2019 Subaru Ascent: sudden loss of power

Filed Aug 3, 2026 · Transmission · TX

My 2019 Subaru Ascent Limited had a safety recall that was related to a CVT transmission issue. That safety recall was addressed by Sewell Subaru (Dallas, TX) in January of 2025. This past Wednesday, July 29, I was driving on a state highway on my way to work from my residence. Not even two miles away from my residence, I felt a jerk and a loud "thud". That was followed by loss of power in that the vehicle just was rolling, but no power from the gas. I was able to safely maneuver onto a the shoulder and stop the vehicle. Within minutes, I noticed a puddling of a large amount of fluid that I could easily recognize was not oil. The vehicle was towed back to Sewell Subaru this past Saturday and I was notified today that the CVT belt snapped and it caused a hold in the transmission case, which caused the fluid to leak. The service advisor also mentioned that Subaru is not wanting to cover the replacement and that they are citing that the reason is that Subaru records are showing irregular servicing done by a Subaru service center. This issue has nothing to do with routine maintenance, or where I get those, and has everything to do with the catastrophic failure of the very same component that was at the heart of their known safety recall issue.

Filed Feb 23, 2026 · Transmission · TX

Component/System Failed: The vehicle’s CVT transmission and related transmission components. The transmission and associated components have been replaced multiple times by authorized Subaru dealerships. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Description of the Failure and Safety Risk: The vehicle has experienced repeated, intermittent transmission malfunctions, including warning lights, loss of power during acceleration, and sudden harsh re-engagement. Most recently, while accelerating through an intersection from a stop, the vehicle briefly lost power and then abruptly surged forward, causing a pronounced lurch strong enough to chirp the tires. This created a serious safety concern. A hesitation or loss of motive power in an active intersection exposes me to potential cross-traffic collisions, while the sudden re-engagement creates unpredictable acceleration and possible loss of control. The intermittent nature of the malfunction makes it impossible to anticipate when it will occur. Dealer/Manufacturer Involvement: The issue has been reported to and inspected by authorized Subaru dealerships multiple times. Because the malfunction is intermittent, dealers have stated they cannot fully diagnose the issue unless warning lights are active at the time of inspection. Subaru corporate customer advocacy has been involved in reviewing the case. Warning Lamps / Prior Symptoms: Intermittent transmission and check engine warning lights have appeared repeatedly over several months. The lights often illuminate while driving and then turn off after restarting the vehicle, despite the underlying issue not being resolved.

Filed Dec 17, 2024 · Engine · WA

The Y pipe that connects the exhaust from the engine to the turbo charger, has cracks from poor welds. It happened 8-12 months ago we started to notice that during warm up our Ascent would sound real loud then quiet down once it warmed up. We didn’t know there was an issue as there were no lights that came on and we had no loss of power or MPG. The safety issue would be that we finally took the car in once we started to smell exhaust fumes coming from the car that we would start to smell from inside the car. We had to start to air out the car after warming up if we couldn’t immediately drive away once started. We contacted Subaru and they offered a partial credit for a repair but after researching I have seen they have had recalls in the past regarding similar cracked Exhaust manifolds on another model car.

Filed Aug 18, 2024 · Transmission · MA

While driving on a road with a lot of hills our car sudden lost all engine power but all of the lights and engine were still on. We pulled over but kept the car on and it seem to resume power. Then about 1/8 of a mile later it happened again. We shut the car off completely for 5 minutes and turned it back on and we were able to drive it normally for another mile. It then happened three more times on our way to a safe spot to pull over. The fifth time it happened all warning lights on the dashboard turned on (see picture). The speed in which it happened varied. It is important to note that we brought it in for service on 8/8 for a standard interval service at a Subaru dealership and have brought our car in multiple times to address issues with the transmission.

Filed Aug 20, 2023 · Transmission · PA

Vehicle has completed all transmission recalls. Until recently, Subaru continued to say that the issues I was experience with loss of power or glitchy shifting could not be duplicated. After the vehicle exceeded it's warranty coverage, they were suddenly able to duplicate the problem and say that the CVT was causing my problems, that reprogramming failed and that the vehicle needs a new transmission. These issues have persisted before and after the recalls related to the CVT and have cause two near accidents as I pulled out into traffic only to have the car not shift/accelerate as expected. I no longer allow my teenagers to drive the vehicle due to this safety concern. I firmly believe the prior recalls were not effective in resolving the issues with the CVT and/or that Subaru said no damage to the chain was visible and checked the recall as done without actually doing anything more than reprogramming. I believe the issues should be looked into further and coverage for the CVT should be extended beyond the initial reprogramming provided by the recall.

Filed Oct 6, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · NE

Vehicle has experienced total loss of power while driving under normal circumstances. This has occurred in a drive-thru, at 45 and 50mph, and also twice during 70mph highway driving. The entire vehicle shuts down and multiple dash board lights illuminate at the time of power loss. I first documented this on 4/7/22 and it randomly occurs every month, once it even happened twice in the same day. I had called the dealership (where I purchased the vehicle and have it serviced) multiple times throughout the spring and summer awaiting parts for the TCM recall with the assumption that this could be the issue. However , my vehicle passed the recall and even after the new TCM was placed on 8/19, I again had the same event on 10/1. Vehicle was taken in on 10/6 for diagnostics on this issue again and nothing found. I do not feel like the dealership has been accurately documenting my issues so I will need to be more persistent in getting someone to address the problem as this could be a serious safety issue.

Filed May 23, 2022 · Transmission · 1,500 miles · MN

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist and drifted to the right. The dealer was made aware of the failure but could not duplicate the failure. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,500. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Feb 7, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 11,841 miles · CA

Check engine light - diagnosis ' vehicle loses power after rapid acceleration above 45mph. A whooshing sound occurs and then acceleration is limited. All warning lights flash including 'check engine.' this has occurred once about a month ago and diagnosed as a poorly replaced gas cap'although it was actually on securely. It occurred 2 weeks later 3 more times within two days. I brought it in with the lights on and issue still occurring to subaru pacific. They cleared codes and tried to recreate issue without success. They released the car back to me after corporate deferred to them. Upon driving out of dealership, the same thing happened only after acceleration above 18 MPH'all warning lights back on and sputtering/jerking/loss of power. Whooshing sound. Dealer is in possession of the car again to look into it. Also, there tends to be a grey-blue hue to the exhaust each time car starts.

Filed Jan 21, 2020 · Electrical · 25,000 miles · MA

Driving normal, 30 MPH on a flat road, when all dash lights lit up. Rab, break, check engine, every single dash light at the same time. We then lost power steering, and when we pulled over couldn't get the car into park. Eventually after fighting with it, car went into park. Attempted to restart it, and it did re-start but with the same lights on the dash. It was unable to be driven and had lost power in a potentially dangerous situation. Car was towed. Dealer has had it since then, now 01/21/20 and they know it's electrical, it has happened again while they drove it, but they cannot figure out what the problem is.

Filed Aug 29, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 16,462 miles · AL

At 16462 miles on odometer, while driving on hi way at 65 MPH vehicle lost power and started smoking severely from the tail pipes. Pulled over and shut off. Restarted several minutes later continued to smoke and would not move. Towed to dealer, they stated the pcv valve broke apart, subaru wants them to tear down the engine to see how much damage was done. Still waiting for them to do anything, car is sitting outside in the service area not being worked on.

Filed Aug 29, 2019 · Transmission · 3,500 miles · WA

We are noticing periodic issues with the CVT in this new car. Occasionally we get a high-pitched whine, a sound like a belt slipping, a loss of power, and a sudden bump when the CVT seems to adjust to the situation and return power and normal driving. Internet is full of people reporting the issue. Took it to the dealer and got the usual deer-in-headlights response. They have a serious issue here. Most recent event I recorded was on 8/28 11;00 amish on I-5 north out of tacoma to seatac, driving at highway speeds.

Filed Mar 30, 2019 · Transmission · 14,000 miles · WA

The subaru ascent was purchased august 2018 (about 7 months ago) and the car currently has about 14,000 miles. The CVT transmission began slipping around march 16th, 2019, causing intermittent vibration and loss of power when accelerating. This would occur at both low and high speeds, and would occur more frequently after the car had been driven for about 15 minutes. At highway speeds, the car would struggle intermittently to maintain speed. Initially the problem was sporadic, but with every day grew more frequent. After being taken to dealership to be evaluated, the dealer reported that while the technician was test driving the vehicle, complete failure of the transmission occurred and the car was no longer drivable. The dealer has ordered a new transmission to replace this failed one. Total time from onset of problem to transmission failure is about 2 weeks with regular daily driving.