I purchased my 2019 Subaru Ascent Limited in February 2019. In November my trunk started opening by its self when I would start the car. At times I would be able to close the trunk but now it stays completely open. The first time I wasn't able to close it I had to drive 10 mph at 12 am (after my shift) to get myself safely home. The next day I got it secured with rope and brought it to the dealer. Everything was fine until today, Christmas Eve, and my trunk wont close. I have 3 kids that I constantly have in the vehicle hence the reason I got the vehicle.
If I knew this would be a problem I wouldn't have purchased the vehicle! $20,000 was put down and I feel now that it was just a waste of money.
I bet the $40,000 you spent on the Ascent regardless of the trim also got you an owners manual. While it makes for a great paper weight, it also can serve to provide useful information on how to operate this vehicle which has all sorts of technology in it. Try what is described below and for some reason if that does not work I am very certain the dealership will be very happy to help you. I have personally seen soemone drive into the dealership with a similar concern (while I was waiting on some paperwork) and without an appointment the dealership service advisor helping them figured out the issue in seconds. In there case it happened to be an owners object that was stopping the rear gait from locking closed so it always defaulted to the open position. Once the object was removed, the gait worked fine.
from page 148 ---"NOTE
If the rear gate cannot be opened due to
a discharged vehicle battery, a malfunction
in the door locking/unlocking
system or other causes, you can unlock
it by manually operating the rear gate
lock release lever. For the procedure,
refer to “Rear gate – if the rear gate
cannot be opened” FP419.
To close:
Lower the rear gate slowly and push down
firmly until the latch engages.
The rear gate can be lowered easily with
the handle."