Rear lift-gate (power tailgate hatch) emits an audible constant tone, and will not open. The car can be in park, off, or driving and will not stop the audible tone and the lift gate remains locked closed. You can not unlock the lift-gate by using the door mounted unlock, the rear lift-gate button or by key fob. No matter what the lift-gate will remain in a locked and fixed state. The only…
2019 Subaru Ascent electrical problems
moderate 150 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $850 · see electrical across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
150
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$850
4fires
When does it fail?
Of the 150 electrical complaints filed for the 2019 Subaru Ascent, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 0-25,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
Of the 6 model years of Subaru Ascent we track for electrical problems, this one carries the most owner complaints on file — 150.
Electrical accounts for 35% of every owner complaint on file for this vehicle — the dominant problem area across 9 categories tracked.
What owners are reporting 10 most recent
Has a defective electrical system causing the battery to drain prematurely. Just had the new Subaru battery tested and charged at advance auto parts and it was brought up to almost a full charge. After 4 days of short trips, battery is dead again.
Car battery died in store parking lot. Low mileage (24,000). I do lots of short trips and this is a reported problem for 2019 Subaru Ascents. I had to wait 2 hours for someone to bring a charger to drive to auto parts store fire replacement battery.
Recently have had issues with the battery. I've had to jump the car 4 times in the last month. The car was purchased in August 2021. I believe the electrical system is draining the battery.
Sunday, car wouldn’t start. Even though lights and display came on, engine wouldn’t turn over until I got a jump. After car started, center console went black and all infotainment, Bluetooth and rear view camera ceased to work. Drove hour and a half on highway. Monday morning, battery completely dead. Had to jump again. Now, center screen working, but seems to be battery issue. We had…
Dead battery multiple times, dealer ship has replaced the battery but continues to have issues and left stranded each time this occurs, one time on 12-17-2020 in the mountains in freezing cold weather with a child, no heat because of dead battery. This issue cann occuring when the back tailgate is open for 10 minutes. Subaru is not going to look into the problem even thou they are aware of…
Every week or two the car fails to start. When the ignition button is pushed, the vehicle gains power but does not turnover and start. You need to exit the vehicle, lock the vehicle and unlock the vehicle and go through this process up to 7 times before the vehicle will start. Vehicle has been brought back to Subaru service department 3 separate times for up to 2 weeks at a time and they are…
Battery keeps dying.
The car caught fire while sitting in the driveway (stationary). The car was having electrical/battery issues in the morning. I charged the battery, then started the car and left it running in the driveway, when I came out of the house, the engine of the car was on fire. I called the fire department to put the fire. The fire marshal determined that an electrical issue ignited the engine.…
Several times, when trying to close the driver side window, the front passenger window and the sunroof, the window did not close completely and subsequently re-opened. It happened when the vehicle was in motion as well as stationary.
Had electrical trouble with your 2019 Subaru Ascent?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the electrical problem on the 2019 Subaru Ascent?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 150 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $850 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the electrical typically fail?
Across the 76 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most electrical failures cluster between 7,000 and 19,848 miles, with the median around 11,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 7,000; a quarter make it past 19,848. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $850 for electrical repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to electrical?
No active recalls currently cover electrical issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2019/Subaru/Ascent.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.