Was the hesitation first noticed on a warm restart? In my 23 I find that only happens when I have made a short stop anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour or so and restarted. Once the heat soak has dissipated everything is normal again.

 

I noticed it on both a cold start then 1 mile of driving in 90+ heat, then after a stop at the Drs for an hour. Again later in the day after sitting for a couple of hours, again in 90+ heat. Could not replicate this morning in 70 degree heat or when driving with service manager at 80 degrees. I've seen heat soak before, but in this case the Ascent stopped accelerating at all, instead of just accelerating slowly, which is what I would expect from heat soak. But open to ideas.

 

@PaulH We have a similar issue in our 2023 Limited we bought a couple of months ago and I have an appointment on Friday at the dealer to take a look.

Ours does it when its really hot outside only and even then its random. I think its a combination of turbo lag and the CVT going in with too high of a ratio off the bat and then figuring it out abruptly by shortening up the gearing while hitting the turbo boost at the same time.

I will say that its happening less now that we have about 1500 miles on it, which leads me to believe it might be an issue of it learning your driving habits in the first few thousand miles because we looked a few used ones prior to buying new, test driving on some hot days and none of them ever did it.

I'll let you know what the dealer says.

 

I purchased my ascent in 2020 and in 2022 and 2023. I told them about the same problem when I brought it in for regular servicing. Both times they said they could not duplicate it. I just called again today and have an appointment tomorrow… Of course now it’s not under warranty anymore. The service manager tried to tell me that they need to check and see if it’s just typical of this car or some abnormality. I told him I’ve been driving for 54 years, manual and automatic transmission, all different makes and models, and I’ve never ever had this problem before. It’s scary and it’s dangerous. My friend who has worked on cars all his life said he thought it was a problem with the throttle position sensor. I will tell them about that tomorrow. Good luck to all of you.

 

I get something similar in my 2022 Silver Onyx. Not temp related AFAIK, but happens most when making a right turn from a dead stop. It will start off normally, then experience the "dead pedal" halfway through the turn for a brief second, and then take off again.

It can be disconcerting when you have oncoming traffic and you're not sure if the car will go or not.

 

We're at 16K miles, temps as hot as 120 and have had no issues. Will be interested to hear what the cause is.

 

Last 2 days have been. 90+ again. Have been unable to reproduce the problem. Car only has 200 miles and the battery was disconnected to reset the computer at 100 miles because the tailgate was not opening with the car running, that problem is fixed. Starting to think it was just the car learning how I drive at this point since I can't seem to replicate the issue.

 

Quite possible, or adjusting to a bad tank of gas. But, temps shouldn't be the issue - I off road in the desert. This past month, I completed a bucket list item of having off-roaded my Ascent in all four of the US's major deserts. Never a problem.

 

So took ours in to the dealer and had them check it out. They said everything seems normal and took it on a long test drove. I ended up having a good conversation with the actual tech when picking it up (seriously enjoying the family owned dealership we bought it from).

He told me you really have to give the car a good 3-4k miles to settle in. We talked about the randomness of the issue (99% of the time it drives great) and he said that the Ascents have so much going on between the turbo, the CVT and it being a relatively heavy car. It's just not going to always get it just right when accelerating from a dead stop.

He said that the turbo can get a little bit of heat soak at times and the turbo lag can show up randomly especially on an uphill start. And to his point the car does seem to drive smoother at 1500 miles than the first week we had it.

He told me to bring it back if it hasn't smoothed out by 4k miles or so. As I was driving around yesterday I was paying more attention since it was in the mid 90s and i was doing a lot of in town driving. It seems that if you know you need quicker acceleration or are on a slight incline if you stab the pedal a little right off the bat it remedies it. If you apply just a little then dig in you catch it still snoozingand have to wait for it to catch up. The pedal is the only way to communicate with the car and I guess you can't send it mixed signals LOL.

 

This is what I mean about this car. The weirdness, the excuses, the “getting used to it,”etc. that so many make for an averaged priced car from an average car company. There should not have to be a “learning curve” adjusting how one hits the gas pedal, etc. to have the car act like just “any other car” on the road, in any temperature at all. It’s supposed to be a relatively tough, all-weather “All WEATHER! family, roomy SUV. 20 degrees, 90 degrees, or 115 degrees, it should not matter one iota. It’s a car designed to act normally in all of those temps. It is not a temperamental Lamborghini, Ferrari, or even a Porsche, or Mopar super hemi model. It’s a normal “mom mobile” for most people. The b. s. from the tech is patently ridiculous. I am 65 and have bought many brand new cars in my lifetime and they all drove completely as expected from the moment they left the lot without me paying any mind to them and my ‘22 Ascent is still the absolute weirdest accelerating car I have ever owned. Your experience may never improve- I’ve still got some of what you describe 17 months and 12,000 miles later.

 

I still can't reproduce the problem. I may have been to used to my Outback Wilderness and they it drove. While it has the same basic drivetrain the Outback was geared differently due to being a Wilderness model. Either I've subconsciously modified how I'm taking lefts across traffic, or it was just a fluke that day. Will continue to keep an eye on it and will update here if anything changes.

 

While it has the same basic drivetrain the Outback was geared differently due to being a Wilderness model.

The OBW Wilderness drivetrain was borrowed from the Ascent, because of the Ascent gearing. That's where it gets its 4.444:1 gearing.

That's also sadly one of the reasons why a Wilderness version of the Ascent is a difficult task. To make an Outback Wilderness, they took their most capable drivetrain (the Ascent's) and dropped it into an Outback. It's also why your OBW, with a perfect launch, can hit 0-60 in 5.8 seconds.

 

The OBW Wilderness drivetrain was borrowed from the Ascent, because of the Ascent gearing. That's where it gets its 4.444:1 gearing.

That's also sadly one of the reasons why a Wilderness version of the Ascent is a difficult task. To make an Outback Wilderness, they took their most capable drivetrain (the Ascent's) and dropped it into an Outback. It's also why your OBW, with a perfect launch, can hit 0-60 in 5.8 seconds.

Didn't realize the OBW and Ascent were geared the same. Good to know. I did enjoy the less than 6 second to 60 runs though...

 

This sounds possibly similar to something I’ve expierenced in my 23 Onyx edition ascent. Now I know you’re supposed to shut vehicle off to get gas so if you want to grill me for that beat it.
I got gas one day, and left the car running , put cap back on and got in car, it idles fine, but as soon as you goand give it some gas it hesitates a few times and you have to get on it a bit to drive thru it so to say. I’m assuming this is an issue with fueling , possibly evap system but that’s the only time I’ve ever encountered a hesitation. I’ve driven my ascent in Houston hot weather 110°+ and no issues with getting going wether from a stop or turn. I’ve also got Maybe 13k miles on it already too.

 

This sounds possibly similar to something I’ve expierenced in my 23 Onyx edition ascent. Now I know you’re supposed to shut vehicle off to get gas so if you want to grill me for that beat it.
I got gas one day, and left the car running , put cap back on and got in car, it idles fine, but as soon as you goand give it some gas it hesitates a few times and you have to get on it a bit to drive thru it so to say. I’m assuming this is an issue with fueling , possibly evap system but that’s the only time I’ve ever encountered a hesitation. I’ve driven my ascent in Houston hot weather 110°+ and no issues with getting going wether from a stop or turn. I’ve also got Maybe 13k miles on it already too.

If the gas cap isn't fully secured after fuelling, it will set off the "Christmas Tree Lights" on the dash until the cap is secured and a few start/stop cycles are completed. Maybe fuelling with the car running affected the drivability issues you experienced?

 

There should not have to be a “learning curve” adjusting how one hits the gas pedal, etc

True, there are some driveability issues for some. But also not always not the vehicle's fault (speaking generically, not Ascent-specific). Modern fuel injected, automatic transmission, computer controlled vehicles are typically very smooth and predictable, but not everyone has a high degree of driving skills or experience.

Just yesterday I took about a 200 mile ride with a friend in his pretty young Highlander. He's one of these people who seemingly can't feel the gas pedal. From a stop it was always anyone's guess if we're crawl along or he'd mash the pedal. At highway speeds he'd waver constantly, sometimes at a high frequency sometimes more slowly. I had to beg him to use cruise before I got nauseous. Needless to say the otherwise smooth running Toyota was banging in and out of gear constantly.

Then there's the friend with the late model Mustang, V8, 6 speed who can't launch from a stop without getting the revs up to 4k and riding out the clutch for a quarter mile and still manages to buck and stall frequently. And no, it isn't his first manual trans.

Ask either of these drivers how they rate their driving skills and they'll both proudly tell you that they've excellent drivers.

 

Yeah I've ridden with many types of drivers that do the on/off switch thing on the gas pedal etc and people that just generally don't know how to drive. I consider myself a pretty good driver. This is just our first turbo car we've ever owned and I think there is some getting used to it. The gas pedal is really your main way to communicate with your car. I've had instances in my Ram which the 8 speed auto is flawless in and I mash the gas pedal to pass someone but some one else changes my plans so I have to immediately let off. The car downshifts and just hangs onto revs for a few minutes feeling like its slipping until it figures out what the hell I'm doing and then goes.

To be honest, I don't think the tech was blowing hot air or anything. Who really knows. The fact that he took the time to come talk with me about the car and everything he did to check the car out, he seemed really knowledgeable. I did spend the day in a 2023 Outback loaner and there is definitely a difference in the power delivery and the outback feels smoother as it accelerated, but without the turbo it feels a lot slower. Getting back in the Ascent I appreciate the extra power even with the more quirky power delivery and after driving it all weekend it feels like you just have to drive it a little different or adjust your expectations compared to a non-turbo car.

I'll give it some more miles. Funny thing is my wife doesn't notice it and she's the primary driver of the car. Maybe I just pay TOO much attention to it. After our shit show 2015 Yukon with the terrible GM 8speed auto we came out of, I'm probably overly sensitive about what the car is doing.

 

Just catching up on this thread and noticed nobody mentioned eyesight.
Just a few days ago when pulling out of my neighborhood my ‘19 hesitated momentarily, no warnings or anything in the hud. I attributed it to eyesight thinking I’m going to run into something because a vehicle had just crossed my path in each direction. It felt very similar to its behavior if I’m trying to overtake someone on the interstate and get too close — sometimes I get the forward collision warning, other times it’s just cuts the throttle till it realizes there’s nothing actually in my way.

 

Funny you mentioned this. The other day, a car did a sweeping lane change in front of me. I was in the middle, he started on the right lane and ended on the left lane. In my '20, I'm sure that the AEB would have jammed on the brakes. In the '23, it put a message on the dash something like "object in path detected" but no brakes. Now I'm wondering if the location of my glassmounted dashcam has effected the Eyesight.

 

FYI, it breaks hard.

Yes it does, but if you gas it, the braking ends. Happens pretty often when a car in front brakes to turn right and as the driver I know they're leaving the lane but Eyesight sees it as an obstacle.

 

I've had my 2023 Ascent for a week now. Yesterday, in the 90 degree heat it started acting funny. When pulling out into traffic, or trying to cross traffic from a stop, it would accelerate for a few feet, then basically completely stop accelerating, then accelerate again like normal. I just came out of a 22 Wilderness Outback with the same drivetrain so know what the turbo lag and CVT behavior is like. This is very different. It's a major hesitation with no acceleration. Very unsettling crossing busy traffic or when pulling out in heavy traffic. Went to the dealer today and drove with the service manager for 20 minutes but could not reproduce. As great as my dealer is, without a reproducible problem there's not much for them to go on. They are willing to do the CVT chain slippage diagnosis if I say it keeps happing. Wondering if anyone else has seen this issue and what the resolution was so I can give the dealer some more info.

My new 2020 Ascent behaved in a similar manner except at times it would "buck" back and forth between acceleration and suddenly slowing down like the transmission was suddenly in neutral. Several trips to the dealer was a waste of time since it didn't set a computer code. It eventually subsided around 12K miles. After a CVT recall (no problem) found, I thought everything was good. Until around 30K miles... Now sometimes when accelerating, the transmission feels like it momentarily slips. I hate this CVT but love the vehicle. Will never get a CVT again.

 

My dash cam goes in next week so will be an easy way to grab some video if it happens again. I work from home and am starting a new job this week, so won't be driving very much.

What dash cam are you putting in?

 

Momento M7 3-Channel 2K QHD Dash Camera + the interior camera. Had to push off the install, so will be another couple of weeks before it all gets done.

 

Hey guys I know the thread is for subaru ascent, but I'm experiencing the same issues on 2023 wrx limited. Knowing that it has fa24 engine figure issue might be similar. Only have 3k miles. My throttle just dies out at intermittent times cold or hot. Have about 5 videos of the issue happening over and over. I'm usually not the one to complain but I seriously almost got hit by a tractor trailer on 2 separate occasions. I took it to the dealer they found a soft connector at the throttle body even with a new throttle body it wouldn't connect in place. They ended replacing the engine harness. My wrx was good for 4 days issue came back. Currently in the dealer now for 2nd time. It's unfortunate because this is my 4 subaru car is completely stock as well.

 

You may want to ask your question in our sister WRX forum. While it's the same engine in general, it's a different vehicle.

https://www.wrxforums.com/forums/

 

I have been having this same issue in my 23 Ascent for the past month or so. It is very unsettling when pulling out onto a high speed road. But like you said, I can't take it to the dealer because they will say they can't reproduce it. This is the second summer that I have owned the car. I do not remember this happening last summer. I thought maybe the engine just hated the summer temps, but this isn't normal and shouldn't be happening.

 

I have had this issue once with our Ascent. I went to accelerate from a stop sign and it felt as though the car was in too high of a gear. Eventually the vehicle responded.

I chalked it up to it being a software glitch with the CVT. If it turns out to be a real problem the issue should get more frequent and pronounced.

I personally believe the powertrain is the achilles heel of the Ascent with the CVT being more of a problem than the engine.

 

Yeah I'm not sure.. maybe here in Cali they are duping us and 87 is really 85 octane LOL. We dint get any different performance or fuel economy when running premium, the throttle response is just better in really hot temps. For the 2-3 tanks a month we use in gas it's not a big deal.

 

my 2021 Ascent has been doing the same. Dealer says there is no codes, so they do not know what to do.

 

Happening in Az as well.

 

This is an issue I have been having with my ascent. The dealer can never replicate the problem when they drive it but they have replaced the transmission twice and it still happens. I notice it more on hot days so I forget about it during the winter. My ascent is a 2019, and I love the car but I don’t like how it drives at times. My brakes are now pulsing a squeaking. Taking it in next week and I’m dreading it. I wanted a newer ascent until reading all of these reports on that Subaru has yet to fix the original problem. Good luck with yours! It seems to be a fundamental problem with Subaru Ascents.

 

That is exact issue with the same make model and year. Dealer did not seem to care to figure out.

 

Folks, if you are having hesitation from a dead stop, that's not the CVT. Within a fraction of a second of your engine starting, your HT-TR690 (and all of them from the original TR690) fully energizes the CVT.

It's not like a regular automatic, nor like the TR580 low torque CVT in most of Subaru's cars where in park or neutral, it's disengaging the gears/pulleys/etc. It's one of the somewhat unique things about the design.

Your car's low idle is in the 700's rpm range. When you start the car and the engine exceeds 400rpm, the TR690 (all generations and variants) activates its input clutch and energizes the CVT, and tries spinning the pulleys (variators) and chain. It's ready and in the range you need to start moving the car before you even shift out of Park. As a matter of fact, in Park (and neutral), that chain actually spins.

TIP:
Try slowly pushing your foot (the pedal) to the floor, in an action that takes 4-5ish seconds. See if the acceleration is smooth.

If it is smooth, see if they will reset the throttle learning values (or try tip online to do so), or do the intake valve cleaning in the TSB

 

It's really strange we are talking about all these fixes ourselves. Isn't the dealership supposed to figure all of this stuff out for us? I understand they did not build the car but they sold it and are our only link back to holding Subaru accountable. After all we bought a new car! We should get in and drive it. Not learn how to make it drive properly. After all its a Subaru, they are supposed to be trouble free, reliable and easy to drive. I still cannot figure out what happened here. I guess frustration is setting in! Nick

 

I'm having the same issue on my 2024 with less than 800 miles. The pedal didn't have any response while driving ~40mph (after several issues accelerating from a stop). Was able to pull over and get some of it on video, but it didn't give a code so the dealer won't continue diagnosing. Got the "operator error" talk as well. Really shocked at the lack of concern over what could be a life threatening situation on the road.