HomeSubaruAscent › 2019

2019 Subaru Ascent

Gas Midsize / large SUV

202720262025202420232022202120202019
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
F
Safety Signal
35 / 100
FSafety Signal · 35 / 100
9Recalls · 1 critical
441Complaints · owner reports
5★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
23 mpgFuel economy · best combined
⚠️
Active NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from structures until repaired. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2019 Subaru Ascent is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize or large SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Ascent, is EPA-rated at 23 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 441 complaints, most often about electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
AscentGasAWD2.4L 4-cyl turbo212723$2,700
Ascent Limited/TouringGasAWD2.4L 4-cyl turbo202622$2,850

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2019 Subaru Ascent is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Data on this page is never influenced by that.

Recalls (9)

Equipment

minor
541,237 vehicles

Problem: 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."

Risk: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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 24, 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.

NHTSA campaign 26V436000 · reported Jul 7, 2026 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Electrical System

critical
Park outside271,694 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: A melting ground terminal increases the risk of a fire.

Fix: 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 m

NHTSA campaign 22V907000 · reported Dec 8, 2022 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Power Train

high
198,255 vehicles

Problem: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.

Risk: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 19, 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Su

NHTSA campaign 21V955000 · reported Dec 9, 2021 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Fuel System, Gasoline

high
175,968 vehicles

Problem: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.

NHTSA campaign 21V587000 · reported Jul 29, 2021 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Fuel System, Gasoline

high
188,207 vehicles

Problem: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.

Risk: If the low pressure fuel pump fails, the engine may stall without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-20.

NHTSA campaign 20V218000 · reported Apr 16, 2020 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Power Train

high
76,842 vehicles

Problem: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Ascent vehicles. The transmission hydraulic sensor may inaccurately measure the hydraulic fluid pressure.

Risk: If the fluid pressure is measured higher than its actual value, the hydraulic pressure will be reduced. If this occurs, the transmission drive chain may not have the proper tension, resulting in a loss of drive power and an increased risk of a crash.

Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control unit. The hydraulic sensor harness will be replaced on vehicles with certain stored diagnostic trouble codes. In addition, any vehicle confirmed to have experienced low drive chain tension will have the transmission assembly will be replaced. All repairs will be free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUV-

NHTSA campaign 19V855000 · reported Dec 2, 2019 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Engine And Engine Cooling

high
51,613 vehicles

Problem: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent vehicles. The aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve can separate, allowing the separated components to enter the engine, resulting in a loss of power while driving.

Risk: An unexpected loss of power while driving can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the PCV valve, free of charge. If the PCV valve has separated and the components cannot be found, the short block engine will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUW-08.

NHTSA campaign 19V856000 · reported Dec 2, 2019 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Power Train

high
166 vehicles

Problem: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Ascent vehicles. The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, possibly resulting in the front portion of the driveshaft disconnecting.

Risk: If the front end of the driveshaft separates, it can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft assembly, including the center support brace, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUI-94.

NHTSA campaign 19V519000 · reported Jul 10, 2019 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Structure

high
293 vehicles

Problem: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Subaru Ascent vehicles. These vehicles may be missing spot welds on, or around, the B-Pillar, compromising vehicle strength.

Risk: In the event of a crash, the missing spot welds may compromise the vehicle's strength, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle to check for missing spot welds. If the welds are missing, the vehicle will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began July 31, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTU-80.

NHTSA campaign 18V508000 · reported Aug 2, 2018 · Subaru of America, Inc.

Owner complaints

441 complaints filed

10 involved a crash, 6 a fire, 8 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2018: 5 · 2019: 57 · 2020: 113 · 2021: 106 · 2022: 79 · 2023: 36 · 2024: 15 · 2025: 15 · 2026: 15

Most-cited components

  • Electrical System — 160
  • Power Train — 88
  • Visibility/Wiper — 66
  • Unknown Or Other — 59
  • Engine — 47
“THE BATTERY KEEPS DYING WHEN I HAVE THE TAILGATE (TG) OPENED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME SUCH AS WHEN DOG TRAINING. THE FIRST TIME MY BATTERY DIED, I WAS THE LAST PERSON ON THE TRAINING GROUNDS. I CLOSED THE TG AND LIGHTS WERE FLASHING AND BEEPING FOR A FEW MINUTES. THE BATTERY DIED AND THE TG WAS SHUT AND WOULDN'T OP…”Mar 5, 2019 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 SUBARU ASCENT. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE BRAKE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. AFTER TURNING OFF AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE INDICATOR DISAPPEARED AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. KOCOUREK SUBARU (2600 N. …”Mar 4, 2019 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“I WAS IN TRAFFIC AND THE DASH- STARTED FLASHING AND EVERYTHING AT ONCE STARTED SHUTTING OFF AND THEN BRAKE WAS APPLIED ON ITS OWN. VERY SCARY WHILE IN TRAFFIC- I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK FOR OVER 3 HOURS. DIALS: AT OIL TEMP FLASHES, ALL ELECTRONIC THINGS IS ALL OFF AND LIT. TRANSMISSION AND BRAKING ISSUES- ALL…”Feb 11, 2019 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Ascent model years

A

2027 Ascent

0 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2026 Ascent

1 recalls · 1 complaints

A

2025 Ascent

1 recalls · 14 complaints

A

2024 Ascent

1 recalls · 50 complaints

C

2023 Ascent

4 recalls · 44 complaints

B

2022 Ascent

2 recalls · 55 complaints

B

2021 Ascent

2 recalls · 102 complaints

F

2020 Ascent

5 recalls · 321 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 40053, 40054). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API