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Will Customers Have Quality Issues With New 2020 Subaru Outback Like Ascent?

Subaru is riding high now, but for how long? Subaru dealers are worried customers will have similar quality issues with new 2020 Outback as Ascent.

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Customers are waiting for the all-new seventh-generation 2020 Subaru Outback to arrive and it should be a big hit with a more powerful 2.4-liter turbo engine, new Global Platform with improved driving dynamics, a roomier cabin, and improved safety tech. But Subaru’s success in America could spur problems for the new Outback according to concerns from Subaru’s dealer network.

Subaru has seen impressive growth in the U.S. for the past 10 years with record sales and expansion. But they have experienced growing pains that are manifesting itself in poor quality and it’s showing up with the all-new Ascent 3-Row family hauler. The new Ascent is built at the U.S. plant in Lafayette, Indiana and has seen quality issues and some SUVs were recalled and destroyed due to manufacturing defects on the assembly line.

Dealers are worried the new 2020 Outback, manufactured at the same plant, could see the same quality issues because of the Subaru Indiana Automotive plant trying to keep up with demand for the new SUV/Crossover that will launch later this summer. According to internal documents intercepted by Automotive News recently, certain U.S. Subaru dealers and company managers are already concerned.

How will Subaru’s growing pains affect customers?

“We continue to be concerned that Subaru is not making the necessary investments and changes fast enough to ensure that vehicles are being produced with the quality the brand and its customers deserve,” Subaru’s U.S. National Retail Advisory Board wrote in a September 18th resolution to top management in the U.S. and Japan after last year’s rollout of the U.S.-built Ascent crossover was maligned by recalls. The board also noted it “would like to express its disappointment with the continued poor product quality and with the poor launch of the new Ascent.”

Automotive News interviewed Tom Doll, CEO of Subaru of America at the Chicago Auto Show where he acknowledged dealers had expressed concerns to Subaru executives in Japan. “This situation is going to correct itself,” Doll told AN. “A lot of it’s growing pains, right? But we’re not concerned at all about whether or not it’s going to get fixed or not. It will get fixed. We’re hopeful that it gets fixed fairly quickly.”

Quality is a concern

Also in the September 18th resolution, Subaru dealers expressed concern about how the Japanese automaker’s overall product line is slipping in quality. The board wrote, “Unfortunately, customers continue to have many issues with their Subarus, and the brand continues to slip in IQS and other industry metrics related to product quality. This is unacceptable and contradictory to what Subaru continues to tell the board and retailers about improvements being made thru quality initiatives.”

With its impressive growth, Subaru Corporation is having growing pains in Japan and the U.S. market. Customers have been waiting for the newly-redesigned 2020 Subaru Outback to arrive and expectations are high for the new SUV-alternative all-wheel-drive vehicle. As it enters pre-production at the U.S. plant, dealers hope the seventh-generation Outback won’t have the same quality issues as it’s stablemate Ascent has experienced.

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Photo credit: Subaru USA

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Comments

Jack (not verified)    February 19, 2019 - 12:22PM

My 2018 Subaru spent a week in the shop 3 months after i bought it because the front axle was loose. I have also had lots tech issues. It runs out of gas when the dash says you have 30 miles left. The stereo is awful.

Steven (not verified)    March 10, 2019 - 7:23AM

In reply to by John osullivan (not verified)

"should be standard"? Why should they? Not everyone wants to pay for them or may not want them period.
This is not a criticism to be taken seriously

Nicholas (not verified)    February 19, 2019 - 9:08PM

And article about quality issues, but absolutely not one concrete example of a quality issue. This article is a whole lot of padding with very little substance.

Ray Jensen (not verified)    May 10, 2019 - 3:57PM

In reply to by Nicholas (not verified)

Here's some problems: The CVT transmission in the Ascent specifically......is junk. TONS of issues. Poor engineering. Evidently, the car is too heavy for the transmission, and the CVT was never really tested thoroughly with tons of miles , towing and not towing. It is all over the internet from owners that have been stranded. Strong gas smell .....coming from engine oil overfill? Lots of this too. Cheap headliners , inconsistent body paint, problems with the new radio/ options screens. I want one.....but I can't believe that this car......is a Subaru. It's bad.

Bill Taylor (not verified)    February 20, 2019 - 9:12PM

I am a victim of quality problems with my 2015 Outback.
With only 40,000 miles I have had following repairs by dealer:
3 dashboards
3 drivers door panels
Continued dashboard rattled
Lift gate won’t open
Drive shaft replaced
Front axle replaced
Excessive vibration when AC in on
Continued shutter when turning right
Glad I purchased the 100k bumper to bumper warranty.

Patrick (not verified)    February 23, 2019 - 10:42AM

My 2018 Outback 3.6 is a wonderful car. Yet there are real support issues related to electronics...updates of maps to the required Subaru navigation, radio automatically comes on at startup, etc. The dealer has no clue how to fix anything electronic. So when a writer states that Subaru is outgrowing it’s capabilitie, I see it daily.

StephenB (not verified)    February 24, 2019 - 3:37PM

When I got my 2010 Outback PZEV there were at least four recalls but none with my 2013 and 2017 Outbacks. I like that many of the 2020 changes are being tried on the Ascent and Forester before reaching the Outback, which I will be buying.

Robert D Mauro (not verified)    February 25, 2019 - 9:25PM

You're literally posting untruths.

"The new Ascent is built at the U.S. plant in Lafayette, Indiana and has seen quality issues and some SUVs were recalled and destroyed due to manufacturing defects on the assembly line."

FALSE: Zero Ascents were destroyed, zero Ascents had bad welds. One robot miscounted what amounts to a couple shifts worth of cars, all 293 vehicles were inspected and all welds were there. All cars were cleared and released.

"...after last year’s rollout of the U.S.-built Ascent crossover was maligned by recalls." (plural)

FALSE: There was one not-really-recall - because, again, as I noted, ZERO cars actually ended up being recalled. All 293 were checked, cleared and released.

Other than that, there were ZERO other recalls.

maligned: "speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner."

C'mon, Denis, you can do better than to malign Subaru for things that didn't happen. Please do better research.

Ray Jensen (not verified)    July 6, 2019 - 2:39PM

In reply to by Robert D Mauro (not verified)

NOT so. Simply Google "Subaru Ascent issues, Problems etlc. Quite a few new Ascents were actually "exchanged' by the Manufacturer because the cars sold to customers had bad welds. That absolutely happened.
* There are numerous complaints on the internet , especially in the Subaru Owner Forums about paint issues, cheap headliners under the sunroofs and most importantly......BAD CVT transmissions. Very surprisingly, and upsetting to former Subaru owners.....is the fact that many of these loyal owners state that Subaru and their dealers turned s deaf ear to them.....and told them that "nothing was wrong" or that "it was in tolerances". You need to do your homework. I want to buy a new Ascent. I used to operate a Subaru store, and I have owned several Subarus. All of this news about poor quality control and "junk" CVT transmissions that make loud noises, shudder, etc. comes as very disappointing news to potential buyers.....especially since the new Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade hit with 10 year warranties and Roadside assistance free.

Sam (not verified)    January 27, 2020 - 5:15PM

2005 Sti, no issues, nephew still drives it.
2018 Outback Touring, in the shop about 6 weeks in all, related to steering, struts and the entertainment screen, so I ended up trading it in for a 2018 Sti, no issues with the Sti, so far.
This may be my last Subie, but we'll see.
The only car brand I had this many issues with, was Mitsubishi back in 2000.

JD (not verified)    February 11, 2020 - 6:28AM

In reply to by Sam (not verified)

Who changes a family wagon for a high performance rally oriented car?
Clearly you wanted something different and thats your fault not Subaru's.
I had a 2015 3.6r Outback until last year (2019). I loved the car. It was easily the best car I ever had.

Had to trade in for a Full size truck for work. But I have no doubt that I will purchase a new Outback in the future. It was fast, incredibly useful, very secure and it could go everywhere with its AWD system

JD (not verified)    February 11, 2020 - 6:28AM

In reply to by Sam (not verified)

Who changes a family wagon for a high performance rally oriented car?
Clearly you wanted something different and thats your fault not Subaru's.
I had a 2015 3.6r Outback until last year (2019). I loved the car. It was easily the best car I ever had.

Had to trade in for a Full size truck for work. But I have no doubt that I will purchase a new Outback in the future. It was fast, incredibly useful, very secure and it could go everywhere with its AWD system