Is the Subaru Ascent more reliable than the Toyota Highlander?

No, the Highlander is slightly more reliable. Its owners file 5.8 complaints per 10,000 sold, against 9.2 for the Ascent. Both models stand well on reliability, so the gap is small. The Highlander does have many more recalls, which keeps the lead narrow.

Which has more recalls, the Ascent or the Highlander?

The Highlander has far more. Federal recall records show 66 across 9 model years, against 16 across 7 model years for the Ascent. One Highlander recall covers a front lower bumper cover that detaches, and owners say the repair part was often unavailable for months.

Which costs less to repair?

Only the Highlander has repair-cost data here. Independent figures put it at about $489 a year, with 0.3 unscheduled shop visits and a 13% chance that a repair is major. There is no comparable figure for the Ascent, so a cost comparison is not possible.

What is the main problem with the Subaru Ascent?

The CVT and the driver's mirror are the main ones. The CVT squeals, shudders, and slips, often starting between 6,000 and 25,000 miles, and some transmissions were replaced more than once. The mirror shakes at highway speed, and dealers often say they cannot fix it.

What goes wrong with the Toyota Highlander transmission?

Owners describe a high-pitched whine under acceleration that grows until the transmission fails. Most reports come just past the 60,000-mile warranty. Dealers quote $8,500 to $10,000 for the replacement, and some owners waited months for a backordered unit.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Subaru Ascent vs Toyota Highlander: Reliability Compared

Subaru Ascent

Good

More Reliable

Toyota Highlander

Good

Reliability favors the Toyota Highlander over the Subaru Ascent, but only slightly, because owners file fewer complaints per vehicle sold. Each has a costly weak spot: the Ascent's CVT and mirror vibration, and the Highlander's transmission failures and air bag reports.

How Do the Subaru Ascent and Toyota Highlander Generations Compare?

Only one Ascent generation appears in the data: the first (WM), which covers 2019 to 2023 and received a facelift in 2023. Its weakest years, 2019 and 2020, are the earliest cars of that run, so a later example is the safer shop. The Highlander's fourth generation (XU70) ran from 2020 to 2026, and a fifth (XU80) is listed for 2027. Most used Highlanders you will see are fourth generation. The 2018 and 2019 cars belong to the third generation, which had a 2017 refresh. The weak 2021 and 2024 years both sit inside the fourth generation.

Verdict

The Toyota Highlander is more reliable than the Subaru Ascent, scoring 73/100 vs 69/100.

A slight edge goes to the Toyota Highlander. Owners file fewer complaints per vehicle sold, 5.8 per 10,000 against 9.2 for the Ascent, and that gap decides it. The edge is narrow. The Highlander carries far more recalls and has a crash-linked air bag complaint group the Ascent lacks. The Ascent's trouble is narrower but harder to fix: CVT failures and a driver's mirror vibration that dealers often say they cannot cure. Both stand well, so neither is a bad pick.

Key Differences

1Subaru Ascent has 50 fewer total recalls
2Toyota Highlander scores 4 points higher in reliability
3Toyota Highlander has 3.4 fewer complaints per 10k sold

Category Scoreboard

1Subaru Ascent

—

2Toyota Highlander

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateSafety Rating

Subaru Ascent vs Toyota Highlander: Which Is More Reliable?

Subaru Ascent vs Toyota Highlander at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Subaru Ascent	Toyota Highlander
Reliability Score	69/100	73/100
Years Tracked	7	9
Total Recalls	16	66
Complaints per 10k Sold	9.2	5.8
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2026 NHTSA	2026 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	1 (1 tied)	5 (1 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Subaru Ascent and Toyota Highlander?

The sharpest split is air bags. Highlander owners report front impacts with no deployment, and that group has 41 crash-linked complaints. The Ascent has no air bag or structure group among its main problems. Ascent complaints center on a CVT that squeals, shudders, slips, and sometimes loses drive on the highway, plus a driver's mirror that shakes until the image blurs. Highlander complaints are more spread out: transmissions whine and then fail, brakes let the SUV surge at low speed, and the front bumper cover detaches at highway speed. Both models have crash-linked brake and power train reports.

Subaru Ascent vs Toyota Highlander common problem areas comparison
Component	Subaru Ascent	Toyota Highlander
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2.7Low	0.4Very Low
POWER TRAIN	1.5Low	1.5Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1Very Low	0.8Very Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	1.4Low	—None
SERVICE BRAKES	0.5Very Low	0.5Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.2Very Low	0.5Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.2Very Low	0.5Very Low
VISIBILITY	0.5Very Low	—None
ENGINE	0.3Very Low	0.2Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	0.3Very Low
SUSPENSION	0.1Very Low	—None
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.1Very Low	—None
STEERING	—None	0.1Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	—None	0.1Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	—None	0.1Very Low
LANE DEPARTURE	—None	—None
TIRES	—None	—None
SEATS	—None	—None
WHEELS	—None	—None
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	—None
SEAT BELTS	—None	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

How Does Subaru Ascent vs Toyota Highlander Reliability Compare by Year?

Subaru Ascent vs Toyota Highlander year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Subaru Ascent	Toyota Highlander	Edge
2026	76/1000R / 1C	84/1000R / 0C	Toyota Highlander
2025	76/1000R / 8C	76/1008R / 40C	Tie
2024	76/1000R / 43C	67/10016R / 198C	Subaru Ascent
2023	71/1003R / 36C	73/10013R / 140C	Toyota Highlander
2022	70/1001R / 50C	74/1007R / 186C	Toyota Highlander
2020	58/1004R / 310C	71/1008R / 269C	Toyota Highlander
2019	55/1008R / 431C	70/1003R / 414C	Toyota Highlander

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Subaru Ascent scored 76/100 and the 2022 Toyota Highlander scored 74/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Subaru Ascent vs the Toyota Highlander?

Pick the Highlander if you want fewer owner complaints per vehicle sold and a known running cost. Independent repair-cost data puts it at about $489 a year. Confirm the bumper cover recall repair was done, and ask about the transmission, since failures tend to arrive just past the 60,000-mile warranty. Skip 2021 and 2024, its weakest years, and lean toward 2025 or 2026 only with the knowledge that newer cars have had less time to collect complaints. Pick the Ascent if the Highlander's air bag and transmission-replacement reports worry you, and you can live with 16 recalls across its run. Drive it on the highway before buying and look hard at the driver's mirror, because owners say the shaking began at delivery and dealers often have no fix. Test the CVT for shuddering or hesitation too. Avoid 2019 and 2020, its weakest years. A 2024 is among its strongest.

Subaru Ascent vs Toyota Highlander: Common Questions

Is the Subaru Ascent more reliable than the Toyota Highlander?: No, the Highlander is slightly more reliable. Its owners file 5.8 complaints per 10,000 sold, against 9.2 for the Ascent. Both models stand well on reliability, so the gap is small. The Highlander does have many more recalls, which keeps the lead narrow.
Which has more recalls, the Ascent or the Highlander?: The Highlander has far more. Federal recall records show 66 across 9 model years, against 16 across 7 model years for the Ascent. One Highlander recall covers a front lower bumper cover that detaches, and owners say the repair part was often unavailable for months.
Which costs less to repair?: Only the Highlander has repair-cost data here. Independent figures put it at about $489 a year, with 0.3 unscheduled shop visits and a 13% chance that a repair is major. There is no comparable figure for the Ascent, so a cost comparison is not possible.
What is the main problem with the Subaru Ascent?: The CVT and the driver's mirror are the main ones. The CVT squeals, shudders, and slips, often starting between 6,000 and 25,000 miles, and some transmissions were replaced more than once. The mirror shakes at highway speed, and dealers often say they cannot fix it.
What goes wrong with the Toyota Highlander transmission?: Owners describe a high-pitched whine under acceleration that grows until the transmission fails. Most reports come just past the 60,000-mile warranty. Dealers quote $8,500 to $10,000 for the replacement, and some owners waited months for a backordered unit.

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How we score the Subaru Ascent and Toyota Highlander

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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