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2023 Subaru Ascent

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2023 Subaru Ascent do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 52.5.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 1 of 44 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Visibility/wiper. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports

Tires complaints

4 reports
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25,000 miles · Aug 18, 2026
Tires

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 r…

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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 sidewalls were shredding, and the tread was separating. The contact's grandchildren were inside the vehicle during the failure. AAA Roadside Assistance was contacted. Roadside Assistance replaced the tire with the spare tire. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V258000 (Tires); as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ODI #11757791

Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2023
Tires

Tire blew out at 70 mph on interstate with no warning and no debris on roadway. (245/50R20). Police officer aided us after we changed the spare to re-enter interstate safely due to high traffic speed. Beginning of a road trip so bought a new tire when we found a town & shop disposed of destroyed tire though we do have a photo. …

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Tire blew out at 70 mph on interstate with no warning and no debris on roadway. (245/50R20). Police officer aided us after we changed the spare to re-enter interstate safely due to high traffic speed. Beginning of a road trip so bought a new tire when we found a town & shop disposed of destroyed tire though we do have a photo. Heavy traffic and difficult to get to shoulder safely as vehicle began fishtailing as we maneuvered onto the gravel shoulder. Extremely frightening. Had to put spare on next to cars flying by just next to the rear passenger tire that blew. Vehicle only 3 months old and with less than 10k miles.

NHTSA ODI #11556340

Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2023
Tires

On 7/16/2023 I was driving my 2023 Subaru Ascent on I-95 when the tire PSI warning alerted me to low tire pressure on my rear driver side tire (Falken 245/50/R20 - tires were on the vehicle when purchased in April 2023). I immediately turned on my hazard lights, lessened my speed, and carefully made my way to the shoulder hoping…

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On 7/16/2023 I was driving my 2023 Subaru Ascent on I-95 when the tire PSI warning alerted me to low tire pressure on my rear driver side tire (Falken 245/50/R20 - tires were on the vehicle when purchased in April 2023). I immediately turned on my hazard lights, lessened my speed, and carefully made my way to the shoulder hoping to exit the highway for assistance. The tire pressure dropped from 34 to 0 in a matter of seconds (I watched the PSI monitor in the dash display). I barely made it to the shoulder. A AAA technician [XXX] A-Z Towing) changed my tire and noted that the tire may be defective after inspecting the tire, given the sidewall damage and no other obvious tire damage to cause the flat and that I had less than 4k miles on the vehicle. Internet searches yielded a recall for my exact vehicle and tires, my exact experience with sudden loss of tire pressure; yet my VIN was not included in the recall. I am concerned that the recall is not expansive enough and there may be other vehicles with defective tires driving unaware because their VIN was not identified. The recall may need to be more expansive and inclusive. I have an appointment with Subaru Hunt Valley today and have been in contact with Subaru of America - case #[XXX] s far, Subaru is not acknowledging my experience as part of the recall. I am fearful to drive my new car in that I worry the other three tires will rupture spontaneously. This is not the safety I expected when purchasing a new Subaru. I was on I-95 traveling at 55mph in the rain in the second from left lane when the tire PSI alert sounded. Thankfully, I acted immediately out of an abundance of caution and concern, since there was no reason for my tire to suddenly lose pressure it was alarming. I could have caused an accident and have been severely injured. I do not feel safe driving my vehicle knowing it has three other tires susceptible to the same issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11533791

Mileage unknown · Feb 16, 2023
Tires

Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S rear right tire. We were driving on the 14 freeway when suddenly the car began shaking and warning lights started going off. My husband kept the wheel steady and I saw our tire come off in a solid piece onto the freeway! We had not hit anything. We made it four lanes over to the right shoulder safely to see…

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Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S rear right tire. We were driving on the 14 freeway when suddenly the car began shaking and warning lights started going off. My husband kept the wheel steady and I saw our tire come off in a solid piece onto the freeway! We had not hit anything. We made it four lanes over to the right shoulder safely to see that we had no tire left! We waited for assistance and got the spare put on thank God as we had our child in car with us. We called our mechanic at Subaru and returned an hour to him to replace the tire. After several hours we drove past the same spot and the tire that had come Off was laying completely intact on the shoulder of freeway. No obvious cuts in it except it was off the wheel/rim. This is a brand new vehicle with just 2500 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI #11507733

Official recalls

4

26V436000 · Equipment:other:labels

Jul 7, 2026

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.

23V647000 · Power Train:driveline:driveshaft

Sep 21, 2023

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Separation of the front end of the driveshaft increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

23V392000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm

Jun 1, 2023

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Ball joint separation while the vehicle is in motion can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

23V258000 · Tires

Apr 7, 2023

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged tire may experience a sudden loss of air pressure, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.