Subaru Ascent Years to Avoid and the Best Years
- Years to avoid
- 2019 and 2020 At least twice the 62 complaints of a typical Ascent year. Most described: a dead battery.
- Best years
- 2023 Under three quarters of the 62 complaints of a typical Ascent year, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2022 drew few complaints too, but it has a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired.
Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked
Every model year since 2019 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 23 mpg combined, arrived in 2019.
Ascent problems by year, ranked by owner complaints
How the years are ranked
Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.
A typical Ascent year drew 62 complaints in its first three years: the median of its ranked years. Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year (62), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.
| Model year | First 3 years | All complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
2019 Ascent Avoid Most described: a dead battery or battery drain |
281 | 443 | 9 |
2020 Ascent Avoid Most described: a dead battery or battery drain |
240 | 325 | 5 |
Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield |
62 | 106 | 2 |
Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration |
38 | 56 | 2 |
2023 Ascent Best Most reported: brakes |
36 | 47 | 4 |
Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.
Year by year
| Model year | Best rating | Recalls | Complaints | Crash test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2026 |
22 mpg Gas |
1 | 5 | |
2025 |
22 mpg Gas |
1 | 15 | |
2024 |
22 mpg Gas |
1 | 51 | |
2023 |
22 mpg Gas |
4 | 47 | |
2022 |
23 mpg Gas |
2 | 56 | |
2021 |
23 mpg Gas |
2 | 106 | |
2020 |
23 mpg Gas |
5 | 325 | |
2019 |
23 mpg Gas |
9 | 443 |
Owner complaints by model year
All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.
2019: 443 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 443 |
| 2020 | 325 |
| 2021 | 106 |
| 2022 | 56 |
| 2023 | 47 |
| 2024 | 51 |
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2026 | 5 |
Best combined rating by model year
The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 22 to 23 mpg (every year from 2019 to 2026); highest in 2019.
2026: gas 22 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Best gas version |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 23 |
| 2020 | 23 |
| 2021 | 23 |
| 2022 | 23 |
| 2023 | 22 |
| 2024 | 22 |
| 2025 | 22 |
| 2026 | 22 |
Every Ascent year's ratings in one table
Questions
Which Subaru Ascent years should you avoid?
The 2019 and 2020 Ascent are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 62 owner complaints of a typical Ascent year in its first three years. Owners of the 2019 most often describe a dead battery. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Subaru dealers.
What are the best Subaru Ascent years?
The 2023 Ascent is the best year: it drew 36 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 62 complaints of a typical Ascent year, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2022 drew few complaints too, but it has a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.
Which Subaru Ascent years have the most problems?
Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (281) drew the most, then the 2020 (240). Owners of the 2019 most often describe a dead battery or battery drain.
Which Subaru Ascent years have the most recalls?
The 2019 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (9), then the 2020 (5). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. One recall tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 22V-907 (2019 to 2022 models).
What are the most common Subaru Ascent problems?
In the 1,048 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2019 to 2026 models, owners most often describe a dead battery or battery drain (184 complaints, most of them for the 2019 and 2020); a cracked or shattered windshield (169 complaints, most of them for the 2019 and 2020); and shaking, shuddering or vibration (114 complaints, most of them for the 2019, 2020, and 2024). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.
Which Subaru Ascent year has the best MPG?
The best EPA fuel economy is 23 mpg combined, first reached by the 2019 gas version.
Sources and method
- US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
- NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.