Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Subaru Ascent owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that the battery would be drained overnight and the vehicle had to be jumpstarted. The failure was intermittent at first but had since become constant. The contact stated that when the vehicle was first purchased, the dealer installed a new battery. The contact stated the battery level warning light was illuminated whenever the battery was drained. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that the battery was completely drained and the vehicle could not be started. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the battery had drained and that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure reoccurred. The failure recurred three times. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate and shudder upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle would resume normal operation soon after failure. The contact called a dealer and an appointment was made to have the vehicle inspected. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be serviced. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
I have a 2019 Subaru Ascent and my battery has died 3 times now. The first time was on May 2019 and the car would not start. I had to get it jump started by AAA and drove to the dealer where they ended up replacing the battery. The liftgate had somehow been triggered while in my garage and did not fully close and drained the battery. At the time it was suspected I had accidentally hit the FOB to trigger the liftgate to open but that never happened before and has ever happened since. Then in April 2020 car wouldn't start again. Car was jumped by AAA but when I attempted to drive to dealership it died again and had to get a tow truck to bring car to dealer. Battery was tested but not replaced. Dealer said I was not driving car enough (not driving at all during the pandemic) and needed to get a battery maintainer for battery which I did. …
My battery drains rapidly on many occasions, and as you can assume it is never a fun time being stranded. When you own a car this expensive, you expect it to work. We have replaced the battery twice already in our 2019. The car completely shuts down with the drained battery and leaves you stranded and begging for a battery jump. With two kids and being a women this leaves me vulnerable to many dangers. I would say including the time Subaru replaced the battery and the time my husband replaced it, we have lost total power due to this failure a dozen times or more. If I'm loading feed bags or recycling and the trunk is open for more then 30 minutes ,without the car being turned on burning fuel and releasing carbon dioxide into my face, the car will die. …
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Battery was drained completely when rear hatch is opened for the short period of time to unload stuffs from the car. Similar situation happened when the car was about a year old. When rear hatch was opened for less than an hour to sit at rear part of the car and watch an event, battery was completely drained and we had to call road side service to restart the car. My car is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Both of my cases did not caused safety issue. But it will be a serious safety issue if it happens at a remote location where there is no other car or cell phone signal to call for help. Our family do travel to remote location where there is no cell phone signal. …
Over the course of 5 years, a lot has been mechanically wrong with our vehicle. Each service appointment yielded a 'cannot duplicate' response. Recently, my car has been in the service department a few times. My car had recall work performed on a ground bolt, and my husband advised them that the car had a 'rich fuel' smell when starting with the hood open. I've complained since 2021 of a smell when pulling up the mountain. The smell is what I described as a perm solution smell. Each time, the response was 'cannot duplicate.' In February, I took the car in to have the exhaust inspected because it was getting louder each passing day. I was advised that the entire exhaust needed to be replaced, and I would be responsible for costs. I brought my car home, unrepaired, and called Subaru of America to file a claim through them. …
I have a 2019 Subaru Ascent Limited model with 96,xxx miles as of January 2025. In 2023, there was a safety recall for the PTC heater ground bolt sent first class mail for multiple year Ascent models. This recall was completed by local subaru dealership on 3/27/2023 stating "WRL 22 completed. Removed ground bolts and cleaned threads. Found no signs of heat damage. Removed and replaced bolts." Move forward to Saturday, [redacted]. I remote started vehicle from inside the house while on vacation in Bristol Tennesee. Car was running for roughly 5 minutes, when fire alarms inside the house starting going off. Seemed odd considering nothing was going on inside. Walked inside to see large amounts of white smoke coming from the windows of the Ascent. I was able to jump into the car and turn the engine off. I opened all 4 doors to let the car air out. I checked the engine, nothing seemed off. …
Arrived at my car after traveling for the weekend, and arrived to my car to find out the battery was dead. Nothing on, lights were in Auto like normal. The last thing I did after getting out of my SUV was grabbed my suitcase from the trunk. I think it must not of latched correctly and it drained the battery. There is supposed to be a light delay to preserve the battery but it did not work in this case. I still can't open the trunk. This happened once before while camping with our dogs we left the tailgate up to unpack and pack the SUV. We loaded the dogs up to leave the campsite. When we went to start the SUV the battery was dead. Seems leaving the tailgate open drains the battery. The problem is even after we got our car jumped and the car was operating okay, we could not open the tailgate. It just makes a beeping sound like it wants to release but will not open. …
I chose electrical problem above, however to be specific, the issue is with the battery life. I've read numerous complaints online of other customers of Subaru outback and Ascent, and they are reporting the same issues that I am having. Premature battery drain. I am not misusing the car at all. This is happening with normal usage of the car. I have been left stranded in several places because of this issue. It's gotten to the point where I had to purchase an electric charger to carry around with me. The last battery that was purchased for the car last year is now completely dead. It is ridiculous to have this amount a batteries replaced in such a short period on a newer model car. My car is only three years old. This is the third battery that I am replacing. I cannot count the number of times happen to me. So the date below will be the most current date when the battery died. …
Related recalls
Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
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.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicle away from structures and to avoid leaving the vehicle unattended while the engine is running.
Electrical complaints in other Ascent years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2019 Subaru Ascent?
NHTSA has 160 complaints about the electrical system of the 2019 Subaru Ascent, 36% of the model year's 443 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2019 Subaru Ascent electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 22V-907 (interior/under dash, Dec 8, 2022). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2019 Subaru Ascent electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 11,000 miles, and 86% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 4 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.