What are the common problems with the 2020 Subaru Ascent?
Owners of the 2020 Subaru Ascent have filed 325 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system (101) and the powertrain (60). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 140 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 325 owner complaints on the 2020 Subaru Ascent. Owners named the electrical system most often: 101 complaints, and half of the 52 that list a mileage came after 5,700 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 325 complaints, 6 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 4 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2020 Ascent
NHTSA's file holds 325 owner complaints on the 2020 Subaru Ascent. Owners named the electrical system most often: 101 complaints, and half of the 52 that list a mileage came after 5,700 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 101 | 52 | 5,800 |
| Power Train | 60 | 16 | 20,000 |
| Visibility/wiper | 49 | 31 | 8,000 |
| Engine | 29 | 6 | 1,289 |
| Service Brakes | 26 | 7 | 8,000 |
Of the 325 complaints, 6 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 4 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2020 Ascent
The 140 mileages owners gave run from 31 to 145,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 2,500 miles, half at or under 6,052, three quarters at or under 12,000 and nine in ten at or under 26,000; 3 (2%) came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2020 Ascent wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: 137 of the 140 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2020 Ascent can cover.
Complaint mileage also follows a model year's age: the 2020 has had less time to cover miles than older years, so its figures will rise as it ages.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 31 miles |
| 25th percentile | 2,500 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 6,052 miles |
| 75th percentile | 12,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 26,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 145,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 3 (2%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Every model year together: Half of the 409 NHTSA owner complaints on the Subaru Ascent that list mileage came after 9,400 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Subaru Ascent last? →
Is the 2020 Ascent a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2020 is a good or a bad Ascent: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2020 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 325 complaints, the 2020 ranks 2nd of the 7 Subaru Ascent model years from 2019 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2019 (443). The fewest: the 2025 (15).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Ascent | 443 | 240 | 12,000 |
| 2020 (this page) | 325 | 140 | 6,052 |
| 2021 Ascent | 106 | 20 | 3,141 |
| 2022 Ascent | 56 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2023 Ascent | 47 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2024 Ascent | 51 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2025 Ascent | 15 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
2020 Subaru Ascent recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2020 Subaru Ascent. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 26V436000 | Jul 7, 2026 | EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS |
| 22V907000 | Dec 8, 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH |
| 21V955000 | Dec 9, 2021 | POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CHAIN/BELT |
| 21V954000 | Dec 9, 2021 | STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY |
| 21V587000 | Jul 29, 2021 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2020 Ascent lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2020 Ascent.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 185 of the 325 complaints on the 2020 Subaru Ascent give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: ASCENT. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: ASCENT.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2020 Subaru Ascent questions
What are the most common 2020 Subaru Ascent problems?
NHTSA's file holds 325 owner complaints on the 2020 Subaru Ascent. Owners named the electrical system most often: 101 complaints, and half of the 52 that list a mileage came after 5,700 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 325 complaints, 6 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 4 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2020 Subaru Ascent?
Of the 140 complaints on the 2020 Subaru Ascent that list mileage, the middle half came between 2,500 and 12,000 miles; 3 (2%) came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2020 Ascent can cover.
Is the 2020 Subaru Ascent a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2020 is a good or a bad Ascent: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2020 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 325 complaints, the 2020 ranks 2nd of the 7 Subaru Ascent model years from 2019 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2019 (443). The fewest: the 2025 (15).
How many recalls does the 2020 Subaru Ascent have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2020 Subaru Ascent. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2020 Subaru Ascent before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2020 Subaru Ascent.