NHTSA Complaint #11186633 — 2019 SUBARU ASCENT

WITHIN MY FIRST TWO WEEKS (200-300 MILES) OF OWNING THE VEHICLE I WAS TOLD BY STEVENS CREEK SUBARU THAT THE CAR WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND HERE WE ARE AGAIN. ANOTHER FAILED STRUT. SO BY DEDUCTION, IT'S UNSAFE TO DRIVE BUT THAT HASN'T STOPPED SUBARU FROM PUTTING ME BACK IN IT, FULLY AWARE THAT THE STRUT HAS FAILED VERIFIED AT 20,000 MILES BUT PROBLEM STARTED 12,000 MILES AGO. IN MOTION THIS IS A PROBLEM EVERYWHERE. SAFETY ISSUE. SUBARU IS NOT MAKING ME DRIVE FOR ALMOST A MONTH WITH A FAILED STRUT, WAITING ON PARTS. LET'S TALK ABOUT BRAKES NEXT... SO THEY REPLACED THE FRONT PADS WITH "SPECIAL" BRAKES, HAND DELIVERED FROM JAPAN. WHY? WHAT ARE THESE "SPECIAL" PADS AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT? I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THESE? ARE THEY SOFTER? WILL THEY WEAR OUT FASTER? I'M NOT HONESTLY THRILLED THAT THEY RESURFACED THE ROTORS. AGAIN... BRAND NEW CAR... BRAND NEW ROTORS... NOW THEY HAVE EXTRA "WEAR" AS A RESULT OF THE BAD BRAKES FROM THE FACTORY AND THEY WILL WEAR OUT FASTER. WOULD HAVE PREFERRED THEM TO BE REPLACED. THIS ONLY ADDS ADDITIONAL OUT OF WARRANTY COSTS TO ME IN THE END. ESPECIALLY IF THE NEW PADS ALSO WEAR QUICKER. SAFETY WE JUST BLINDLY APPLIED THE ECU FIRMWARE UPGRADE WITH NO PRE-DRIVE TEST TO VERIFY THE PROBLEM. WHICH WAS WHY THE CAR WAS LEFT OVERNIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE INITIALLY. SO WE HAVE NO DOCUMENTATION OF THE ISSUE JUST THAT WE FLASHED THE FIRMWARE. FROM MY TESTS THE PAST TWO MORNINGS IT SEEMS BETTER AND POSSIBLY RESOLVED BUT AGAIN, THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROPERLY DOCUMENTED AND TESTED AND WAS NOT. THE SURGING ENGINE CONDITION / TRANSMISSION GEAR RATIO HUNTING PROBLEM WAS NEVER VERIFIED BY THE DEALER. THEY BLINDLY FLASHED THE FIRMWARE AND ALSO DIDN'T ROAD TEST AFTER THE FACT. THERE ALSO STILL AN UNDIAGNOSED TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY THERE'S MANY MORE THINGS WRONG WITH MY CAR BUT YOUR FORM LIMITS ME TO THREE AT A TIME.