2022 Subaru Ascent: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2022 Subaru Ascent
On the 2022 Subaru Ascent, the failure owners report most often is airbag failed to deploy in a crash, with 6 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 2,100 miles. Overall it scores 71 out of 100, high risk for a 2022.
High risk for a 2022 — 165th riskiest of the 243 2022 vehicles we can rate. 79 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2022 Subaru Ascent
Owners have reported 28 named failure modes on the 2022 Subaru Ascent, and the three most-reported carry 23% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash leads with 6 reports and about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other powertrain problem follows with 6 reports, median 90,000 miles.
Other brake problem follows with 6 reports, median 2,100 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into brakes (14), transmission (13) and glass (7).
The mileage the reports cluster at
Too few of the reports on this year carry an odometer reading to describe the timing: 3 of them do. The mileages quoted elsewhere on this page come from the modes that have enough of them.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 28. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 8 mention a crash, 2 a fire and 6 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.30, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: airbag failed to deploy in a crash at $1,000–$5,000, other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500, other brake problem at $300–$1,800 and other visibility problem at $150–$1,400. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
27% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 6 | 1 | — | 90k | — | 0.1 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 6 | 1 | — | 2k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Premature brake pad or rotor wear | brakes | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Transmission slipping | transmission | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $1,200–$5,500 | High |
| Instrument cluster or gauge failure | infotainment | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Lane keep or steering assist fault | adas | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,600 | High |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| CVT failure | transmission | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $3,000–$8,500 | Critical |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Software fault or failed update | software | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $0–$600 | Moderate |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 1 | — | 300 | — | 0.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Oil leak | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,200 | Moderate |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| Torque converter failure | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $1,100–$3,200 | High |
| Infotainment screen failure | infotainment | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$2,600 | Low |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Tire blowout or tread separation | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | Critical |
| Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | Moderate |
| Windshield cracking | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2022 Subaru Ascent draws about 1.2 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 74th percentile of complaint rates among 2022 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 67,923 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2022 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2022 model year
NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2022 Subaru Ascent, affecting an estimated 109,556 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover equipment:other:labels and electrical system:wiring:interior/under dash. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
541,237 vehicles 2026-07-07- Defect
- 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."
- Consequence
- An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- 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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
271,694 vehicles 2022-12-08- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- A melting ground terminal increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- 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 mailed February 6, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at…
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2022 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2022 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2022 — 165th riskiest of the 243 2022 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 7 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2025 comes out best at 55 and 2019 worst at 80, with 2022 itself at 71.
If the model year is negotiable, 2025 and 2024 score lower than 2022 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2019–2026 generation specifically, 2025 is the strongest year at 55 and 2019 the weakest at 80.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2019-2026 generation, 2025 Subaru Ascent scores best at 55 and 2019 Subaru Ascent worst at 80.
The limits of complaint data
79 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 79 reports, 3 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 4% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2022 Subaru Ascent?
The most-reported failures are airbag failed to deploy in a crash (6 reports), other powertrain problem (6 reports, median 90,000 miles) and other brake problem (6 reports, median 2,100 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2022 Subaru Ascent reliable?
It scores 71 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 165th riskiest of the 243 2022 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2022 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Subaru Ascent is best?
Within the 2019–2026 generation, 2025 scores best at 55 out of 100 and 2019 worst at 80. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed