2023 Subaru Ascent problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (7) · Visibility/Wiper (6) · Tires (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Subaru Ascent model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (4)
Equipment:other:labels 2026-07-07 · campaign 26V436000 · 541,237 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Power Train:driveline:driveshaft 2023-09-21 · campaign 23V647000 · 4,311 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Outback, Legacy, Ascent, and Impreza vehicles. The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, resulting in the disconnection of the front end of the driveshaft.
Risk: Separation of the front end of the driveshaft increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will clean the bolt mounting surfaces of the center support brace and install new bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRN-23.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2023-06-01 · campaign 23V392000 · 5 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Ascent vehicles. The left or right front lower control arm may have an improperly tightened ball joint castle nut which can result in retention pin failure and separation of the ball joint from the lower control arm.
Risk: Ball joint separation while the vehicle is in motion can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 30, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRJ-23.
Tires 2023-04-07 · campaign 23V258000 · 4,409 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Ascent vehicles equipped with 20-inch wheels. The internal tire bead may have been damaged during the wheel mounting process.
Risk: A damaged tire may experience a sudden loss of air pressure, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace all four tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 6, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-23.
Service bulletins (293)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-05 · SubaruNet Announcement (M · Other
this announcement provides information on a new software update for the midtronics dss and dca machines.
Engine 2026-09-29 · 09-141-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides a diagnostic procedure for customer concerns about hesitation, reduced acceleration, or lack of power when driving uphill or under heavy engine load.
Electrical System 2026-09-29 · 07-244-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides a repair procedure for increased dark current and unintended battery discharge that occurs in a small number of unique cases.
Power Train 2026-09-28 · SubaruNet Announcement (T · Other
this announcement provides information on an enhancement of the techshare cvt diagnostic assitance application.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-18 · 13-109-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other
this announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
Showing the 6 most recent of 293 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-17 · Tires · 14,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 subaru ascent equipped with falken tires, tire line: ziex ze001 a/s, tire size: 245/50/r20 102h, dot number: [xxx] contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the front wheels turned outward, the contact became aware that there was severe inner-edge tire wear with missing rubber on the inner sidewall of the front t…”
2026-09-08 · Exterior Lighting“2024 subaru ascent – intermittent electrical / ignition-control malfunction vehicle: 2024 subaru ascent mileage: approximately 29,000 miles chronology of events august 19 vehicle had been operating normally. first occurrence – grocery store •returned to vehicle after shopping. •opened rear hatch, loaded groceries and closed hatch. •driver's door wo…”
2026-08-18 · Tires · 25,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 subaru ascent equipped with falken tires, tire line: ziex, tire size: 245/50/r20, dot number: 1r8kh dm2r 0323. while the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was rubber flying from the vehicle. the vehicle was driving to the shoulder of the road, and the driver became aware that the rear passenger's tire…”
2026-08-06 · Unknown Or Other“i am reporting two issues with my vehicle that i believe require further attention and repair assistance. i am requesting that both issues be properly repaired without any charges to me. there are no warning lights, error messages, or other dashboard warnings related to either issue. however, both conditions are abnormal and affecting the vehicle’s…”
2026-07-31 · Power Train“the vehicle exhibited transmission slippage but did not provide any warning lights or other symptoms . about 100 miles later, the automatic transmission oil light came on (flashing yellow), and all other systems light up (both yellow and red) disabling front collision, auto vehicle hold, rab, etc. pulled to a safe location and left in park for 10-…”
2026-07-09 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking · 💥 crash“on xxx, i was operating my vehicle heading pocono pa, on i-80 in [xxx]. at approximately mile point 142.4, the vehicle's onboard forward collision avoidance system (fcas) suddenly and unexpectedly activated without any obstruction, hazard, or vehicle ahead. the abrupt, automated braking and system intervention caused an immediate loss of vehicle c…”
2026-06-03 · Unknown Or Other“sirius xm ads showing up and there’s no way to opt out. the ads are distracting/difficult to close and cover a good amount off my media system even while driving.…”
2026-04-23 · Service Brakes“2023 subaru ascent, under manufacturer basic warranty. factory oem battery has repeatedly failed. voltage drops below 11.5v in normal use. three documented failures in six weeks. safety incident: vehicle died on a public street and became completely immobilized. brake warning light activated. vehicle would not move even after a jump start. passen…”
2026-04-16 · Vehicle Speed Control“in 2024, 2025, and 2026, i have had 2 incidents in each year where the cruise control is set to 60 to 65 mph and the cruise control then accelerates the car past 100 mph. when this occurs, tapping the break does not disengage the cruise control. all 6 times i have had to slam the breaks to a full dead stop while the car tries to accelerate anyway…”
2025-11-21 · Power Train“i was entering an intersection to make a left-hand turn. i was driving at a low speed. my foot was pressing the accelerator and the car entered the intersection. in the middle of the intersection, the car wheels suddenly stopped turning. there was nothing in front of the car. cars behind me began honking since my car stopped suddenly and unexp…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.