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Two Ascents, Two Lemons, Try for 3?

27K views 134 replies 37 participants last post by  Snowgirl 
#1 ·
What would you do with a car you love??? Do you chance a third one in hopes it’s the charm or do you cut your losses and move on?

I really want to love this car. After the first lemon buyback ordeal not sure I’m even up for the second, but it meets the days out of service tomorrow. Decisions, decisions...

There is not another car out there I want more than this one. For the money it checks all my boxes and has all the features I love and the styling I was craving. Subaru is making this hard!
 
#4 ·
What would you do with a car you love??? Do you chance a third one in hopes it’s the charm or do you cut your losses and move on?

I really want to love this car. After the first lemon buyback ordeal not sure I’m even up for the second, but it meets the days out of service tomorrow. Decisions, decisions...

There is not another car out there I want more than this one. For the money it checks all my boxes and has all the features I love and the styling I was craving. Subaru is making this hard!
Like I mentioned before I turned my Ascent in early on lease to purchase a 19 Forester Touring, not because I had issues although I had the lurching fake shifts and the moaning sounds and I thought the overall fit and finish/build quality was not there, but It was to big for me and my wife and looking down the road as we age the Forester made more sense to us. The Forester IMO rides better, is quieter and has the typical Subaru build quality that I have enjoyed . Only a month in I have no problems to report. I think you would better with the refreshed Pilot or maybe the redesigned Highlander. I you don't need 3 rows the new Outback looks nice although that 11.6 inch head unit could be interesting.
 
#6 ·
Snowgirl - I am sorry to hear about this. May I ask why your second Subaru Ascent is in the shop? (hope I didn't miss the reason posted elsewhere)

After the number of Subaru's I have owned, I've had two that even corporate engineers couldn't figure out the issues. Those occurred at different times over a six-year period but the expense and my time wasn't worth it. I had to move to a different brand with a growing family at that time.

To have two Ascents' in a row driving you bonkers, sorta-speak, is not worth your time in my opinion. Just last week a Subaru corporate engineer specializing in their Ascent CVTs' told me they do not have all the answers, yet - that includes the famous chirp. As my Ascent can shake a paint can due to all the "jerkiness" it randomly exhibits during acceleration. I can accept his admission and knowing that Subaru is struggling to find technicians for local dealers, I'm willing to work with Subaru - as long as they are upfront with me - and provide them with a detailed log. But my deep loyalty shortens rapidly when I look at what I paid for my Touring and I hesitate on driving it daily. Subaru knows how to make good cars if you can keep the faith.

Good Luck.
 
#12 ·
I can't imagine that would have any effect on either alerts or Eyesight. My Eyesight stuff displays on the screen between my gauges. Seems odd to me they would keep your vehicle for just head unit issues while they're just waiting for a new head unit or amp. I do know I've read previous threads where the amp under the passenger seat was causing head unit failures, but I don't remember that issue causing any problems with safety or drivability. Weird.

On topic, but in a different direction, perhaps you could research whether anyone offers an amp of some kind that would work as an aftermarket replacement. Another option might be to just see if it could be switched out with the "inferior" units in other trim levels that don't use the amp. I've never had a problem with my head unit in my premium trim level. It would be unfortunate if you had to get rid of your entire vehicle for problems with just the infotainment system.
 
#13 ·
Yeah my goal here is to just get this one back fixed. They are saying there is just not enough supply of them, and none they have replaced are ready to be sold as remanufactured. So waiting on a brand new one that won’t disrupt production lines and the red tape of getting that authorized through Subaru seemed to be the hold up. Which I’m thankful they are using new parts and not refurbished on a car this new.

In NC 20 days without your car is automatic lemon in you want to pursue it. They have opened a case with senior management so we will see what they offer this go around. The only good thing is that in the next 24000 miles/18 months anything that happens I can automatically revert back to it and have them by them car since I’ve already met the days out of service. So no real reason to worry about the car once I get it back. Just never expected to be in this situation twice with a brand new car.
 
#14 ·
Yeah my goal here is to just get this one back fixed. They are saying there is just not enough supply of them, and none they have replaced are ready to be sold as remanufactured. So waiting on a brand new one that won’t disrupt production lines and the red tape of getting that authorized through Subaru seemed to be the hold up. Which I’m thankful they are using new parts and not refurbished on a car this new.

In NC 20 days without your car is automatic lemon in you want to pursue it. They have opened a case with senior management so we will see what they offer this go around. The only good thing is that in the next 24000 miles/18 months anything that happens I can automatically revert back to it and have them by them car since I’ve already met the days out of service. So no real reason to worry about the car once I get it back. Just never expected to be in this situation twice with a brand new car.
Over on the Outback forums someone who just got back from training on the new model mentioned Subaru went with Denso instead of Harmon with the new 11.6 head unit. My 17 Impreza which has been flawless except for the HU which has been updated(mine only once) 3 times
 
#16 ·
I had been seeing the rumor that they were going with a different head unit supplier. This would make good sense since this one has been an issue for a while. It wasn’t a good fit for the 18-19 outback’s either. Our friend has been going though similar issues with this 18 outback. Sounds like just another poor quality parts choice.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Oh, Snowgirl, I am so heartbroken to hear that you're still having troubles - now with your replacement Ascent, no less!

If you truly absolutely love the vehicle that much - as a car-lover (yes, this extends to my current Ascent, which is really only the third vehicle I've fallen in love with, ever [keeping in mind that we're on our 9th Subaru since 2005, and I've been driving since 1991]) myself - I truly believe that I would be taking the leap of faith on the third.

What are the odds, right?

Whatever you decide, you deserve to end up with a reliable and long-lasting vehicle, whatever vehicle that may be, this next time around!

What I've learned as a car-lover is that no matter what, if you're not happy-in-love when you open that garage door in the morning, you're always going to have that gnawing at the back of your mind. Yes,, we're all reasonable adults - we can justify our purchases, particularly major ones like a new vehicle, in any number of ways. But as a car-lover, I know now that if I'm not looking forward to seeing my car after a few hours of not seeing it, then there's always going to be something missing in that relationship. :)
 
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#20 ·
I’ve tried to look at other cars but I keep coming to the Ascent! When it’s gone I still wake up hoping they will call just like when I ordered the first one. It’s been an almost year nightmare I’m ready to have over. I’m already assigned a different senior manager so I’m hoping that’s a start! I just truly want this car but don’t want to be naive after 2 bad ones. Maybe I will get this one back in a couple weeks and never have another issue. Just hard to say.
 
#21 ·
I'm hard pressed to disagree - be it for Subaru or any other brand/make.

But at the same time, since what Snowgirl looking at now is a different issue altogether from what plagued her first attempt at the Ascent, it is also at the same time very hard for me as a car-lover to suggest that this is as easy a decision as that.

Factor in Snowgirl's love for the vehicle, something which she'd repeatedly voiced both in this thread as well as others - which is something that I can relate to - and I really think that things become much harder.

What are the odds, right?

I’ve tried to look at other cars but I keep coming to the Ascent! When it’s gone I still wake up hoping they will call just like when I ordered the first one. It’s been an almost year nightmare I’m ready to have over. I’m already assigned a different senior manager so I’m hoping that’s a start! I just truly want this car but don’t want to be naive after 2 bad ones. Maybe I will get this one back in a couple weeks and never have another issue. Just hard to say.
Right?

At least that's what we ALL hope - that you'll get the vehicle back with the head-unit, sourced from a completely different supplier - and that you'll never have another day's worth of issues with this vehicle. :)

But then again, as a realist, it's also not impossible that this issue could continue to drag on, or even, alternatively, that a new and again unrelated issue could do the same. Or that if you did choose to Lemon your second, that a third (bless you for your persistence and optimism, if nothing else! :lol: ) won't also be an uphill battle - or at the very least not the problem-free experience that you're looking for (and, for crying out loud, DESERVE!).

In the end, no matter how exactingly our vehicles are built to-specs and even if everything fits nominally within tolerances, each and every of our unique Ascents are just that...and nothing is average.

Of our 9 new Subarus since 2005 - and when we include my in-laws, that number goes to 13 - only my wife's '09 Forester XT had a significant mechanical issue: a new longblock, courtesy of the '09 turbo-engine "Stop Sale" fallout. One of the 4 Legacys in my in-laws' list eventually ended up with a new head-unit (and as with many others' testimonies in various online Subaru communities, this was a months-long fix that tested my FIL's patience), and this was the only significant non-mechanical fix that any of our Subarus required.

Aside from the EyeSight of my wife's new '19 WRX CVT - I think - needing to be checked out and a passenger-side airbag unit replacement being required on my '13 Tribeca needing to be swapped out, our Subarus have been absolutely reliable and dependable for each of the 3-year (and my '05 Legacy 2.5GT, which was among the first to be ECUTeK'ed and spent most of her 7 years with me at typical "Stage II+"), 12K miles lease cycles as true daily-drivers.

It does make the decision much harder, when you truly love the vehicle.........
 
#23 ·
I don't envy you. I have a 2019 Ascent that I can't use for the purpose I bought it - training my dogs. They are crated where the 3rd row is folded down, in custom made crates, while we are field training. I discovered the hard way that leaving the tailgate open for 4+ hours kills the battery b/c there is a parasitic power drain. It pulls 4 amps/hour while the tailgate is open. First time it happened, my dogs got locked in the back and I was alone on a remote training property. Fortunately I had cell service and was able to call for help to jump start my car. Subaru claims the car works as designed, which is BS. This will def be my last Subaru yet I do love this car otherwise. I hope you make a good decision that will bring you peace of mind.
 
#24 ·
Thank you! I definitely get your frustration in that situation. I too wish there was a kill switch or an easy way to work around it. Most cars have those these days, have you tried switching everything to LED that would be my only suggestion if you haven’t tried that. Maybe one day they will have all the tweaks out and it be an even more perfect car!
 
#25 ·
Your love for the Ascent is obvious but reality is if you add up the time you have been without a car both times for me it would be unacceptable. Also, as much as I love and respect the Subaru product the Ascent needs some fine tuning . It seems in order to be super competitive within this segment they had some serious cost cutting. If you scan the other newer Subaru products from Impreza to Forester to Outback and look the current issues they are having it is nowhere near the volume of the Ascents problem log. I think you should take a couple of days and drive other makes and models and really look at something else. New for 20 Ford Explorer does not look bad. The Highlander I suggested was the new for 20 model. I don't believe it is out yet. Bottom line it is just a car and you should be driving it with little or no problems. Routine maintance should be your only concern
 
#26 ·
Your love for the Ascent is obvious but reality is if you add up the time you have been without a car both times for me it would be unacceptable. Also, as much as I love and respect the Subaru product the Ascent needs some fine tuning . It seems in order to be super competitive within this segment they had some serious cost cutting. If you scan the other newer Subaru products from Impreza to Forester to Outback and look the current issues they are having it is nowhere near the volume of the Ascents problem log. I think you should take a couple of days and drive other makes and models and really look at something else. New for 20 Ford Explorer does not look bad. The Highlander I suggested was the new for 20 model. I don't believe it is out yet. Bottom line it is just a car and you should be driving it with little or no problems. Routine maintance should be your only concern
 
#31 ·
Routine maintenance should be your only concern
Unfortunately, this is not always the case. My dad worked for GM for over 40 years and I can tell you stories. I have owned a SAAB 93 with transmission issues, and they could not fixed it. I had a Passat with electrical issues and the new Jetta 99 with an explosion on the engine block, that cost me greatly after the 24 months warranty ended. I didn't buy US made cars anymore and forgo my family employee discounts, as I thought I would be troubles free. Smile!

And as long as Subaru is committed to its customers base, I think that over all things will be for the better. I know that some dealerships are better than others, so I am very lucky that way. No, its not perfect, but they are doing something about it.

Snowgirl, I am very sorry that you're having to go through all of this again, but I strongly believe that it will be sorted out and made up back to you ten folds. You have been very patient indeed!

Happy driving and be safe!

Alain
 
#28 ·
It really sounds like this issue is just the faulty amp like in the "Audio completely dead" thread. For the life of me, I still can't understand why they have kept your car for so long for just the infotainment system not working, but regardless if this indeed is the amp issue, then it's a very different issue than the transmission problem. Still, if that;s the lemon law you can certainly exercise your right. If it were me, my thought would be that a faulty amp is not going to leave me stranded on the side of the road. Especially if I loved the vehicle as much as you seem to. Eventually there will probably be more of an aftermarket for audio in the Ascent. All this integrated digitalization of stuff is definitely a pain in the booty sometimes though. If you're not married to having an amp in the car, you could aslo ask them how difficult it would be to just set up the system without an amp. I don't have one and haven't had a lick of trouble with my infotainment system (well, outside of wrestling with Android Auto).
 
#33 ·
After two lemons, I would have drank enough lemonade and would look elsewhere.

My Ascent Touring is like my last Avalon Limited, it's a very nice car, but it stirs absolutely no passion from me whatsoever regarding my car enthusiast genes. It's comfortable and nice to helm, but it's not fun to drive. If you can look past the brand to other options, you might find you'll like something else better ( or possibly not, but you owe it to yourself to look at other makes and models). After 6 months, I still don't understand this loyalty people have for the brand, (OK, I get it regarding the BRZ and WRX).

If you are an enthusiast, skip all the other options and go straight to the Mazda CX9. In GT or Signature trim, it's a rival to SUV's costing somewhat more in both ride, handling, and interior fit and finish. If it's not about driving passion, then any of the myriad other SUV's in this space should suit you just fine.
 
#35 ·
After two lemons, I would have drank enough lemonade and would look elsewhere.

My Ascent Touring is like my last Avalon Limited, it's a very nice car, but it stirs absolutely no passion from me whatsoever regarding my car enthusiast genes. It's comfortable and nice to helm, but it's not fun to drive. If you can look past the brand to other options, you might find you'll like something else better ( or possibly not, but you owe it to yourself to look at other makes and models). After 6 months, I still don't understand this loyalty people have for the brand, (OK, I get it regarding the BRZ and WRX).

If you are an enthusiast, skip all the other options and go straight to the Mazda CX9. In GT or Signature trim, it's a rival to SUV's costing somewhat more in both ride, handling, and interior fit and finish. If it's not about driving passion, then any of the myriad other SUV's in this space should suit you just fine.
Thats a honest response . I felt exactly the same with my Ascent. Did nothing for me in the excitement category plus I did not find it supremely comfortable, perhaps that is because I had a premium. The 19 Forester touring I have now has a better dynamic feel or excitement but nothing to brag about and it is very comfortable . My favorite Subaru to date is my loaded 17 Impreza Sport. Very connected to the road but has a soft comfortable suspension setup. I'm very connected to that car when I drive it. I paid 24k for it and feel it was well worth it
 
#37 ·
That actually makes sense, I get it now too. Hopefully moving forward if car makers are going to insist on integrating more and more core safety and operation features into these systems they work much harder at vetting and testing the products they're buying into. It's really hurting their optics now that we can't just have a radio that can be replaced by shopping Crutchfield and spending an afternoon under the dash.

As for not fun to drive, I'm definitely glad I disagree. It's not fun the way my old Miata was fun, it's more fun the way my old Mustang was fun. The turbo boxer provides quite a kick when wot from a stoplight. I also find it handles excellent for such a big vehicle. I know it handles better than the Mustang did. I never expected it to be a GT car, but with a few tweaks I think it could actually approach that kind of handling. On top of that, the AWD and ground clearance let me go places my Miata, Mustang, or any kind of mini-van or FWD sedan wouldn't be able to take me, and at the same time it fits the whole family. Plus, when I buy a car, I also buy a car company, car dealership, and a car service department. For me, in my area, the Subaru dealership I do business with is hands-down the best dealership I've ever done business with. For that aspect of car ownership, I realize that is very much YMMV, but for me it's the way it is. I guess, Snowgirl, you've gotta decide what you feel you need or works best for you.
 
#39 ·
I don’t have any issues with this car in the way it drives or handles. Just cursed with the glitches I guess. Haha.

The biggest reason we purchased the extended warranty is because of all the tech in these cars now. Where there is a computer, there is problems. That’s any make or model these days.
So true, With all the new safety and infotainment gadgets it is a very complicated and expensive setup. And yes the handling part for what it's mission is certainly is not a priority . My main issue was the component and build quality level was not up to snuff. From the super thin carpet to door's that rub each other when open at the same time it was at least for me not typical Subaru. And your talking to someone who has had half a dozen in the last 15 years. Once your HU is replaced It will be interesting to follow your long term review of the Ascent.
 
#43 · (Edited)
#44 ·
So I got my car back on Wednesday, new amplifier installed. It done good until Thurs, now back to the black screen again. They had the field engineer at dealership yesterday looking at couple others with transmission issues, so they called and asked me to bring mine down for him to look at. Field out more audio questionnaire and now waiting for Subaru to approve an entire new audio/head unit. While in idle the transmission on this one (12/18 build) squealed twice... they took it straight back and hooked up to diagnostic machine but couldn’t duplicate it then. So for now they want to monitor it until it gets more pronounced or other symptoms. Subaru senior representative is supposed to call me Tuesday to decide what we want to do for sure. Engineer would not answer question if they had the transmission issue figured out or what was causing it but said it is very well known at this point. The 2020 head unit does have new internals he told me, that should fix the radio/head unit issues that have plagued the 2019. Would almost chance the 2020 at this point if I knew they had the transmission issue under control, but his reaction and answer did not make me feel comfortable they have. I love this car so much, and am so torn on what to do. We drove the Acadia Denali and it’s nice but so much smaller, the traverse is nice but I like the high country and it’s so much more expensive. I hate the inside of the pilot, and already had a pathfinder so I know I don’t want that again. It’s hard to find anything that really matches the Ascent body lines and features it offers.
 
#45 ·
Geez..... and you’re hanging tough hoping the third one is going to be the charm........ that is serious patience!

my thoughts are the Ascent was released way too early...... to get the jump on the competition. The 2020 should have all major issues resolved? I also wondering if there is a particular assembly plant or team or shift that is not meeting quality standards somewhere that is causing problems..... because the issues and problems reported are not necessarily universal to all ascents.
 
#46 ·
That’s the crazy part is the randomness of it. I feel like they also rushed the release before they had all the vendors and quality control worked out. I keep trying to look at it like it’s a first year build and every car maker has that growing year with a new product so I need to be patient too. Haha. My husband is not so patient and thinks we should maybe just go a different route and revisit the Ascent in a few years. I’m torn on what I want to do.
 
#47 ·
Do you really need that 3rd row?. The 19 Outback with the 3.6 is a solid choice IMO. Also, the new Ford Explorer(3 rows) looks nice but gets pricy when optioned up. The new for 20 Highlander looks nice. What about a new Jeep GC?. I agree with your husband revisit the Ascent if you want down the line. There are some nice options out there for 45k.
 
#49 ·
He hates Ford (crazy Chevy guy) haha! He refuses to own another Jeep, and he hates the highlander because every other person in our town owns one. Lol. The only thing I have seen that we both like is the Chevy Traverse High Country it’s on sale for around 50,000.

We don’t “need” per say the third row because it’s just me and him, but I like the captains chairs in the second row for when we travel with other couples so that puts me in a 3rd row market. Lol
 
#48 ·
I bought an Ascent in January.

1. Infotainment black screened two weeks in.

2. Windshield cracked low center where there is an eyesight connector 3
weeks in.

3. Second row seats started creaking.

4. Eyesight was not engineered, tested or installed correctly. Non-stop false negative reports from lane minder, lane departure, failed to adjust distance from car in front.

5. False negative Eyesight reports were dangerous unto themselves they were that frequent and distracting.

6. Three full on anti-breaking incidents with nothing in front of me, one while in park.

7. In shop a total of 4 days to fix Eyesight -,no fix.

8. Worst aerodynamics in a crosswind I have experienced. The car was extremely difficult to drive.

9. Two lane highway - oncoming semi wash hit the Ascent twice as hard as all prior vehicles due to aerodynamics. I had to pull right as far as possible to feel safe.

10. When centered and green-lined with lane minder, virtually no way to avoid land departure warning within seconds.

11. Worst over steering problem I have ever encountered. Drivable but very abnormal.

12. Ascent is a large car. Yet you have to drop down spare tire? Didn’t make sense. I had to change a flat. Not fun.

13. Gas mileage calculator was a joke. Pure highway driving reported back 40-50 mpg.

14. City mileage was terrible, I am a light on the pedal driver.

As a Toyota mechanic will tell you: go with Honda or Toyota, Subaru quality is second tier.

As a Honda mechanic will tell you: go with Toyota or Honda, Subaru quality is second tier.

I just dumped my Ascent and went with a Toyota. The shame is I owned a 2017 Outback, it was flawless and I loved the car. I regret trading it in.

The double shame is my confidence in Subaru quality went from 100% to 0% such that considering a new 2019 Outback was not an option, Eyesight and other problems with the Ascent were that.
 
#50 ·
I bought an Ascent in January.

1. Infotainment black screened two weeks in.

2. Windshield cracked low center where there is an eyesight connector 3
weeks in.

3. Second row seats started creaking.

4. Eyesight was not engineered, tested or installed correctly. Non-stop false negative reports from lane minder, lane departure, failed to adjust distance from car in front.

5. False negative Eyesight reports were dangerous unto themselves they were that frequent and distracting.

6. Three full on anti-breaking incidents with nothing in front of me, one while in park.

7. In shop a total of 4 days to fix Eyesight -,no fix.

8. Worst aerodynamics in a crosswind I have experienced. The car was extremely difficult to drive.

9. Two lane highway - oncoming semi wash hit the Ascent twice as hard as all prior vehicles due to aerodynamics. I had to pull right as far as possible to feel safe.

10. When centered and green-lined with lane minder, virtually no way to avoid land departure warning within seconds.

11. Worst over steering problem I have ever encountered. Drivable but very abnormal.

12. Ascent is a large car. Yet you have to drop down spare tire? Didn’t make sense. I had to change a flat. Not fun.

13. Gas mileage calculator was a joke. Pure highway driving reported back 40-50 mpg.

14. City mileage was terrible, I am a light on the pedal driver.

As a Toyota mechanic will tell you: go with Honda or Toyota, Subaru quality is second tier.

As a Honda mechanic will tell you: go with Toyota or Honda, Subaru quality is second tier.

I just dumped my Ascent and went with a Toyota. The shame is I owned a 2017 Outback, it was flawless and I loved the car. I regret trading it in.

The double shame is my confidence in Subaru quality went from 100% to 0% such that considering a new 2019 Outback was not an option, Eyesight and other problems with the Ascent were that bad.

PS: last post unless I see questions. With regret regarding the great 2017 Outback I loved, I am no longer a Subaru owner. Good luck to all of you. I really hoped it would never come to posting this.
 
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