[Dlazarow]

Hi all,
I’m a first time owner nearing 1000 miles on my Ascent and I love it. I’ve noticed that the ride quality is a lot rougher than other SUVs I’ve been in as I was selecting this car. It felt great on initial test drive but now my wife complains when she rides in the back with the kids that it’s very bumpy. I also occasionally hear creaks in the braking and/or steering, especially in parking garages. So as I have been reading in the forums and trying to learn, and as I have extremely novice experience detecting imperfections in my cars, and I listen to most music loud enough that I don’t hear all the creaks and moans mentioned in other threads, how do I really know if my vehicle has issues or might be a lemon?
Oh and the infotainment has done some odd things like popping static loudly when hanging up a call or only playing Apple CarPlay through the drivers speakers unless unplugged from usb and replugged in. But all of it seems random and inconsistent and not very repeatable. So how do I know if there’s a real issue or these are just random things that may or may not happen when using the infotainment? Thanks!

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Did you check to see if your tires are way over-inflated? They are often pumped up to the max for transport from the factory and the dealer could have forgotten to adjust that on prep. It happens. Otherwise, there's no way you should be experiencing a harsh ride. The sounds you mention are concerning...have you addressed that with your dealer?

 

[Wildcrd76]

Also check the bolts on your suspension from top to bottom. The strut mounts are easiest to get to under the hood. I found that the 3 bolts holding the struts were tightened improperly so the holding forces were not even. That could lead to wobble from the struts. Worst case break away from the car (although very highly unlikely). Also the bushings on all Subaru cars are extremely soft. Some seem as pliable as gum in my opinion. That being the case, those sounds could be normal shifting of the car. If you don’t have the knowledge or expertise to check this yourself, have the dealer check it out. If you think the dealer will just say it’s normal, take it to an auto shop you trust.

 

[Wildcrd76]

Forgot to also say to check your brake pads and rotors. Warping could also be a possibility. And as Jim pointed out, check the tires, but also check the lug nuts and wheel mounting. I don’t know if Subaru’s are hub centric, but a misaligned wheel will jump all over the place, more so at higher speeds. I wouldn’t doubt the possibility that the lug nuts could have been installed with different force. Again that would place different forces around the wheel causing it be all over the place especially higher speeds. And although it is a new car, the alignment could be off.

 

[G Burazer]

Sounds familiar. There is another discussion on the Forum with the subject "rattle/hum" that describes symptoms that sound like what some of us are experiencing. We live in the country with rougher but not terrible roads. We chose the Ascent for the Subaru durability and rugged reputation.
Would offer that taking it to the dealer and also calling Subaru to have it documented. We are hoping that it soon becomes obvious and a solution found. Can ignore a good many things but rattles are tough especially with a brand new, nice and expensive car. I had my concerns before buying with it being first year production but believed that Subaru would have fewer issues. Don't like saying it, this is our first Subaru and really want to love this car but after the initial experience it has been of a disappointment. Hope Subaru is getting this information and is working on the problem. Appreciate this Forum!