The best Ascent years to buy are 2021 and 2022. Avoid the 2019: dead batteries, CVT recalls and cracked windshields give the first year the most complaints, and be careful with the 2020, which drew nearly as many.
Best years: 20212022 Years to avoid: 2019
Every Ascent year compared
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold. Lower is better. The newest years have had less time to collect complaints, so they are marked too new to judge.
Year by year
About the Ascent
The Ascent is Subaru's three-row SUV, launched for 2019 with a 2.4-liter turbo and a CVT. The first two years drew many complaints about batteries that drain overnight, CVT faults covered by recalls and windshields that crack. From 2021 the complaint rate falls by about two thirds.
- 2019-2022: Launch years. Battery drain and CVT recalls on 2019-2020.
- 2023 on: Refresh with new styling and screen.
Ascent warranty extensions and special coverage
Carmakers sometimes extend the warranty on a part that fails too often, or pay for a fix outside a recall. These notices come from the dealer bulletins Subaru files with NHTSA. 793 Ascent bulletins are on file in total.
This announcement provides information on a warranty extension for Ascent front brake judder/squeak on certain 2019 to 2024 model year vehicles manufactured prior to January 11th 2024.
Subaru of America, Inc.
This announcement is in regard to settlement in a class action lawsuit for vehicles that will receive a limited warranty extension for original equipment Subaru windshields experiencing a qualifying crack.
As part of Subaru's dedication to customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc.
In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc.
This announcement is in regard to the warranty extension initiated for windshields for the models listed.
This bulletin announces a warranty extension information regarding 12 Volt vehicle batteries.
Battery Drain Class Action Settlement- Warranty Extension Training.
CVT Assembly (WRK-21) Warranty Extension.
In the interest of providing continued customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc.
Ask a dealer to check a specific car by VIN. Extensions usually have a time or mileage limit.
Ascent vs rivals
Questions
What is the best year for the Subaru Ascent?
2021 and 2022. The best Ascent years to buy are 2021 and 2022. Avoid the 2019: dead batteries, CVT recalls and cracked windshields give the first year the most complaints, and be careful with the 2020, which drew nearly as many.
Which Subaru Ascent years should I avoid?
2019. These drew far more owner complaints per car sold than the Subaru Ascent average.
Why does the Subaru Ascent battery die?
Many 2019-2020 Ascent owners report batteries that go flat after the car sits a day or two. Subaru released software updates and some dealers replaced batteries. Ask whether updates were done and test the battery before buying.
Based on 1,027 complaints filed by owners with U.S. safety regulators for model years 2019 to 2024, and U.S. sales by calendar year. How we score.