[Limited Ascent]

We have 5k with our Limited Ascent and like the car so far. Going through the motions with low mileage, recalls and Starlink app that won't start the car when you most needed, but we find a lot of good information for peace of mind and troubleshooting on this forum... very thankful. Latest issue is jammed power lift gate that it seems I have to disconet the battery to fix it. This happened when my wife got to school for quick drop off and had to unload backpacks just find out the gate won't open. An inconvenience for sure, but what gets to me is the flimsy metal / poor design Subaru used for the power lift gate. In the evening, after unsuccessfully trying to use the gate normally on one last attempt, I gave the gate a soft hip shove in case something got stuck in the latch. Of course the gate did not open, but the metal below the gate gave in quite easily leaving a big DENT and chip in the paint. I've opened frozen stuck car doors before with a mild body push but never dented a car so easily. The design of this car makes it look solid and sturdy but I disapointedly find the metal used on the gate (only area tested so far) quite flimsy. I attached two pics with the dent. Maybe its just our car but would like to hear if other Ascent owners have the same dent issue. Still like the Ascent, but a little less now that I will have to spend at least several hundred dollars to fix the dent .

 

[AnacortesArmyGuy]

Concerning the malfunctioning of your rear gate, there are several discussions on this topic in the forum, several of which I've contributed to since I've had experienced a few annoying problems. My 2019 Ascent was covered by a TSB calling for the replacement of the rear gate control module. While that apparently fixes some of the issues in some Ascents, it didn't in mine. Last week when the rear gate refused to open, rather than "fix" it myself by disconnecting, then reconnecting the battery, I took it to the dealership and they found a code indicating an issue with the rear gate latch. It has two microprocessors in it, and one was showing excessive resistance. They replaced the latch and I haven't had an issue since, but it's only been a few days. BTW, my rear gate issues only happened when using the dash-mounted button, and never the fob or rear gate button. It got to the point that I was never using the dash-mounted button to open or close the rear gate.

 

[hokiefyd]

The liftgate panel does indeed seem thin. I noticed this when installing the license plate. It doesn't take much effort to push in and deform the panel very far. I didn't do it to the point of permanent deformation, but I was surprised how easily it "gave".

 

[2020AscentOwnerinCa]

We have 5k with our Limited Ascent and like the car so far. Going through the motions with low mileage, recalls and Starlink app that won't start the car when you most needed, but we find a lot of good information for peace of mind and troubleshooting on this forum... very thankful. Latest issue is jammed power lift gate that it seems I have to disconet the battery to fix it. This happened when my wife got to school for quick drop off and had to unload backpacks just find out the gate won't open. An inconvenience for sure, but what gets to me is the flimsy metal / poor design Subaru used for the power lift gate. In the evening, after unsuccessfully trying to use the gate normally on one last attempt, I gave the gate a soft hip shove in case something got stuck in the latch. Of course the gate did not open, but the metal below the gate gave in quite easily leaving a big DENT and chip in the paint. I've opened frozen stuck car doors before with a mild body push but never dented a car so easily. The design of this car makes it look solid and sturdy but I disapointedly find the metal used on the gate (only area tested so far) quite flimsy. I attached two pics with the dent. Maybe its just our car but would like to hear if other Ascent owners have the same dent issue. Still like the Ascent, but a little less now that I will have to spend at least several hundred dollars to fix the dent .

 

[2020AscentOwnerinCa]

Had same “indentation issue” in almost same spot on my 2020 purchased Aug 2019 Advised dealer that my son tried to close tailgate with thumb and finger causing dent...no chipped paint. Dealer checking to see if Subaru will fix. I can’t believe the metal is so flimsy...weak. Once I get my answer from dealer I need to decide if I want “repainted” liftgate...or just to leave the indentation?..Input appreciated. TY

 

[packout]

We have 5k with our Limited Ascent and like the car so far. Going through the motions with low mileage, recalls and Starlink app that won't start the car when you most needed, but we find a lot of good information for peace of mind and troubleshooting on this forum... very thankful. Latest issue is jammed power lift gate that it seems I have to disconet the battery to fix it. This happened when my wife got to school for quick drop off and had to unload backpacks just find out the gate won't open. An inconvenience for sure, but what gets to me is the flimsy metal / poor design Subaru used for the power lift gate. In the evening, after unsuccessfully trying to use the gate normally on one last attempt, I gave the gate a soft hip shove in case something got stuck in the latch. Of course the gate did not open, but the metal below the gate gave in quite easily leaving a big DENT and chip in the paint. I've opened frozen stuck car doors before with a mild body push but never dented a car so easily. The design of this car makes it look solid and sturdy but I disapointedly find the metal used on the gate (only area tested so far) quite flimsy. I attached two pics with the dent. Maybe its just our car but would like to hear if other Ascent owners have the same dent issue. Still like the Ascent, but a little less now that I will have to spend at least several hundred dollars to fix the dent .

consequences of fuel economy regulations and maybe too much time on the ice

 

[Limited Ascent]

Concerning the malfunctioning of your rear gate, there are several discussions on this topic in the forum, several of which I've contributed to since I've had experienced a few annoying problems. My 2019 Ascent was covered by a TSB calling for the replacement of the rear gate control module. While that apparently fixes some of the issues in some Ascents, it didn't in mine. Last week when the rear gate refused to open, rather than "fix" it myself by disconnecting, then reconnecting the battery, I took it to the dealership and they found a code indicating an issue with the rear gate latch. It has two microprocessors in it, and one was showing excessive resistance. They replaced the latch and I haven't had an issue since, but it's only been a few days. BTW, my rear gate issues only happened when using the dash-mounted button, and never the fob or rear gate button. It got to the point that I was never using the dash-mounted button to open or close the rear gate.

Thanks for the info. Will have to take my car to the dealership too to have them look at gate. A week ago the gate got stuck again and it drained the battery. Luckily my neighbor long jumping cables to reach the battery in the back of the garage. Even after disconnecting the battery the gate did not open. Neighbor was baffled about this on a new 5k car. He also bought a new Toyota recently and never had a problem with it. After some more research online, I held the gate button pressed for about 7 seconds and it opened (maybe we don't even need to disconnect the battery). Second time the gate froze in two months and feel like Subaru could start looking into this for a potential recall.

 

[AnacortesArmyGuy]

I've held the lift gate button for over fifteen seconds before and it had no positive effect. Done the reinitialization procedure in the manual, and it was in the dealership on three separate occasions for rear gate operation issues. There are several TSBs out there that discuss this issue, with most telling the tech how to troubleshoot reported issues concerning the rear gate by owners, the most recent I believe is around the 20th of March.

 

[Mike M]

Had same “indentation issue” in almost same spot on my 2020 purchased Aug 2019 Advised dealer that my son tried to close tailgate with thumb and finger causing dent...no chipped paint. Dealer checking to see if Subaru will fix. I can’t believe the metal is so flimsy...weak. Once I get my answer from dealer I need to decide if I want “repainted” liftgate...or just to leave the indentation?..Input appreciated. TY

Hello. Just had this happen a week after bringing it home from the dealer. Any update on what your dealer said? I'm guessing I'll hear something like "shoulda bought that really expensive additional coverage we offered."

 

[Mike M]

We have 5k with our Limited Ascent and like the car so far. Going through the motions with low mileage, recalls and Starlink app that won't start the car when you most needed, but we find a lot of good information for peace of mind and troubleshooting on this forum... very thankful. Latest issue is jammed power lift gate that it seems I have to disconet the battery to fix it. This happened when my wife got to school for quick drop off and had to unload backpacks just find out the gate won't open. An inconvenience for sure, but what gets to me is the flimsy metal / poor design Subaru used for the power lift gate. In the evening, after unsuccessfully trying to use the gate normally on one last attempt, I gave the gate a soft hip shove in case something got stuck in the latch. Of course the gate did not open, but the metal below the gate gave in quite easily leaving a big DENT and chip in the paint. I've opened frozen stuck car doors before with a mild body push but never dented a car so easily. The design of this car makes it look solid and sturdy but I disapointedly find the metal used on the gate (only area tested so far) quite flimsy. I attached two pics with the dent. Maybe its just our car but would like to hear if other Ascent owners have the same dent issue. Still like the Ascent, but a little less now that I will have to spend at least several hundred dollars to fix the dent .

Hello, we brought our pre-owned 20199 home from the dealer last week and just had the same issue last night. The photographs look exactly the same and it sounds like we used the same amount of pressure on the plastic. Did you have any luck getting the dent popped out?

Thanks!