2025 Subaru Ascent Owner Complaints

2025 Subaru Ascent has a popping noise randomly usually when turning left. Dealership services can not find the source.

NHTSA ID

11752548

Incident

May 15, 2026

The car will spontaneously brake for no reason while driving forward and reverse. The steering wheel will spontaneously steer you out of the lane. The doors will lock while you are in the car and you can't get out for about 30 seconds. The deck door will come down on you unexpectedly while loading items. It has hit us in the head or makes us twist our back to lift it up. The stereo system has a mind if it's own. The eye site goes on and off for no reason. These safety issues concern us. We have had it in the service department three times and they can't duplicate the problem. They have had it since June 6th and drove it 30 miles in 20 days. I don't think they drove it long enough to duplicate the problem. It usually happens after about 15/20 minutes of driving. Typically that is about how long before the brakes will spontaneously brake.

NHTSA ID

11746812

Incident

May 29, 2026

Traveling in my 2025 Subaru Ascent with cruise control set at 50mph. Bright sunny day, no shadows on the road and no vehicles in front of me. My vehicle slammed on the brakes out of nowhere. Held deceleration about 5-7 seconds and then resumed cruising speed. The road I was on is generally busy. I got very lucky there was no one behind me or I would have been rear ended.

NHTSA ID

11746540

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

31 May 2026 (AM) Operating vehicle north on MD Rte 147 traveling appr. 45 MPH when vehicle started experiencing uncontrolled electrical activation of features e.g., heat, air, radio, main display. This proceed a shuddering in the drive train like one would experience with a transmission issue. Then, without warning, while at full speed, there was a complete loss of engine power i.e., it turned off, which also resulted in loss of steering and breaking resulting in a complete loss of control of the vehicle. As the vehicle drifted to a rolling stop, the main display indicated to turn off the vehicle and it was forced into park to stop it and then the ignition control button was pushed. The car was restarted and moved off the road. Subsequent restarts and terminations occurred without issue. No fault code was generated or captured by the vehicle computer and the dealer could not reproduce the problem.

NHTSA ID

11741773

Incident

May 31, 2026

The window pillars on the passenger side deformed on exposure to sunlight reflected from our house windows; in less than 6 months of ownership! We are the original owners and took possession in June 2025. Both the local Subaru dealer and Subaru USA have been involved. Subaru USA Case number is: 251230 - 1500232. Subaru will NOT cover this despite us having owned a Subaru DL, a Subaru Forester, and a Hyundai Tucson all parked in the same driveway, same manner (backed in), and owned for a minimum of 5 years by us as second owners for all 3 cars AND zero issues with any body pieces. There were no warnings, either at time of purchase or prior to us filing a request for relief with Subaru in December 2025.

NHTSA ID

11735425

Incident

Dec 30, 2025

While driving the passenger door window behind the driver burst, then began falling into the car. The safety issue would have occurred if one of my grandchildren were sitting there. Also, the startling event of it just bursting and possible causing a jerk in the car. The dealer said that they have not heard of this and would not repair under warranty (brand new car, purchased in September). Police investigated and saw nothing that would have caused an outside force to break the window. No warnings

NHTSA ID

11721168

Incident

Feb 27, 2026

I hit a deer on CA 395 north, my braking system worked and my air bags deployed, and then my engine immediately caught fire. I’m lucky i was able to get out of the car through a back door. Every police and fire who responded said they have never seen a car catch fire after hitting a deer and i should report a vehicle malfunction

NHTSA ID

11706345

Incident

Dec 20, 2025

I own a 2025 Subaru Ascent Limited. At approximately 20,000 miles, one of the original tires (factory-installed) developed a straight split along the tread/shoulder area. The cut was very straight, almost like along a seam, and I could see metal/steel cords exposed through the opening. There was no major impact, curb strike, or pothole event that I’m aware of, and there was no obvious sidewall or wheel damage. The Subaru dealer inspected the tire and replaced it, but I do not have the tire in my possession, so I no longer have the exact tire brand/model or DOT number. I have photos of the damage and a repair order from the dealer showing the tire replacement. I have also reported this incident to Subaru’s customer advocate department because I am concerned this may be a safety-related tire or manufacturing issue on a relatively new vehicle with low mileage.

NHTSA ID

11703374

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

The driver side rearview mirror shakes and vibrates under normal driving conditions. This is distracting and nauseating to the driver. This is a safety issue because this mirror is used for checking for vehicles before changing lanes.

NHTSA ID

11686992

Incident

Feb 3, 2025

Driver side mirror vibrates making the view in the mirror blurry. The distorted picture causes confusion and safety hazard as it's very difficult to see in day and almost impossible at night. Vibrations are noticeable in the driver's side B pillar. According to the dealership, this is related to the car's frame, no further details were provided so far. Car has been in the service for almost two weeks due to this issue.

NHTSA ID

11677132

Incident

Jul 23, 2025

The drivers side mirror glass shakes while driving. Visibility in the mirror is extremely limited making it impossible to see vehicle approaching or to judge distance. After dark the mirror is useless.

NHTSA ID

11672621

Incident

May 1, 2025

No particular incident happened, but the driver's side view mirror vibrates when moving especially at high speeds and/or bumpy roads. Worse at night as when you look, headlights in rear are shaking and make me dizzy and not look. The passengers side is nice and stable. Doesn't vibrate and shake.

NHTSA ID

11668970

Incident

Jun 22, 2025

The driver side mirror is unusable. The mirror it self shakes so much while driving you cannot see anything clearly or safely.

NHTSA ID

11648856

Incident

Mar 17, 2025