2020 SUBARU ASCENT Electrical System Problems

Component- steering locks Safety risk - vehicle cannot be started. Therefore if in an area of risk - cannot start vehicle. This randomly happens pulling into parking spaces. It is repetitive. I’m older and alone, scary when it happens as you are stranded. And call to Subaru roadside only option was to tow the vehicle the vehicle to dealership. Online fix is to man handle the steering wheel and turn it in the direction of the tension. Pulling into a normal parking space should not create the tension necessary for the steering wheel to lock. I have been on Subaru ascent form us and this seems to be a common problem with this vehicle. Mine has been inspected for the last occurrence and was told battery issue. The other times there were no battery issues and dealerships cannot find issues. Warning light only lights up after steering wheel locks up...

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance front camera became inoperable. The pre-collision, the braking control, and the Lane Departure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,737.

I have encountered a series of persistent issues with the vehicle since its initial purchase, indicating fundamental deficiencies that warrant thorough consideration and resolution. Commencing with brake malfunctions at an exceptionally low mileage threshold, the recurrent necessity for brake replacements, despite being facilitated by the dealership on four separate occasions, underscores a notable deficiency in the vehicle's manufacturing or assembly process. Furthermore, the manufacturer's offer of $10,000 in exchange for signing a waiver relinquishing my right to file a claim is indicative of their acknowledgment of the vehicle's inherent flaws. Subsequent to this agreement, additional complications have arisen, including persistent window malfunctioning, electrical faults, exhaust system irregularities, and most notably, transmission failures, with repeated complaints culminating in a catastrophic breakdown witnessed by the dealership's service team. In light of these recurring issues, the manufacturer's proposition to repurchase the vehicle while crediting back the $10,000 initially offered and prorating mileage solely...

My car refused to start-pressed the ignition and it sputted, lots of lights went on and off and then the running lights came on and stayed on and ran the rest of the battery out. Had to charge it for hours to get it started again.

We purchased a used 2020 Subaru Accent from a dealership on 11/16/23. Twice since that date the car would not start due to the battery not having enough charge to start it. The dealership that we bought it from stated that prior to the sale date they had a new battery installed.

Reporting a serious incident with my 2020 Subaru Ascent at 21k miles. On October 16th, a burning plastic smell and white smoke from the floorboard forced an immediate stop; I had to call the fire department for safety. The vehicle's battery has been replaced thrice, and the radio system frequently resets. Despite a Subaru recall fix in February meant to prevent such issues, the problem persists, raising major safety concerns. With 20+ years in electrical engineering, I've noted consistent electrical issues with this car. I urgently request NHTSA intervention for an immediate and thorough investigation, holding Subaru accountable for ensuring vehicle safety.

Car was unresponsive and would not start. It was just purchased certified used on 5/8/2023. On 5/10/2023 AAA replaced the battery and on 5/12/2023 the battery died again as a result the car did not start and was unresponsive. Tailgate was beeping in both situations.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact received an email regarding NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V907000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Battery would drain to the point where it would need to be jumped to start. I carried a jump starter in the car during the cold months. Finally took car to be inspected and they told me that the problem was my battery and that I needed to replace it with a $465 battery. I’ve been dealing with this issue for 2 years and now I have found out that the car has a defect that drains the battery.

This car is having constant problems with the battery failing. It especially fails when we are going to any type of trip where packing the car is a process that takes time. The battery dies on us often and is unpredictable, leaving us stuck often. I bought this car because I want a RELIABLE car. At any moment we could be stuck somewhere with my kids. No warning comes on to prevent this from happening.

Battery gets drained if the trunk is open longer than an hour. Left the car trunk open during our camping trip while unloading and loading and in both the instance the battery drained and we we had to scramble for help to jump start the car. This happened last time exactly the same way when we were in the campsite as well.

My battery electric has been to hay wire from time to time and now my car is flickering all electric and car wont start. Locks wont work.

The battery in my 2020 Subaru ascent died without any warning. The light would go on, back talegate wouldn’t open, nothing would work. I called AAA and they came out to test it. I was told it was completely dead, there were no cells left in it, as if the lights, radio and doors were left open for an extended period of time (I was in the grocery store for 15 minutes, nothing was left in). He was able to jump start it but after some time of charging the battery. The battery is not old. We purchased the car in Dec of 2021 from a dealer.

We had two wire harness that was burnt twice in a year apart for our 2020 Subaru Ascent Touring. Here are the two parts # and description: Slow Blow Fuse 170A under part #82211XC00A & Wiring Harness R LH USA under Part #81502XC11B were burn. We use Subaru to tow from time to time for our 2021 Airstream Bambi 16RB (dry weight of 2,900 lbs. and GVWR of 3,500 lbs.). On 06/21/21, we noticed the car has no battery and we called roadside assistance to jump the car, but the car battery died again. On 06/22/21, we called roadside assistance to jump the car, this time, we drove to Subaru directly to have the dealer look at the issue. Dealer inspected and replaced a battery for us under warranty. On 06/26/21, the battery was completely dead again. So we have our car jumped and go to the dealer. We have...

Excessive battery drain for no reason. The vehicle has a random battery drain for no apparent reason. This vehicle has less than 26K miles on it and has needed a charge or jump-start more than 10+ times. We have been able to replicate the problem numerous times, once charged, the battery and alternator pass tests.

Battery died while in idle, unable to restart, constant clicking and beeping. Requires roadside assistance. This is the 3rd time the battery has been dead on this car....First time, shortly after purchase, the dealer replaced the battery, saying it was a battery issue. Second time the car had been parked in the garage, a few months ago, no lights left on. Today, it was idling as I was picking up my kids, it just died. Battery is about a year old. Now all dash lights are just flashing. Will see if there is permanent damage.

Something in car drains battery frequently not while the vehicle is running but after it’s been off for a few hours when no lights have been left on, Subaru dealership refuses to admit there’s a problem. This leaves me exposed to being stuck in unsafe situations with a dead battery. No warnings ever come on to alert me the battery is draining. Transmission frequently slips and stutters when accelerating to higher speeds like when trying to transition onto the interstate. Subaru also denies this problem. They fixed the transmission clutch but that did not help.

BATTERY GOES DEAD AFTER A SERIES OF SHORT TRIPS. HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE. DEALER HAD THE CAR FOR 3 DAYS AND COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, STRANDING DRIVER IN POTENTIALLY UNSAFE AREAS.

Constant dead battery No start

My Subaru 2020 with 16,000 miles stalled in the middle of driving down the road in Town, I was driving 35 mph when out of nowhere the car stalled. I was able to coast/turn on to a side street. I’m lucky the car had enough momentum to keep going or we would have been hit by traffic as the street we were on is a busy road. The car flashed all the lights when it stalled and refused to crank over, it was low on gas so I called AAA and they brought 5 gallons of gasoline and filled it. The technician then tried to get the vehicle to start but it wouldn’t. Luckily he offered to tow it to my house for free. I have tried multiple times to get the vehicle to start and it wont. It cranks but doesn’t actually move. I don’t know what’s wrong and...

12V Battery for the Car needed to be jump started every morning. Car will not START until we jump start the battery. Security Beeping and all car buttons not working. The problem started since Feb 28, and its been happening almost every morning.

During a camping trip the battery died when the tailgate was left open. Second battery incident: Went to go start my car after not driving for 6 days, battery was dead. No lights, doors, or hatch was on or open. After using a trickle charger I recharged the battery and was able to start the car after 4 hours of charging. After the car sat for one day the engine did turn over, but it sounded like it took a bit of extra effort for the starter to get the engine going. Third battery incident: I went to start my car again after it was parked for 5 days and the battery was dead again. I used the trickle charger again and was able to charge the battery to over 80%. The next day I took the car in for a service to investigate why the battery was draining to...

Rear hatch open for more than 10 minutes, the battery is dead. Also, if the radio is left on after the car is turned off the battery is dead.

Battery randomly failed on 1/5/22. Had it jumped, kept it on for an hour. When I went to start the car on 1/6/22 the battery is dead again. 7,000 miles on the car, no signs of any issue prior to the failure. My safety was at risk because it was freezing outside. I attempted to contact subaru's roadside assistance per their 3 year 36K mile warranty but when calling the automated message said there are significant delays in call times and to submit the issue online. I tried submitting online but the online submittal process was not working. I ended up having it jumped through my insurer, though now I have to figure out how to get a new battery. I saw where Subaru 2020 ascent OEM batteries are part of a class action, so probably going to avoid taking it to the dealer for a replacement.

When packing the car for a trip, if any of the doors are left open for a period of 15 minutes to 20 minutes the battery will drain. I am unable to start the car. This has happened three times. I have mentioned this to the dealer who remarked that I am not driving the car enough to keep the battery charged. On one occasion it happened after driving for over three hours (148) miles.

The rear liftgate on our 2020 Subaru Ascent opened on its own during the night of 12/18/21, resulting in a drained battery. The tech dispatched by Subaru roadside assistance stated that there is a software problem resulting in these doors falsly detecting an obstruction and opening the liftgate, which results in a drained battery. The Subaru dealer stated that they could not replicate the problem and did nothing about it. Several days later on 12/23/21, the battery failed again. The tech dispatched by Subaru jumpstarted the car, but noted that the battery was producing only 8 volts of power.

Started having electrical and audio glitches ultimately causing the battery to completely drain

This is the second time I've had a dead battery problem with my 2020 Subaru Ascent. The first time was 4/2021 and they replaced the battery. The second time is today - dead battery, could not charge or jump start. Tow truck coming to take it to a Subaru dealer.

The care continues to drain power resulting in dead battery. We have had continuous issues since purchasing the vehicle. The Dealer even installed a higher quality battery and due to Subaru admitting tot the problem. However this has not resolved the issue. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times at a factory dealer. We can't be in and out of the care while parked for 45 minutes. Subaru markets the vehicles for camping and recreation vehicles, but the vehicle is useless in these scenarios. Furthermore, there is great potential now in the winter session that we could become stranded in the vehicle. Also note that with a dead battery the rear hatch is in operable. The manual release is not easy to get to.

I purchased this car new, and it has less or about 20.000mile. I am using it daily. Yesterday suddenly the sound system stop playing. Neither the radio, the CD player, or the car play. Just the sound. Today, the battery died, but all the buttons will flickering and would not stop. My husband had to remove the battery cables so to stop. I also have notice in the past that the frond windows will close in a slower pace than normal. I saw here that there is a class action about this issue. Very disappointed, if this issue will not resolved I am driving my kids daily and I cannot have this happening in the middle of a road or while it is feeezing outside.

Several times my 2020 Subaru Ascent has failed to start and required a jump. I have taken my vehicle into the Subaru dealers 3 times for this problem. Every time they tell me something was left on that drained the battery when the vehicle was turned off. One time they replaced the battery but same issue occurred after the battery was replaced. Another time they replaced the radio but same problem occurred after replacing with a new radio. The last time they told me the WiFi was turned on. We don't even have a Wifi account for this vehicle which is needed to use the WiFi. Each time the dealers reset electrical components and computer chips they said needed to be reset. This vehicle is a daily driver so does not sit long between starts. I brought the vehicle in October of 2020 when it had 5K miles on it...

I was taking my kids to school. On the way, we stopped at an intersection. The car all the sudden stopped while it was in the Drive gear. The electric part of the car turned on but the engine didn’t. A police officer and a towing company came to the rescue to make sure our car didn’t get hit. However this was a quite scary process for our kids and myself. If could have happened in the middle of the intersection or on a highway and we could have been hit. The towing company couldn’t put the gear in the neutral and suggested an issue with TCM.They had to get a different towing track and took it to the dealer.

Battery dead something is happening with the trunk. I think it drained the battery. This is the second time this happened

Battery died, currently a class action lawsuit indicating an issue with the manufacturer

Bought vehicle new in October 2019, now has 20,000 miles. Started having issues a couple months ago with not starting and needing to jump start. I can tell it is getting harder to start on its own as time goes by. Its going to the dealer this week for a new battery. One or two times the hatch may have been open for a short period as described in some of these posts. For those reading this, there is a class action law suit pending right now out of New Jersey for this issue against Subaru.

We purchased our 2020 Subaru Accent on 8/9/2020. On 6/9/2021, our family took a day trip to Petaluma and stopped at a park to let our toddlers play. When we returned to our vehicle in the parking lot, the ignition would not turn on the vehicle. AAA Roadside Assistance was called to the scene and the technician found no issues with the battery. He was able to get our car to start, but only by randomly placing the shift to Neutral, then turning on the ignition. We were advised to bring our vehicle in for repair, brining the car to the dealership of original purchase at Elk Grove Subaru. Following diagnostics, they stated there was an issue with the shifter, identifying "fluid leakage" and it was cleaned out. Although we have a new car warranty, they charged us for the labor out of the warranty, citing “customer at fault” claiming...

My battery drains with only the slightest mistake in leaving the hatch open for an hour. It has happened so many times we had to replace the battery after 1 year. I was stranded somewhere because of it.

Leaving my lift gate open for even a short amount of time drains the battery. Even after charging the battery manually my battery went completely dead after one year and three months.

The battery has died 2 times on me and the tech was unable to find a reason why the battery would die; I did not leave lights on or have any thing draining the battery. There is a well known issue with the electrical system in this car and it needs to be replaced.

While parked, for no reason, the battery discharged to the point the car would not start and I could not open the tail gate. The car had been driven for 2 hours the day before. The car was parked at a campground with the tail gate open for a few hours but the other doors were not open. In the evening I closed the tail gate. The next morning about 10:00 am I tried to drive off and the battery was dead and other electronic devises would not work (door locks, electric tailgate etc.) This could have been very serious as I had a hard time locating help to jump start the car. If I had needed to drive for an emergency as if my wife had a medical issue the car's malfunction would have been very serious! This problem has been reported on the internet for Subaru Ascents and...

Battery on 2020 Subaru Ascent with 4000 miles has drained in a short time ( a week) twice. Left my wife and I stranded in Utah mountains in winter. Found someone who jumped it for us. Thought it was a one time issue. Just occurred again after 9 days of not driving it. Had to call the Subaru assistance line to get help. Functioning again after the jump. We are in our 70"s and this issue could leave us or anyone else in a bad situation if help is not close by.

MY CAR CONTINUES TO NOT START AFTER PERIODS OF NON USE. 2020 SUBARU ASCENT CANNOT JUMP CAR BATTERY ON OUR OWN.... RATHER WE HAVE TO RELY ON ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND THEIR BATTERY JUMPING TOOLS. CAR HAS BEEN AT DEALER 2 TIMES FOR REPAIR FOR THE ISSUE. AND WILL BE NEEDING TO BE SERVICED AGAIN THIS WEEK. FOR THE 1ST REPAIR... CAR WAS UNSTARTABLE AND DISABLED TO THE POINT OF HAVING TO BE TOWED ON A FLAT BED. DEALER REPLACED THE MAIN FUSE BLOWN. I WAS UNABLE TO LOCK CAR WHILE WAITING FOR SERVICE PUTTING INSIDE OF CAR AND CONTENTS AT RISK. WAS WITHOUT CAR FOR A WEEK. FOR THE 2ND REPAIR.... CAR WAS ABLE TO BE JUMPED BY ROADSIDE AND WE DROVE THE CAR FOR SERVICE AT THE DEALER. DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY SAME DAY. A WEEK AGO... I GOT STRANDED IN A PARKING LOT AT CLOSING TIME AT DUSK....

THE CAR EXPERIENCED BATTERY DRAIN WITHIN ONE YEAR OF OWNERSHIP, REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. THE FIRST SIGN OF A PROBLEM WAS THE ABSENCE OF SOUND FROM THE STEREO WHILE THE CAR WAS OPERATING. THE VERY NEXT MORNING THE CAR DID NOT POWER ON, WITH REPLACEMENT OF THE BATTERY RESOLVING ALL ISSUES. THE CAR IS KEPT LOCKED AND POWERED OFF IN A GARAGE AT ALL TIMES.

THE VEHICLE STARTED BEEPING WHILE IT WAS OFF AND SITTING IN THE CARPORT. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE BEEPING WAS COMING FROM THE REAR LIFT GATE. WE TRIED TO UNLOCK THE CAR WITH THE FOB, BUT IT WOULD NOT UNLOCK LEADING US TO ASSUME THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. WE USED THE KEY HIDDEN INSIDE THE FOB AND OPENED THE CAR DOOR AND ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR, BUT IT DID NOT WORK. WE WERE ABLE TO JUMP THE CAR OFF AND THE BEEPING STOPPED. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY INSPECTED THE BATTERY AND REPLACED IT WITH A NEW ONE BECAUSE THE CURRENT ONE WAS "BAD". OF NOTE, THE BATTERY HAD JUST BEEN REPLACED 2 MONTHS PRIOR DURING A ROUTINE INSPECTION THAT REVEALED ANOTHER "BAD" BATTERY. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE OCT 2019 AND THIS IS THE THIRD BATTERY THAT I HAVE HAD IN THE CAR.

AFTER BEING PARKED IN THE GARAGE FOR SEVERAL DAYS THE CAR FAILED TO START. UPON INSPECTION FOUND THE BATTERY COMPLETELY DEAD. NOTHING HAD BEEN LEFT ON THAT WOULD HAVE DRAINED THE BATTERY, AND HAVE HAD NO PREVIOUS ISSUES. MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CHARGE THE BATTERY, AND THE BATTERY CONTINUES TO FAIL TO HOLD CHARGE. CONTACTED DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND SUBARU OF AMERICA. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE BATTERY SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS OF THE ISSUES. TRAVEL TIME TO THE DEALERSHIPS ARE BETWEEN 1 1/2-2 HOURS.

15000 MILES AND BATTERY COMPLETELY DEAD AND LEFT ME STRANDED. VEHICLE WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT AND WOULD NOT TURN ON. HAD TO GET TOWED TO DEALERSHIP

THE BATTERY IN OUR 2020 SUBARU ASCENT DISCHARGED COMPLETELY ON 4/15/21 REQUIRING A JUMP CHARGE. SUBARU TOLD US THAT WITH MODERN VEHICLE ELECTRONICS, THERE IS CONTINOUS ELECTRICAL DRAW EVEN THE VEHICLE IS OFF, THUS FREQUNT DRIVING IS NECESSARY TO KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED. WE DRIVE OUR VEHICLE REGULARLY AND ARE CAREFUL THAT NO ACCESSORIES ARE LEFT ON. WE ARE FORTUNATE THAT THE BATTERY DISCHARGED IN OUR GARAGE.

I AM DOING SHORT HAUL DRIVING AND MY BATTERY DRAINS AND EVENTUALLY GOES DEAD. I DO A LONGER DRIVE WHEN I EXPERIENCE SLOW ENGINE TURNOVER WHICH INDICATES A DRAINED BATTERY.

BATTERY GOES DEAD AFTER SITTING A FEW DAYS. IT HAS DIED TWICE IN 2 WEEKS. HAVE TO CARRY A EMERGENCY JUMP SYSTEM DEALER REPLACED BATTERY

I STARTED HAVING ISSUES WHEN TRYING TO TURN THE CAR ON - IT WOULD APPEAR THE BATTERY WAS DEAD DESPITE NO REASON FOR IT TO BE. THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES FOR A WEEK. I BROUGHT MY CAR IN TO SEE WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AND THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP SAID THE BATTERY WAS BAD AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE IS BARELY A YEAR OLD WITH ONLY 11,000 MILES ON IT.