Subaru Ascent vs Ford Bronco: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Ascent is ahead of the Ford Bronco on the federal record, 70/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Subaru Ascent
- 7 model years scored
- 1,029 owner complaints on record
- about 29 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 8 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (87/100) · worst 2019 (32/100)
Ford Bronco
- 5 model years scored
- 886 owner complaints on record
- about 49 complaints per year on the road
- 60 recall campaigns, 15 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (76/100) · worst 2022 (51/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Ascent against Bronco
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Subaru Ascent
- Electrical System — 289 complaints
- Power Train — 179 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 152 complaints
Ford Bronco
- Visibility/Wiper — 154 complaints
- Engine — 144 complaints
- Electrical System — 108 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Ascent's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Bronco's in Visibility/Wiper. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Subaru Ascent — avoid: 2019, 2020.
Ford Bronco: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2021, 2024, 2025.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Subaru Ascent prices at about $44,100 and a Ford Bronco at about $40,800 — the Ford Bronco is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 22.0 against 20.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Ascent or the Ford Bronco more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Ascent scores 70/100 against the Ford Bronco's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Subaru Ascent and Ford Bronco years should I avoid?
Subaru Ascent: 2019, 2020. Ford Bronco: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Subaru Ascent and the Ford Bronco?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Ascent is Electrical System (289 complaints); on the Ford Bronco it is Visibility/Wiper (154).
Is the Subaru Ascent or the Ford Bronco cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Ascent prices at about $44,100 and a Ford Bronco at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.