evidence of problems. I reported transmission issues at my last service and was told to wait for the recall as they would charge me $175 if they couldn’t replicate the problem. So now I have to drive until at least may (probably longer with all the other recalled cars seeking appts) w/a faulty transmission that could cause an accident, while they figure out a remedy? plus my 2020 Ascent will be out of warranty soon (6000 miles). So I’m stuck with paying to replace the trans, if these problems show up later? I’ve had so many problems w/ this car incl squealing brakes (my car was in the shop for a total of more than 4 weeks before they figured out how to fix this) and a hood that came close to detaching at highway speed — I had to bring the nthsa bulletins to the dealer to get them to admit these both were known problems that could be fixed. Please insist that Subaru do the right thing by just replacing the transmission now rather than waiting till may to figure out a remedy and exposing the owners of this problem-plagued car to further needless risk.

Rear lift-gate (power tailgate hatch) emits an audible constant tone, and will not open. The car can be in park, off, or driving and will not stop the audible tone and the lift gate remains locked closed. You can not unlock the lift-gate by using the door mounted unlock, the rear lift-gate button or by key fob. No matter what the lift-gate will remain in a locked and fixed state. The only (temporary) fix is to manually disconnect the battery terminals and "reset" the car. No warning lights are displayed, dealership is unable to "find" a trouble code or fix. This is an ongoing problem, occurring with intermittent frequency. This is certainly a safety issue, as a rear occupant can be trapped in case of an emergency.

2019 Subaru Ascent purchased new. Auto has about 25,000 miles on it now. When driving at highway speeds the hood vibrates and shakes especially when there is a crosswind. This will damage the latch and cause the hood to fly open when driving at this speed which cold be dangerous. Called two Subaru dealers and they say that is normal. I have owned several cars and this is not normal.

The moon roof/sunroof has leaked numerous times. The dealer has tried to fix it on three occasions. It continues to leak- it leaks water into the front eyesight cameras causing them to not work & cut off sporadically. The water leaks into the cab causing the headliner to be wet, the floorboard and the entire console and cup holders fills up with water. I have had it at the dealership on three occasions Dec 2012 Jan 2021 Nov 11 2022 and it has now happened a 4 th time on Nov 15 2022 and is still not repaired. I have been without my vehicle for 34 days. It has less than 18,000 miles on it.

The hood seems to malfunction in the following manner: when driving at or over 65mph or in high, gusty winds, the hood seems to "wobble" around excessively. It has not come loose, and I've had the dealer look at it and they say it is ok. As an experienced mechanical engineer, I am not confident that failure will not happen as I've never observed this kind of hood wobble on any other large vehicle I've driven.

Hello, my vehicle 2021 Subaru Ascent limited with navigation package had it's panoramic sunroof cracked while the vehicle was parked in the garage. Upon researching the internet, it appears that this issue is systemic design or material flaw for Subaru vehicles. . Read more...

While driving 50mph the hood is vibrating and flexing. When being passed by other vehicles the flexing and vibrating becomes disturbing violent. At this point I am in fear of the hood becoming unsecured and lifting up while crashing into the windshield causing an accident. It appears that the hood's subframe has become detached. I am fear for my safety when driving this vehicle.

My windshield was hit by some soft, small debris and cracked. I learned that this is an issue with a lot of owners therefore wanted to file a complaint. While it happene.

My vehicle is fairly new 7 months to be exact. When it was 4 months old I've started to notice rust and corrosion on the window panels that are metal. When I went in for oil change service they deny that there is rust and just offered to polish it. At 7 months the windshield has chips and cracks which is odd without a reason.

Driving at speed of 50+, the hood (both sides) wobble/raise up. Faster you drive it raises up further to the point it interferes with view. Concerned it will detach from hood struts and cause major damage.

Found around 1 inch of water setting under driver's seat of our 2020 Subaru Ascent touring, with only 2500 miles on it, after the car had been sitting for days with rain storms. Wife notices a sloshing sound while she drove it 1 mile and back home. Took it to the dealer and they kept it, but couldn't initially find the leak. The vehicle had a complaint of a water leak prior, with no dealer action. After two weeks of looking, the dealer said it was a missing or poorly installed grommet on the fire wall around the main wiring harness, which allowed water to flow into the passenger compartment. They are attempting to replace the entire carpet and putting in a new wiring harness, which would indicate a potential for mold and electrical issues due to poor grommet installation on the firewall. If this vehicle had not been sitting outside, the issue wouldn't of been found for a long time, causing mold and potential electrical fires in the passenger compartment. Hopefully, this will save lives and keep people healthy, if they check their firewall grommets for poor installation.

When the car idles for even short periods of time (5 minutes) the inside of the car will start to smell like fumes (exhaust type smell). This happens in any environment (parking lot, our driveway, rural area) when the car is in park and still running. Rarely have I smelled the fumes upon starting the car, although it has happened before. The problem has occurred in every season and with the car blowing out warm, neutral, and air conditioned air. This was noticed very shortly after purchasing the car in September of 2018. I have taken the car in to the Subaru dealership three times and they haven't been able to find the issue. The first time they were able to detect the smell but found no problem to correct. The other two times they said they weren't able to replicate the smell even after leaving it on for an hour. I can elicit the smell every time if I let it run for a few minutes while parked. Others appear to be having this issue as well and are being told the same thing by their dealerships. I am very concerned about this issue as my children may be affected when they are in the car.

Traveling on highway at 70 mph when a deer jumped in front of our car and we hit it with the front end of the vehicle crushing the front end. All air bags immediately deployed and the front end began smoking profusely. Within minutes of getting out of the vehicle it burst into flames and the entire vehicle burned up. Concerned that these vehicles will burst into flames during a front end collision at high speeds.

When the vehicle is stopped with the parking brake set, the rear doors can not be open from the rear door handle. The child proof lock is not set. You have to press the unlock button on the front doors so the rear pax can exit. To me this is a safety issue because in an emergency when everyone needs to exit quickly, one has to remember to unlock the doors from the front door unlock switch to let the rear pax out. Subaru tells me that it's normal, and I think it should not be normal. This problem happens all the time. The doors lock automatically once the vehicle starts moving. I put todays date as when this happens since there is no "all the time".