2020 Subaru Ascent: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 386 complaints
386
Total Complaints
6,126mi
Median Mileage
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Top Issue
11
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

2,050 25th Percentile
6,126 Median Mileage
11,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
100
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
54
POWER TRAIN
51
VISIBILITY/WIPER
48
ENGINE
28
SERVICE BRAKES
24
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
13
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
11
STRUCTURE:BODY
8
SUSPENSION
7

Severity Assessment

11
Crashes
2
Fires
11
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WE ARE ON OUR SECOND SUBARU ASCENT, FIRST ONE BOUGHT BACK FOR THE SAME ISSUE. UPON STARTING THE CAR, THE CABIN WILL FILL WITH A STRONG SMELL OF RAW FUEL (NOT EXHAUST). THE CAR WILL ALSO FILL WITH THE SMELL IF RUNNING WHILE PARKED, REMOTELY STARTED, ETC. THE SMELL IS ALSO NOTICEABLE WHEN TURNING O..."
"WE ARE ON OUR SECOND SUBARU ASCENT, FIRST ONE BOUGHT BACK FOR THE SAME ISSUE. UPON STARTING THE CAR, THE CABIN WILL FILL WITH A STRONG SMELL OF RAW FUEL (NOT EXHAUST). THE CAR WILL ALSO FILL WITH THE SMELL IF RUNNING WHILE PARKED, REMOTELY STARTED, ETC. THE SMELL IS ALSO NOTICEABLE WHEN TURNING O..."
"WE ARE ON OUR SECOND SUBARU ASCENT, FIRST ONE BOUGHT BACK FOR THE SAME ISSUE. UPON STARTING THE CAR, THE CABIN WILL FILL WITH A STRONG SMELL OF RAW FUEL (NOT EXHAUST). THE CAR WILL ALSO FILL WITH THE SMELL IF RUNNING WHILE PARKED, REMOTELY STARTED, ETC. THE SMELL IS ALSO NOTICEABLE WHEN TURNING O..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28