2019 Subaru Ascent Suspension Problems

“We took our 2019 Ascent in because we were hearing some weird noises coming from the front end roughly 5000 miles. Upon further inspection the Subaru dealership informed us that there was an issue with the steering rack. They asked us to allow them to order a new steering rack and they would call us and setup an appointment to change out the rack. On saturday the aug 17th we went on a drive with a technician to show him what we were feeling in the transmission. He drove it for probably 15 to 20 minutes, several different speeds. He too noticed some weird shift points. …”

“Clunking noise in front right wheel area, going slow over sharp bumps or moderate speed over rippled pavement. Sometimes multiple chunks over a series of bumps. Turning at low speed seems to make it more susceptible.”

“My Ascent is primarily driven in the city of San Francisco, a fairly hilly city. We have had issues with the suspension on this vehicle in the past, and I will need to install my third pair of struts in the coming weeks (the parts are currently on backorder). The CVT has also been replaced on the vehicle. The tires are routinely rotated, and we keep up with the maintenance schedule. We were driving home after dropping our daughters at school and while accelerating up a hill heard a crack. We immediately pulled over, and saw that the lower control arm had sheared.”

“We observed Subaru Ascent 2019 (Limited) car handling poorly over bumpy areas, especially over bumps on turns even at speeds under 40 mph. Car feels as if it is loosing contact with the road. It is also jarring over bumps even while driving straight. In wet conditions, I do not know if I will be able to stop within the proper distance. We took the car to the dealer, that indicated front struts needed replacement. They could not provide an estimate of when struts would be available -- this was over one month ago. I am uncertain if a repair is possible to correct this apparent safety issue.”

“Subaru of America has a Bulletin out that changes the front suspension arms for both front ends. The dealership made this correction and now the front end rattles like there are loose parts. Dealership says they don’t hear it. Won’t investigate more unless I pay them a diagnostic fee. If Subaru of America knows this vehicle has a faulty part that causes the calipers to clamp down too hard thus warping the rotors! Dealership & SOA need to advertise this Bulletin as a recall.”