AutoUtility currently tracks 319 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2020 Subaru Ascent. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 101 complaints (31.7% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
101 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
60 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
57 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
26 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"1. The vehicle is experiencing a transmission malfunction/failure. The dealership was able to replicate the issue and confirm the malfunction, which caused the check engine light to illuminate. The vehicle is currently being evaluated by the dealership, and any failed components should be available..."
"The Transmission is slipping on my 2020 Ascent. I had the recall wrk-21 performed in July of 2025. Over the last 6 months the car has been hesitant to go at low speeds and shakes at high speeds. Over the last month the transmission started to slip while accelerating , especially up hill. There..."
"My strut bearings have been replaced several times in the drivers sides, my shock and strut has been replaced twice on the drivers side and now the passenger side is doing the same thing. The dealership tells me that there is nothing wrong but research shows this car has known suspension issues. My..."
"I am reporting a repeat safety concern involving a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The vehicle was involved in two separate collisions after failing to decelerate as expected following normal brake pedal application. The first incident occurred on January 26, 2026. While approaching a traffic signal, I applied..."
"I am submitting this complaint regarding a known exhaust manifold/flex pipe failure affecting my 2020 Subaru Ascent Touring (VIN: [XXX] ). My vehicle was diagnosed by a Subaru dealership with a “broken flex pipe on the header” causing excessive exhaust noise and exhaust leak concerns. Repair..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2019–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Subaru Ascent | 439 | 10 | 9 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Subaru Ascent Current Page | 319 | 6 | 5 | Current |
| 2021 Subaru Ascent | 100 | 3 | 2 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Subaru Ascent | 55 | 6 | 2 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Subaru Ascent | 43 | 4 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Subaru Ascent | 48 | 2 | 1 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Subaru Ascent | 14 | 1 | 1 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Subaru Ascent | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 60 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 82 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OTHER/I AM NOT SURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TETHER, LOWER ANCHOR (ON CAR SEAT OR VEHICLE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2020 Subaru Ascent
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2020 Subaru Ascent is Electrical System, appearing in 101 records (31.7% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Visibility, Wipers & Glass (60) and Powertrain & Transmission (57).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 319 consumer defect complaints and 5 safety recall campaigns for the 2020 Subaru Ascent.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2020 Subaru Ascent, 6 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 4 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.