Wrench.Pro

2021 Subaru Ascent: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle2021 / subaru / ascent
known issues5 clusters (reviewed 2026-07-06)
complaints102 on file (2021-01-04 → 2026-08-31)
recalls2
investigations0
fars6 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexedyes
licenseCC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

CVT transmission slipping and failurePOWER TRAIN16 complaints2021-10 → 2026-04ascent-2021-cvt-slip-failure
  • 11731955 I am submitting this complaint regarding a 2021 Subaru Ascent that I purchased new from Herb Gordon Subaru in Maryland. The incident occurred while driving on I-95 at approximately 75 mph with my family, including children, in the vehicle. The vehicle experienced a sudden and…
  • 11730964 I had catastrophic transmission failure. The car was completely inoperable. Thankfully this only happened in a parking lot. If this were yo happen while merging into traffic it could have been very dangerous. This was the second cvt in this vehicle. The 1st transmission was…
  • 11672030 On Friday, June 13, 2025, while (thankfully) in my driveway, the transmission broke on my 2021 Subaru Ascent in my driveway. I simply started my car, put it in reverse, and my car jerked and stopped. NO prior warning. I was on a slight slope.
  • 11436397 When operating the 2021 Ascent, I experience intermittent problems at various shift-points in the CVT and at various RPMs. The transmission seems to shudder and slip between shift-points, and the shuddering sensation is so severe that it transfers up through the steering column…
Windshield cracking without impactVISIBILITY/WIPER14 complaints2021-01 → 2024-05ascent-2021-windshield-crack
  • 11421951 On our first road trip in our new Ascent the windshield cracked. It rapidly spread about 18 inches. We heard no impact, saw no rock - just an ever spreading crack. We called a local Subaru dealer in Lexington, Kentucky who assured us the car was safe to drive home to Savannah.
  • 11523043 Windshield started cracking and crack doubled in size within a few hours, we did not hear a rock chip the window and don't know where the crack came from. Car is available for inspection. This is a safety issue as it can impede the drivers clear view of the road.
  • 11414989 CRACK APPEARED SPIDERED ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD JUST WITHIN THE 60 MINUTES OF US LEAVING OUR CAR IN MAMMOTH CAVE STATE PARK INFORMATION CENTER PARKING LOT ON SATURDAY. SUCH A TINY CRACK SPIDERING LIKE THAT IS CONCERNING TO ME ESPECIALLY COMING FROM A 2015 SUBARU LEGACY THAT HAD…
Lane centering assist over-correction into adjacent laneLANE DEPARTURE11 complaints2021-03 → 2025-06ascent-2021-lane-centering-overcorrect
  • 11440851 The car constantly over-corrects when it tries to keep me centered in a lane on the highway. It always over-corrects to the left shoving me to the left into the adjoining lane, and potentially side swiping vehicles in the adjoining lane. It never over-corrects to the right.
  • 11438442 The lane keeping assist pull abruptly into the other traffic lane when traveling on the highway for example when on a 4 lane road with two lane in the same direcstion and passing a semi truck the steering assist abruptly pulls the car into the truck's lane and requires immediate…
  • 11403640 THE 2021 ASCENT HAS LANE CENTERING ASSIST WITH VERY STRICT MARGINS. IT IS A CONSTANT TUG OF WAR WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN LANE CENTERING IS ACTIVE. WHEN YOU LET THE CAR TAKE OVER, IT VIOLENTLY JERKS YOU INTO THE NEXT LANE.
12-volt battery drain and no-startELECTRICAL SYSTEM9 complaints2021-01 → 2024-08ascent-2021-battery-drain
  • 11610464 Battery draining. Bought car from dealership preowned with 25k miles. Owned it for 3 weeks and so far -Battery dead, jumped it, good for a day then dead again. -took back to dealership, said bad battery, replaced it, good for a week and a half then dead again -scheduling to go…
  • 11572635 The vehicle has a parasitic battery draw. I purchased a new gel cell (Redtop) battery, the most powerful one that fits the car, and was reimbursed by Subaru. The car battery still goes totally dead after about one week, even with occasional driving.
  • 11395288 AT 1667 MILES ON MY BRAND NEW SUBARU ASCENT THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED WHILE MY WIFE WAS OUT SHOPPING. THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO CHARGE TO ME, HOWEVER AT 1667 MILES THAT IS AN ISSUE. THERE IS A DEAD SUBARU ASCENT BATTERY CLUB THAT N FACEBOOK DEDICATED TO THIS…
Front brake rotor and pad wearSERVICE BRAKES6 complaints2022-09 → 2024-09ascent-2021-front-brake-wear
  • 11616364 Brakes shudder and fade when slowing down from highway speeds. Subaru has issued many "fixes" but it keeps happening. See most recent "Ascent Front Brake Warranty Extension Coverage" it still has not fixed the problem!
  • 11588273 Started having problems with the brand new car shaking and brakes making grinding noises when stopping around 20K miles. Brought the car to the dealership and they ended up replacing the brake pads and rotors. It’s been just over a year and less than 15K miles since…
  • 11483829 Car purchased in August 2021. Front brake rotors and pads were replaced around 7,600 miles and May 2022. They could not "cut" the rotors as they were pitted beyond being able to be cut. At 10,764 miles (August 8, 2022), the front rotors and pads were replaced again.

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

countearliest_datelatest_datecrash_flaggedfire_flaggedtop_components
1022021-01-042026-08-3131POWER TRAIN:19; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:18; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:16; LANE DEPARTURE:15; VISIBILITY/WIPER:14

Recalls all years →

campaign_numberreport_received_datecomponentsummaryconsequenceremedy
22V90700008/12/2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASHSubaru 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.A melting ground terminal increases the risk of a fire.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.
26V43600007/07/2026EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELSSubaru 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."An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.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.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_yearsoccupant_deathsmatch_typevpic_recovered
2010-20246legacy-code0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2021 Subaru Ascent vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/subaru/ascent
@misc{wrenchpro_2021_subaru_ascent_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2021 Subaru Ascent},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/subaru/ascent}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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