Subaru Ascent Best and Worst Years

Counting owner complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Subaru Ascent drew the most (281; most-reported area: electrical system) and the 2023 the fewest (36).

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Sep 27, 2026

Every model year since 2019 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 23 mpg combined, arrived in 2019.

Best and worst years, by owner complaints

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 Ascent Most reported: electrical system	281	441	9
2020 Ascent Most reported: electrical system	240	322	5
2021 Ascent Most reported: powertrain	62	102	2
2022 Ascent Most reported: powertrain	38	55	2
2023 Ascent Most reported: brakes	36	45	4

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	1	1
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	1	15
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	1	50
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	4	45
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	55
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	102
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	5	322
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	9	441

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 441 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Subaru Ascent
Model year	Complaints
2019	441
2020	322
2021	102
2022	55
2023	45
2024	50
2025	15
2026	1

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 22 to 23 mpg (every year from 2019 to 2026); highest in 2019.

2026: gas 22 mpg

Show as a table

Subaru Ascent best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2019	23
2020	23
2021	23
2022	23
2023	22
2024	22
2025	22
2026	22

Questions

Which Subaru Ascent years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (281) drew the most, then the 2020 (240). Most-reported area for the 2019: electrical system.

Which Subaru Ascent years have the fewest problems?

The 2023 (36) and 2022 (38) drew the fewest complaints in their first three years. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Subaru Ascent years should you avoid?

Complaint counts can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, but they show where owners reported the most trouble: the 2019, against 62 complaints in a typical Subaru Ascent year. Whatever the year, check the car's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Subaru dealers.

Which Subaru Ascent years have the most recalls?

The 2019 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (9), then the 2020 (5). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. One recall tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 22V-907 (2019 to 2022 models).

What are the most common Subaru Ascent problems?

Of the 1,031 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2019 to 2026 models, the areas named most are electrical system (28%), powertrain (18%), and visibility/wiper (15%). One complaint can name more than one area. The recalls and problems page for each year breaks this down further.

Which Subaru Ascent year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 23 mpg combined, first reached by the 2019 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.