Subaru Ascent owners have reported 6 seats related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common seats problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's seats (6 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Seats problems |
When the passenger cool seat is turned on, a loud vibration like sound can be heard. My assumption would be a fan. I’m unsure if this could lead to any other issues such as electric problems or cause a fire.
The driver front seat bottom frame has came loose and rocks back and forth when driving, especially during start and stops. It was serviced and the dealer stated the movement comes from the side rails of the seat and is referenced via bulletin 12-288-20 stating its a known issue and the frame has been redesigned for this issue. After research, this seems to occur with a number of Subaru models, but the defect has not been covered by Subaru. The movement causes concern if an accident were to occur and should be considered a manufactures defect with replacement being covered by Subaru.
The heated seats do not heat. They are luke warm and you can barely feel any heat. I took the vehicle to my local Subaru dealer and they determined there was no issue. Was told the seats are not suppose to get hot. So what is the point of heated seats then? there are several online groups for Subaru where owner discuss issues with their vehicles and give advice. There are many customers who are complaining about the same thing. (seat being luke warm). Then there are other customers who say their seats get super hot on the same model vehicle. I contacted Subaru of America, told them about the issue and the complaints in the online groups about the issue. They only advised me to go to a different dealer and be retested. Obviously in certain vehicles the heated seats are defective because some people say they are super hot and some say they barely get warm. I just can't get anyone at Subaru to admin there is an issue and take corrective action. I am ok with you inspecting the vehicle. No warming lights on indicating a problem. The vehicle was bought new October 2023 and the seats have always been this way. I feel that the seats are defective in some manner and that alone is a safety risk. All that energy that is suppose to be heating the seats and isn't has to be going somewhere and could lead to a fire or electrical shock.
Front passenger seat in Subaru Ascents do not have means of raising and lowering seat height. Consequently, shorter passengers are faced with either sitting very low in front passenger seat or having to use a pillow or cushion to raise them up on seat. Not sure how this can affect front passenger safety, but it is certainly something worthy of investigating. Subaru said that this feature is not available on their Ascents, but is available on their smaller and less expensive outbacks.
Purchased 2021 Subaru Ascent limited outright, drove it for few months, started having pain in my right thigh that resulted in cramping and severe discomfort which affected my ability to feel the break pressure. This nearly ended up causing a couple of near miss rear end collisions. The pain got so bad that it caused me to lay prone and apply muscle cream to the affected area then remain prone for like 15 minutes before being able to continue driving until the pain returns. I consulted my doctor and went through all the hoops to get an mri, steroids, pain meds, heating pads, etc, without results or elevation. Ive tried cushions, padding and every possible seat adjustment still without any relief. I am scheduled for surgical consultation over this matter with strong possibility of surgery. There are thousands of Subaru owners throughout the web suffering from this same issue which has been medically classified by physical therapy professionals as " Subaru sciatica syndrome". The poorly designed seat has hard bolsters that jam into my thigh causing the sciatic pressure that causes the abnormal break pressure sensation. Therefore meeting two requirements for investigation. Subaru USA is aware of this problem and has banned me from posting anything educational on all their websites informing owners to the solution and action available. I had the seats looked at by an experienced car upholstery shop and repairs were estimated, submitted to Subaru upon their request, only to be denied.
Wife was driving home from work approximately 09:10 pm(25901 riverwoods rd, mettawa, IL 60045) no one was seriously injured in automobile fire I-94 1 mile south of route 176(exit 16(/rockland road). After no more than a minute on the interstate, I noticed some smoke and pulled immediately off to side of road as soon as possible (around 1. 5-2. 0 miles from work) and around 5 min into drive from departure from address listed above. Was fortunate that officer m zawierowski was driving by and able to assist and called fire department. When officer stated went back to car noticed that car locked up all doors and stated how fortunate you (wife) were able to escape. The only warning was smell and smoke, minute later car was burning and within short time heat and smoke was severe that state police called fire department.