My strut bearings have been replaced several times in the drivers sides, my shock and strut has been replaced twice on the drivers side and now the passenger side is doing the same thing. The dealership tells me that there is nothing wrong but research shows this car has known suspension issues. My passenger side front has a lou…
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My strut bearings have been replaced several times in the drivers sides, my shock and strut has been replaced twice on the drivers side and now the passenger side is doing the same thing. The dealership tells me that there is nothing wrong but research shows this car has known suspension issues. My passenger side front has a loud metallic grinding sound when turning the wheel in park. I’m told this is the brakes which makes no sense. The car feels like it is on ice or sailing down the road, and the car does not maintain an alignment causing the insides of tires to wear out after 15,000-20,000 miles and need to be replaced.
NHTSA ODI #11751605
Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2025
Suspension
Car is making loud noises while going over uneven roads. Only have 64,000 miles on it and I need to replace the struts.
NHTSA ODI #11695852
Mileage unknown · Jun 13, 2025
Suspension
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the undercarriage while driving over bumps in the roadway. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determi…
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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the undercarriage while driving over bumps in the roadway. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the front struts had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to TSB: 059024. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA ODI #11666835
Mileage unknown · Mar 12, 2025
Suspension
Extreme rattle/clunking driving over bumps especially on dirt roads. Seems to be many people are having this issue. I know of another co worker who has a 2020 ascent making the same noise. Apparently there is a strut issue
NHTSA ODI #11647985
Mileage unknown · Jul 29, 2024
Suspension
Car has 49,700miles. Front drivers side makes terrible rattling noise when driving over any uneven pavement or bumps. Took it to the dealer to determine the issue. They said the entire strut assembly needs replacing. No warning lamps have ever come on related to this issue. I have no idea if the car is safe to drive. Ther…
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Car has 49,700miles. Front drivers side makes terrible rattling noise when driving over any uneven pavement or bumps. Took it to the dealer to determine the issue. They said the entire strut assembly needs replacing. No warning lamps have ever come on related to this issue. I have no idea if the car is safe to drive. There is a national back order on the parts. The dealer wants $1344 to replace it. This is crazy to me. I've driven cars with LOTS more miles than this and have never needed a strut replaced.
NHTSA ODI #11605227
Mileage unknown · Jul 15, 2024
Suspension
A clunky noise coming from the front wheels whenever we encountered any sort of bump.
NHTSA ODI #11602497
Mileage unknown · Jul 28, 2023
Suspension
Both front struts have failed within 55000 miles, the passenger one had a failure at 43,000 miles and the driver side has failed at 54000 miles. The dealership stated that the struts had "corrosion" and were not damaged. The strut failures cause the car to shake when hitting even a small bump. There were no warning lamps or m…
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Both front struts have failed within 55000 miles, the passenger one had a failure at 43,000 miles and the driver side has failed at 54000 miles. The dealership stated that the struts had "corrosion" and were not damaged. The strut failures cause the car to shake when hitting even a small bump. There were no warning lamps or messages.
NHTSA ODI #11535024
300 miles · Apr 6, 2020
Suspension
NEW 2020 SUBARU ASCENT LIMITED. HEARD CLUNKING OR WEIRD SOUND FROM FRONT SUSPENSION/STRUTS ON BUMPY ROAD OR POTHOLES. *TR
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
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 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.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Ascent vehicles. The ground bolt that secures the ground terminal of the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater may have been improperly fastened, which could result in melting of the ground terminal and surrounding components.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A melting ground terminal increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicle away from structures and to avoid leaving the vehicle unattended while the engine is running. An owner who notices or smells smoke coming from the dash or driver's footwell area should immediately stop operating the vehicle and turn the ignition switch to the "Off" position. Dealers will replace the PTC heater ground bolts and if necessary, replace the ground wire and the connector holder, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 6, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRL-22.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Ascent vehicles. Due to an incorrect tapered hole in the housing, the front tie rod ends may not fit properly. The improper fit can result in the tie rods and housings being deformed during assembly and service replacement if excessive torque is applied.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The tie rods may separate from the housing, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and right front tie rod ends and housings, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 7, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRL-21.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-21.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:driveline:chain/belt
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-21.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-21.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
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2020 Subaru Ascent Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year