2020 Subaru Ascent

Recall ID 21V-955 affecting the drive chain. Vehicle is showing signs of this (vibrations while driving). My families safety, two toddlers ages 2 and 4 are at risk. I am not comfortable driving this vehicle and it is my only car. Dealership cannot do anything as there are no parts to fix it. I need an immediate fix which is not happening.

I’m very disappointed in the terms of the Subaru recall. Instead of just replacing the faulty transmission, they will only fix CVTs w/ evidence of problems. I reported transmission issues at my last service and was told to wait for the recall as they would charge me $175 if they couldn’t replicate the problem. So now I have to drive until at least May (probably longer with all the other recalled cars seeking appts) w/a faulty transmission that could cause an accident, while they figure out a remedy? Plus my 2020 Ascent will be out of warranty soon (6000 miles). So I’m stuck with paying to replace the trans, if these problems show up later? I’ve had so many problems w/ this car incl squealing brakes (my car was in the shop for a total of more than 4 weeks before they figured out how to fix this) and a hood that came close to Detaching at highway speed — I had to bring the NTHSA bulletins to the dealer to get them to admit these both were known problems that could be fixed. Please insist that Subaru do the right thing by just replacing the transmission NOW rather than waiting till May to figure out a remedy and exposing the owners of this problem-plagued car to further needless risk.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that upon parking on an incline, the gear shifter failed to move out of the park and excessive effort was needed to move the gear shifter. The contact also stated that an abnormal grinding sound was coming from the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 5,074. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

Recently, we experienced another problem with our 2022 Subaru Ascent Limited. I am asking that this issue be diagnosed and corrected. On January 21, 2022, within about 15 seconds of starting the car, the engine shut off while still parked for no apparent reason. The car was able to be restarted, however the Multi-Function Display went blank, and the STARLINK Multimedia touchscreen displayed only the Starlink logo. I attempted a reset by depressing the “home” button, but nothing happened. Neither the radio nor any other features would function. The car was then driven several miles and shut off. Then, after restarting it, the normal touchscreen and Multi-Function Display operated correctly, including the radio. I remain concerned however that unless this issue is diagnosed and corrected, such a shutdown could occur again in the future, possibly when driving the car, which could result in a serious accident. We have had recent problems with this car involving its electrical system. The excessive battery drain caused by the power rear gate resulted in a dead battery, producing only 8 volts. (The car had to be jump-started on two separate occasions). Subaru Pacific replaced the PRG Module (per TSB 07-155-19R), and installed a new SOA821B600 Enhanced Flooded Battery (per SOA’s October 1, 2021 memorandum). We do not know how or if the recent unexpected engine shutdown was related to these events, but we expect that Subaru should be able to determine the cause of this failure and find a remedy.

Battery randomly failed on 1/5/22. Had it jumped, kept it on for an hour. When I went to start the car on 1/6/22 the battery is dead again. 7,000 miles on the car, no signs of any issue prior to the failure. My safety was at risk because it was freezing outside. I attempted to contact subaru's roadside assistance per their 3 year 36K mile warranty but when calling the automated message said there are significant delays in call times and to submit the issue online. I tried submitting online but the online submittal process was not working. I ended up having it jumped through my insurer, though now I have to figure out how to get a new battery. I saw where Subaru 2020 ascent OEM batteries are part of a class action, so probably going to avoid taking it to the dealer for a replacement.

When packing the car for a trip, if any of the doors are left open for a period of 15 minutes to 20 minutes the battery will drain. I am unable to start the car. This has happened three times. I have mentioned this to the dealer who remarked that I am not driving the car enough to keep the battery charged. On one occasion it happened after driving for over three hours (148) miles.