NHTSA lists 102 complaints for the 2021 Subaru Ascent, 3 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 3 complaints mention an injury, with 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU ASCENT.
At a glance
Complaints
102
With crash
3
With fire
1
With injury (complaints)
3
Injuries
3
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
1
Recall potential units (maximum)
541,237
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
384
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
POWER TRAIN
19
18.6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
18
17.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
16
15.7%
LANE DEPARTURE
15
14.7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER
14
13.7%
ENGINE
12
11.8%
SERVICE BRAKES
9
8.8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
7
6.9%
STEERING
7
6.9%
STRUCTURE
7
6.9%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
LANE DEPARTURE
ASSIST
12
STRUCTURE
BODY
7
LANE DEPARTURE
WARNING
4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
2
VISIBILITY
WINDSHIELD
2
LANE DEPARTURE
BLIND SPOT DETECTION
1
POWER TRAIN
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
STEERING
RACK AND PINION
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
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."
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.
Defect: 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. (excerpt)
Consequence: A melting ground terminal increases the risk of a fire. (excerpt)
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 gr (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: Yes.
Investigations
0 investigations; 0 open.
Manufacturer communications
384 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
215
EQUIPMENT
114
POWER TRAIN
46
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
40
ENGINE
36
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
36
STRUCTURE
16
SUSPENSION
10
11037943
Date: 2026-10-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
11037945
Date: 2026-09-29. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This Bulletin provides a repair procedure for increased dark current and unintended battery discharge that occurs in a small number of unique cases.
11037946
Date: 2026-09-29. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.
This Bulletin provides a diagnostic procedure for customer concerns about hesitation, reduced acceleration, or lack of power when driving uphill or under heavy engine load.
11037942
Date: 2026-09-28. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN.
This announcement provides information on an enhancement of the TechShare CVT diagnostic assitance application.
11037940
Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
11037930
Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
11037927
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11037928
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Warranty coverage for the CP1 & Gen 3.1 Head Unit used in the listed models and model years to (8) eight years / 150,000 miles to cover certain qualifying repairs to the infotainment audio system
11037929
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11037925
Date: 2026-09-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin provides additional examples, diagnostics tips and installation tips as helpful aids to be used when working with sunroof seals and sunroof frame assemblies on Ascent models. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.