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Other or unknownPart report

2021 Subaru Ascent Other or unknown Problems

Complaints
17about this part
Share
16%of 104 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 17 complaints about the other or unknown of the 2021 Subaru Ascent, 16% of the 104 complaints for this model year.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I am a CPST. I use the Joie Mint Latch with my own child. On multiple occasions I have found on multiple occasions that when securing the lower rigid latch it will flip to green (secure) when it is not actually latched. It is during install when jiggling it into position. I am concerned parents who arent as well educated on car seats may not double check the latch before traveling and their child may not be safe.”

NHTSA complaint #11728594, filed 2026-04

“The lane assist failed by over correcting while I have my hands on the steering wheel. It over corrects to the center lane when you are driving with normal behavior. This can cause a collision if it were to over correct while a car was there, this is also easily reproducible in my car.”

NHTSA complaint #11665581, filed 2025-06

“After my husband replaced the 12V battery in my 2021 Subaru Ascent Touring ($90,000, fully paid off), Apple CarPlay stopped connecting via USB entirely. Android Auto and Bluetooth continued working fine on the same phone, cable, and port, proving the defect was isolated to Subaru's CarPlay system, not my device. I spent significant time and money troubleshooting this myself: multiple cables (including two labeled Apple certified ), a full infotainment factory reset, and a software update attempt, none of which fixed it. …”

NHTSA complaint #11760953, filed 2026-08

“After 3 years the battery died completely and the car was unable to start, I replaced the battery with AAA and the next the day, it also died again. I was able to jump start the battery the next day and continued to use the vehicle. I have the battery for about a month and again the battery on the vehicle had drained where I was unable to start the car but I was able to jump start the car with a battery jump starter. There has been 3 occasions of battery just draining and I have a new battery installed. …”

NHTSA complaint #11572800, filed 2024-02

“The transmission on our 2021 Subaru Ascent is slipping and failing to accelerate, RPMs reving, and every issue indicator notification light is on. We took the car to our mechanic, then to the Subaru dealership service dept for diagnosis. A full transmission replacement is required plus associated repairs for a cost of $14,543.98. Service estimate attached. This repair is more than 2/3 of the value of the vehicle. This make/model and transmission type have documented problems and Subaru has previously issued an extended warranty on other model years for this same transmission issue. …”

NHTSA complaint #11710776, filed 2026-01

Related service bulletins

Other or unknown: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025213%
2024510%
2023818%
2022713%
20211716%
20205918%
20196014%

Other parts of the 2021 Subaru Ascent

Transmission and drivetrain
20 complaints
Electrical system
18 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
18 complaints
Lane departure
15 complaints
Engine
12 complaints
Brakes
9 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
7 complaints
Steering
7 complaints
Body and structure
7 complaints
Fuel system
2 complaints
Tires
2 complaints
Vehicle speed control
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Subaru Ascent

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology