CSR

Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2024 Subaru Ascent

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

48

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2024 Subaru Ascent have filed 48 safety complaints with NHTSA between April 2024 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is visibility, named in 23 of them (48%). The typical failure was reported at 11,200 miles, the median across the 1 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

26V436000 · July 7, 2026

The 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."
The risk
An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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 are expected to be mailed August 25, 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.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 541,237 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 48.

VISIBILITY 23 48%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 8 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 8%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 6%
POWER TRAIN 3 6%
STEERING 3 6%
WHEELS 3 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 4%
ENGINE 2 4%
TIRES 2 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 26.

2024 2026
2024 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

crash

When driving below 5 mph—forward or reverse—with the rear passenger door fully open, the only alert is a small “door ajar” icon on the dash. This icon is the same drawing, whether the door is completely open or semi-latched, so the driver has no way to know the extent of the hazard. Without an additional warning, an fully open door can strike pedestrians, poles, garage, or other vehicles, and any passenger seated beside it is needlessly exposed to injury.

NHTSA complaint 11698561. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
I am submitting this complaint regarding the original-equipment Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S 245/50R20 tires installed on two separate 2024 Subaru Ascents owned by my family. The vehicles were purchased approximately one month apart and are operated under similar New England driving conditions. Both vehicles were equipped with identical factory-installed Falken tires. Beginning at relatively low mileage, both vehicles exhibited substantially similar wet-weather traction concerns, including hydroplaning tendencies and reduced traction during rain. As tread depth decreased, traction in snow, slush, and icy conditions also deteriorated significantly. Both vehicles experienced loss-of-traction events

NHTSA complaint 11744250, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
While pulling up to a drive thru window the vehicle shuddered and the engine shut off. I lost all power steering and had to come to a stop, shift into park, then restart the engine. No check engine lights or warnings illuminated. There were no status messages to indicate what caused it to shut off. Also the driver side mirror shakes a lot, just like all the other reports say.

NHTSA complaint 11740740. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
I am a current lessee of a 2024 Subaru Ascent. I leased this vehicle starting July 27, 2024. My lease ends on July 27, 2027. I live 60 miles away from the dealership and only did a test drive around town. The minute I got on the freeway after leaving the dealership the night I leased the vehicle, I noticed the drivers side mirror heavily vibrated and I remember thinking how strange it was to have the headlights from the cars behind me look so shaky in the mirror. I took the car to the service department on August 9, 2024 where they logged a "driveability diagnostic" and "MPI." My reason for that appointment was the side mirror vibrations. It is bad during the day, but not as noticeable and

NHTSA complaint 11740418, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
While cruising on a 2-lane road or a freeway, the vehicle will cross over the adjacent line, either left or right. This generally happens between 50 to 75 mph. The event happens either when cruise control is on or off. Wind is not necessarily the problem. The solution requires one to take the necessary immediate steering correction. At times, the departure from the lanes may repeat. This may be a temporary correction. This may create a head-on collision if not immediately correctly manually. VERY DISTURBING!

NHTSA complaint 11738307. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
On 9-May, 2026, the vehicle was driven during the morning with no warning lights or indication of component failure. Vehicle was parked on the owner's driveway at approximately 13:00. Approximately 15:40 I started the Ascent’s engine, let it idle for about 60 seconds, buckled up and scanned dashboard and rearview mirror. No warning lights or any fault indication. Approximately 15:42, I put the vehicle in reverse and released the brake Approximately 15:42:30 the vehicle exited the driveway Approximately 15:43 there was a shudder on [XXX] (heading north); the dash lit up with multiple warning lights; the check engine warning illuminated and the ATOIL Temp warning light engaged. At this time,

NHTSA complaint 11736826, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD
The hood acts like it is going to come loose whenever I : 1> Meet a semi-truck on a two lane road. 2> If following a truck on interstate. 3> Driving when windy. The flex in hood is very unnerving for fear it is going to blow off when in traffic. The body shop has adjusted latch today but did not correct the issue.

NHTSA complaint 11727976. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru Ascent

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 14 1
2023 42 4
2022 55 2
2021 100 2
2020 318 5
2019 438 9

Other 2024 Subaru models

Every Subaru on this site — 97 vehicles, 147 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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