Used Car Checklists

2025 Subaru Ascent: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the wipers and visibility. The 5 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

Subaru Ascent2025
Owner complaints
8
Recalls
0
Crashes reported
1
Reliability
Good
76/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Run the VIN before you go

A history report shows accidents, title brands, odometer readings, and open recalls for this 2025 Subaru Ascent. Ask the seller for the VIN; it is also on the dash at the base of the windshield.

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/5 checked

1

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1

2

Walk-around and cabin

Engine off, key in hand0/2

3

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Reported on neighboring Ascent years

Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.

2024 Ascent

43 owner complaints
  • Wipers and visibility 28
  • Electrical 3
  • Steering 2

Worth adding to your 2025 checks

  • Drive above 55 mph and over rough pavement while watching whether the driver's side mirror image shakes or blurs.
  • Ask for service records showing mirror glass, housing or assembly replacements for vibration.
  • Turn the steering wheel at a stop and at 10 to 15 mph, listening for a clunk or thump.
Open the 2024 checklist

2023 Ascent

36 owner complaints
  • Brakes 6
  • Wipers and visibility 6
  • Wheels and tires 5

Worth adding to your 2025 checks

  • Brake firmly from highway speed several times and feel for steering wheel shake or pedal pulsation.
  • Ask for service records and look for repeated front rotor and pad replacements.
  • Inspect the windshield closely for chips and cracks, especially at the lower center and near the dash vents.
Open the 2023 checklist

Which Ascent is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Subaru Ascent. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

VersionDriveEPA rating
2.4L 4-cylAWD22 mpg
  • Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Ascent that averages well under the EPA 22 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Subaru Ascent, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

  • Wipers and visibility2No crashes

    The driver side mirror glass shakes during normal driving, and the image blurs so much the mirror can't be used. Drivers say they can't clearly see approaching vehicles or judge how far away they are, which makes lane changes risky. After dark the mirror is described as useless. Both complaints in this category describe the same vibration, and another report filed under a different category says the same thing. None of the reports give a mileage.

In owners' own words

Excerpts from complaints Ascent owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.

Wipers and visibility
The drivers side mirror glass shakes while driving. Visibility in the mirror is extremely limited making it impossible to see vehicle approaching or to judge distance. After dark the mirror is useless.

Filed with NHTSA, July 2025

How the 2025 compares with other Ascent years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2025 has the fewest owner complaints of the 6 Ascent years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2025 Average of other years
  • Wipers and visibility235

Also looking at these instead of a Ascent?

Cars shoppers compare with the Subaru Ascent, with their own 2025 checklists.

2025 owner complaints, side by side