2023 Subaru Ascent: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2023 Subaru Ascent
On the 2023 Subaru Ascent, the failure owners report most often is other driver assistance problem, with 6 reports on file. Overall it scores 62 out of 100, high risk for a 2023.
High risk for a 2023 — 218th riskiest of the 226 2023 vehicles we can rate. 63 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
The failures owners actually file about
Owners have reported 24 named failure modes on the 2023 Subaru Ascent, and the three most-reported carry 25% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Other driver assistance problem leads with 6 reports and about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles.
Cruise control failure follows with 5 reports.
Other brake problem follows with 5 reports.
By system, the reports fall mostly into adas (15), brakes (7) and glass (6).
At what mileage it happens
Too few of the reports on this year carry an odometer reading to describe the timing: 0 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 24. The full list is in the table below.
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 7 mention a crash, 3 a fire and 2 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 4.83, 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: other driver assistance problem at $250–$1,800, cruise control failure at $200–$1,400, 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.
13% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Tail light, brake light or signal failure | lighting | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $100–$900 | Moderate |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Lane keep or steering assist fault | adas | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,600 | High |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| CVT failure | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $3,000–$8,500 | Critical |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Premature brake pad or rotor wear | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Tire blowout or tread separation | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | Critical |
| Tire pressure monitor failure | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $80–$600 | Low |
| Windshield cracking | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Unclassified problem | other | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | — | 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 2023 Subaru Ascent draws about 1.5 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 79th percentile of complaint rates among 2023 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 41,633 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2023 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2023 model year
NHTSA has issued 4 recall campaigns covering the 2023 Subaru Ascent, affecting an estimated 47,124 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, power train:driveline:driveshaft, suspension:front:control arm:lower arm and tires. 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.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
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 are expected to be mailed August 25, 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.
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
4,311 vehicles 2023-09-21- Defect
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Outback, Legacy, Ascent, and Impreza vehicles. The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, resulting in the disconnection of the front end of the driveshaft.
- Consequence
- Separation of the front end of the driveshaft increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will clean the bolt mounting surfaces of the center support brace and install new bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRN-23.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
5 vehicles 2023-06-01- Defect
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Ascent vehicles. The left or right front lower control arm may have an improperly tightened ball joint castle nut which can result in retention pin failure and separation of the ball joint from the lower control arm.
- Consequence
- Ball joint separation while the vehicle is in motion can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 30, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRJ-23.
TIRES
4,409 vehicles 2023-04-07- Defect
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Ascent vehicles equipped with 20-inch wheels. The internal tire bead may have been damaged during the wheel mounting process.
- Consequence
- A damaged tire may experience a sudden loss of air pressure, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace all four tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 6, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-23.
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 2023 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
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2023 — 218th riskiest of the 226 2023 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Across the 7 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2025 comes out best at 54 and 2019 worst at 81, with 2023 itself at 62.
If the model year is negotiable, 2025 scores lower than 2023 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 54 and 2019 the weakest at 81.
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 54 and 2019 Subaru Ascent worst at 81.
What this page cannot tell you
63 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 63 reports, 0 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 0% 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".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
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 2023 Subaru Ascent?
The most-reported failures are other driver assistance problem (6 reports), cruise control failure (5 reports) and other brake problem (5 reports). 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 2023 Subaru Ascent reliable?
It scores 62 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 218th riskiest of the 226 2023 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2023 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 54 out of 100 and 2019 worst at 81. 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